Dallas – Top Rank will certainly be going live from Arlington, Texas March 13 with Manny Pacquiao vs. Joshua Clottey. However rival promoter Golden Boy Promotions is threatening to go live also from the MGM Grand with Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs. TBA.
Cowboys Stadium has a moto-cross the following weekend so it has to go on that date.
While certainly silly, this is not unprecedented in the annals of boxing and pay-per-view history.
I view this as some kind of medieval cry for help from Golden Boy to the world. I just don’t know who Golden Boy appeals to anymore except for occasional challenge matches by Bernard Hopkins, Shane Mosley and other bullying tactics.
Mosley fights Andre Berto January 30 and Golden Boy has even started talking of a May fight between Mosley and Mayweather if Mosley beats Berto.
It seems like Golden Boy is just covering all its bases.
As good as Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is, he is a glorified opponent in my opinion, when you are dealing with him as a promotional piece of any puzzle.
If the two companies actually do go toe to toe March 13, what’s in play is who gets access to the successful HBO 24/7 series as the fight approaches. But it’s probably not a deal breaker. HBO may decide to just sit it out March 13 to avoid any possible legal problems that might come its way.
While Top Rank will certainly be invited back to the MGM Grand, I doubt Golden Boy will ever be welcomed to Cowboys Stadium and many other venues will have contempt for them to say the least.
I figure the first shots will be fired this week, probably as soon as Golden Boys pins down an opponent for Mayweather, Jr. Names rumored to be discussed include: Paulie Malignaggi, Nate Campbell, Kermit Cintron and Timothy Bradley.
Fighting over the date and other forms of one-up-man-ship will appear to be a real drama and a glimpse into how the seedy side of the boxing business works, but after the last few weeks of the failed Pacquiao vs. Mayweather talks, it might be a bit annoying and time to delouse, shower, and enjoy pro football for the next 30 days and then revisit the fight..
