Manny Pacquiao may have held on to his power punches to abort a knockout win scenario over Chris Algieri so that potential foe Floyd Mayweather will be enticed to fight and not get scared to face him in a bout that every fight fan wants to see.
In the buildup to his fight against Algieri, Pacquiao has made his intention to face Mayweather after the Algieri fight following Mayweather’s statement that he will resume unfinished talks provided Pacquiao defeats Algieri. Now that Pacquiao has retained his WBO welterweight title via a unanimous decision, Mayweather has remained silent and noncommittal on his promise to resume talks. But in his most recent Instagam post, Mayweather seems to be mocking Pacquiao again, an indication that he is ready to talk again about the fight. This gives credence to the talks that came out of the Pacquiao camp that Coach Freddie Roach has instructed Pacquiao not to knock Algieri out in the last round to make it appear that Pacquiao has already lost his killer instinct. Fight fans have theorized that the reason Mayweather had evaded an encounter with Pacquiao in the ring was his fear of losing to the eight-division world champion. Seemingly, Roach strategy is working as Mayweather is now showing signs of interest in pursuing the fight that has been shelved for close to five years. Roach and Pacquiao have put up a variety of actions aimed at enticing Mayweather to accept Pacquiao’s challenge. For his part, Pacquiao has removed all roadblocks that are delaying the negotiations including the random blood and urine tests that Mayweather demanded. He also agreed to a lower share in the fight purse. Pacquiao said he has agreed on just about everything thast Mayweather wanted in order to give his fans a fight that they have all been wanting to see.
Mayweather Jr. of the U.S. celebrates his victory over Alvarez at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas � Steve Marcus / Reuters, Reuters Like this image Pacquiao argued that he owes his fame and fortune to his fans and the only reward he can think about is to give them the Mayweather fight because it is the fight that they have been waiting to happen in the last five years. Michael Koncz, Pacquiao’s longtime adviser, believes that it is only Mayweather who can make the fight happen and no one else. ?We?re very reasonable,? he said. ?We?re not going for the lion?s share. If this fight happens, it?s because Floyd wants it to happen. It?s not going to matter what we want, it?s not going to matter what HBO wants, what Arum wants, what (Richard) Schaefer wants.? All indications point to the fight finally taking place next year as interested players including giant TV networks HBO and CBS Showtime have started talks on the most anticipated fight. For his part Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum wants the fight to happen next year. “Enough is enough,” said Arum. “The time is now, and there must be no more excuses,” added Arum, who wants the fight to happen before June next year.
