By now the routine is a familiar one for Manny Pacquiao.
Twice a year he leaves his native Philippines ? where he doubles as a congressman ? to train with Freddie Roach in a Los Angeles gym. He goes on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” to croon a tune or two, then heads to this gambling city.
Come fight night, high rollers and celebrities will jostle for the best seats ringside on the glittering Las Vegas Strip. Back home, a nation will watch and wait.
And, as always, he’ll fight someone not named Floyd Mayweather Jr.
The routine won’t change this time. A week from Saturday, Pacquiao will get in the ring with Juan Manuel Marquez, a fine Mexican lightweight who is probably the closest thing to an actual rival that Pacquiao has faced.
Unlike Mayweather’s last fight ? a farce with Victor Ortiz ? no one is going to get cheated out of the $59.95 they spend to buy the bout on pay-per-view. The two fighters have already gone 24 very close rounds together, and appear eager to do it again.
Still, it’s not the fight that fans really want to see. It’s not the fight fans deserve to see.
It’s also not Pacquiao’s fault.
He wants to match skills with the fighter who claims to be one of the best ever. He welcomes the opportunity to make $40 million or so in what would be boxing’s richest fight ever.
When it comes to negotiations, though, no one is answering the phone at Money Mayweather’s world headquarters.
