Whether it?s gossipy TMZ or the seemingly credible Gareth Davies of The Telegraph, the Big Tease continues unabated?
How many unnamed sources close to the negotiations are there?
By all appearances there are many, very many.
These unnamed sources close to the negotiations whisper sweet nothings in the ears of gullible reporters whose desire to scoop their colleagues trumps their desire to remain credible. They print what they have heard, nonchalantly and willy-nilly, bolstering their reps in the process, and when their information fizzles they slink away, only to return when the dust settles.
On one hand it?s understandable. This being boxing?s slow season, highlighted by the return to Derrick Rossy and ESPN?s Boxcino Tournament, the fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao looms larger than ever. The endless negotiations, chance meetings, surreptitious t?te-?-t?tes, statements and misstatements by principals on both sides, have kept attention at a maximum, while misinformation has become the norm, when disinformation isn?t the object.
Whether it?s gossipy TMZ or the seemingly credible Gareth Davies of The Telegraph, and all manner of major and minor journalists in between, the Big Tease continues unabated.
It was reported, for example, that Mayweather was supposed to make an announcement at the Super Bowl a couple weeks ago.
That didn?t come to pass.
Now it?s rumored that he?ll make the grand announcement at the NBA All-Star Game.
That isn?t likely to come to pass either.
The lack of credible information is startling, but no more startling than the echo chamber in which every allegation is repeated again and again, on Twitter and elsewhere, in an attempt to keep the parrot class, not even the recalcitrant fighters, front and center.
Despite the relatively positive signs, despite the breathless, mindless, irresponsible reporting, Showtime?s Stephen Espinoza, who appears to have grown as tired of the fluff as anyone, wrote last night, ?Not sure what anyone is signing since no agreement has been finalized yet.?
That would appear to put the kibosh on the endless rumor mongering, but why let something as stupid as facts get in the way of a good story.
