With the content of the once secret mediation sessions slowly leaking out to the press, Top Rank and Golden Boy are further apart then ever. The drug testing demands from Floyd Mayweather and his camp would not be changed, and Manny Pacquiao and his team would not accept.
There is talk from a lot of sources that suggests that the fight might still be made later in the year. Some even going as far as to say that both camps had decided they didn’t want the fight this early in the year and were both trying to get out of the proposed fight.
As usual both camps and their fans have been vocal about what they see as the opponent pulling out, but lets be fair to both parties here, there was room on both sides for maneuvering if either wanted the fight that badly. The best thing for both parties now though is to forget about each other completely and concentrate on other opponents for the time being.
Obviously most reputable figures within the industry have Pacquiao as the number one pound for pound fighter in the world at the moment, with Mayweather a place or two behind him. Mayweather still claims he should be at the top of the tree, but has so far refused to back up these claims with performances against the top fighters.
The best way for Pacquiao to defeat Floyd Mayweather other than fighting him, which might not ever happen, is simply to outperform him. Taking on fighters Mayweather doesn’t want to face such as Shane Mosley, and avoiding lower ranked fighters like proposed Mayweather opponent Mathew Hatton is the best approach to take. It now looks like Mayweather will be taking on Paulie Malignaggi as his next fight, and when two defensive fighters like the pair square off, the results are rarely enthralling.
More than actual performances though, the most Floyd claims to be the best without backing it up with any big wins, then more people are going to stop believing the things he says. When that happens, Pacquiao will have beaten him without even having to face him in the ring. Sooner or later Floyd’s unbeaten record will undoubtedly disappear as well, given that he seemingly needs to keep fighting because of his money problems.
A few years down the road, Manny might have retired (although most don’t think so) and will have faced top opposition in every fight between now and then. Mayweather similarly might have retired or might still need the income that only boxing can bring him. His opposition by contrast will likely be something of a mixed bag. Sure there will be some big names in there, but the level of opposition won’t be the same as Manny’s and this is what will undermine Floyd’s legacy and cement Pacquiao’s as the better fighter.
Of course the other way Manny can get one over on Floyd is with his lawsuit, which may or may not be still going ahead over the accusations of drug taking that the Mayweather clan and Golden Boy allegedly made. According to most legal eagles interviewed about the suit itself, it looks like it will be one of those trials that goes on and on, and will probably not be worth it for Manny other than the fact that it will inconvenience Mayweather and Golden Boy.
