June 5th could be the day that ‘makes or breaks’ the epic encounter between Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao.
Everything that’s being ‘secretly’ discussed between Bob Arum and Richard Schaefer could potentially be thrown right out the window if Miguel Cotto defeats Yuri Foreman for the WBA light middleweight title. Yankee Stadium typically factors into the annual outcome of who’s the best in the sport of Baseball. Well, on June 5th, Yankee Stadium will factor into who’s the best in boxing. If Miguel Cotto defeats Yuri Foreman, then he could jump to the front of the line and get another crack at Boxing’s pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao. Immediate Impact A Miguel Cotto victory will automatically give Bob Arum more chips to play with in the ‘poker game’ between Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions. Arum could use this possible fight to try and get Floyd Mayweather Jr to compromise on the drug testing and fight purse demands.
Standing Firm A Miguel Cotto victory will also allow Manny Pacquiao to stand firm with his own demands. Manny won’t have to back down on anything; he won’t have to give into Floyd’s demands even if Floyd doesn’t compromise.
Manny will be able to fire back and tell the public that Floyd Jr is just making excuses and if Floyd won’t compromise, then he will take another big-time fight.
Floyd Mayweather Jr vs. Sergio Martinez If Manny moves onto Miguel Cotto then Floyd Mayweather Jr will have to move onto his ‘Plan B’; which is Sergio Martinez. Recently, Sergio’s adviser confirmed that Martinez is Floyd’s back-up plan if the negotiations fall through…
Cotto vs. Martinez The previous fight between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto did 1.25 million PPV buys. Right now, Floyd Mayweather Jr is demanding that he gets a larger share of the fight purse because he and Shane Mosley did 1.4 million PPVs. If Manny were to fight Miguel and Floyd were to take a fight with Sergio Martinez, then I truly believe Manny and Miguel will outdraw Floyd and Sergio; which would give Manny the leverage in the negotiations over the fight purse when they come back for a 3rd round of negotiations. In my opinion, the American boxing fan knows more about Miguel Cotto than Sergio Martinez. Nothing against Sergio, but he’s not as well known to the average boxing fan in America. Miguel will be coming off a big win at Yankee Stadium and will be all over the American media. He will be even more popular than when he first fought Manny. Floyd wouldn’t be able to claim that he deserves more money. Manny’s quest for an 8th world title in an 8th weight class would be a marketing boom. In addition to the historical significance, hyping up the fight as a rematch and staging it in Dallas, Texas would be a massive success. If Clottey and PacMan could draw over 50,000 just think what this historical encounter can draw. Future Negotiations It’s pretty clear, If Manny and Miguel does take place in Dallas, Texas, and Manny is victorious, then his stock will be at an all-time high. We all know that team Mayweather and team Pacquiao will come back for a 3rd round of negotiations. But this round will be all Manny Pacquiao’s. I predict that Manny/Cotto will sell more PPVs and draw a bigger gate than Mayweather/Martinez; thus giving Manny and Bob Arum pocket Aces. Conclusion The “Stadium Slugfest” will have more of an impact than most casual fans realize. It could change the entire landscape of Floyd Mayweather Jr vs. Manny Pacquiao. All eyes will be on Yankee Stadium come tomorrow.
