Much can be said about the split-decision Miguel Cotto won over Joshua Clottey on Saturday night, but I will give Cotto credit for his actions outside the ring following the fight.
After his slim victory over Clottey, Miguel Cotto made no clear or evident challenge of Manny Pacquiao. There was no begging or public campaigning for a fight with a man that is physically smaller than the Puerto Rican bomber.
When asked about his thoughts on a possible showdown Saturday night, all Cotto stated was the desire to rest before making any decisions about his boxing future.
Imagine that, a fighter within fifteen pounds of Pacquiao not offering to starve or eat himself into a massive payday, or even calling out the current pound for pound best fighter in the world – what a breath of fresh air.
So while promoter Bob Arum has a short list of Floyd Mayweather, Juan Manuel Marquez, Shane Mosley and Edwin Valero as possible opponents, only one man makes sense…Money Mayweather.
Regardless of Cotto’s interest level, he is too big for Pacquiao. Valero is too obscure of a fighter to create a mega-fight event. Shane Mosley has begged for a fight, but his promoter Golden Boy has showed no interest in fishing for the fight.
So one man is left standing, as long as he can defeat Juan Manuel Marquez on July 18.
Face it, a match between the current pound for pound king and the previous pound for pound king makes sense!
It would be boxing’s most gifted fighters against the sport’s most exciting gladiator!
A clash between an undefeated Floyd Mayweather and a Manny Pacquiao who is on the crest of a historical string of impressive victories makes sense!
It looks as if Bob Arum’s estranged relationship with Mayweather and lack of one with Mayweather’s adviser Al Haymon could sink the fight. But when all the parties set to make money off of a fight with the biggest money making potential in American boxing realize the economy is in a horrible bind, it will get done.
Team Pacquiao has made it clear that the Filipino icon deserves the lion’s share of the purse at a 60-40 split in favor of Pacman, but up to now Mayweather will not publicly budge from his feeling that he deserves the fatter end of the financial windfall.
When the numbers come in for the Juan Manuel Marquez vs Floyd Mayweather pay per view, and I am expecting around 300,000 buys tops, the cat will be out of the hat and everyone will be reminded that Floyd in not ticket seller without a Grade A opponent and Lil’ Floyd will budge.
I suggest Manny gets ten million, Floyd gets eight million, and another two million hang in the balance to be claimed by the winner. Imagine the media frenzy surrounding a fight where the winner will actually a receive extra money; boxing would seem like a sport.
In a sport where American mega-fights are drying up and the financial reality of the market is starting to sink in, Pacquiao vs. Mayweather will get done for late 2009.
Golden Boy’s Fight Club
I have caught a lot of heat for my less than kind comments regarding Golden Boy Promotion’s Fight Night Club series which kicked off Thursday night (and can be viewed here).
Look I am glad that a bunch of hardcore boxing fans are enjoying a bunch of fights, which are the equivalent of Single-A baseball game, free on the Internet or Versus Network. But the bottom line is that this series is doing nothing to garner new fans to the game or create a cross-over buzz for the sport or series.
I live in Los Angeles and saw NO advertising or marketing of this event. A close insider to the event informs me that the so called sell-out at Club Nokia in Downtown Los Angeles was papered with industry and sponsor freebies.
Los Angeles Sports Examiner Paula Duffy reported on the event and seemed to enjoy it, but in an e-mail I reminded Ms. Duffy that her presence was paid for via press pass and if she was an average Jane, entrance, parking, and food would run her roughly $60, minimum. Not that cheap for a local boxing fight series featuring prospects and dressed up with music and dee-jays.
So yes, while I am glad to scout prospects, this is nothing ground breaking or innovative when it is not marketed beyond the usual 99 year old fans who already follow boxing and read FightNews daily.
