The way the Pacquiao-Mayweather negotiations go, it seems to me that ?the banquet is without the bride and the groom.?
The two main negotiators, Bob Arum of Top Rank and Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy, are keeping their mouths zipped although there are contradicting reports with high profile media eavesdroppers like Ronnie Nathanielsz and Brad Cooney ? among others ? making haymaker comments on the internet. Listen to Brad say, ?Are you kidding me?? referring to the hearsay 60/40 split purportedly demanded by Floyd and currently a staple topic in the boxing circles.
Vultures, croons John Mayer, ?down to the wire, I wanted water but I’ll walk through the fire if this is what it takes to take me even higher?? Thus the media keeps testing the Pacquiao-Mayweather negotiations, stroking the embers of an unprecedented match-up between what Arum termed as Philippine?s main social welfare, Manny Pacquiao, and the lovable villain and self-confessed all time great, Floyd Money Mayweather.
This is not frustrating although I have to contend myself ? both as a fan and as a writer (but primarily as a fan!) ? that indeed Pacquiao and Mayweather are ?actually? seeing eye-to-eye on this issue of the greatest welterweight fight ever to be made.
I can glean from a distance that they both want it.
Floyd is always Floyd. If his main reason for boxing is to be a prizefighter as he claims to be, he will squeeze every penny that goes ?kaching? to his bank account.
Did you remember 50 Cent rapping while Floyd sashayed to the squared jungle with Oscar de la Hoya? It was the same message. And again, Floyd is Floyd. He is Money, the ?face of boxing?, self-proclaimed ?greatest of all time.? So far, he has the bragging rights, come to think about it. This is tautology, ipso facto: 41 wins and undefeated since 1996 and incidentally the same year Pacquiao was struck by a tragedy named Rustico Torrecampo.
Manny sounds like an antithesis to Money. He looks at where he came from. He screamed, ?Only God knows!? when Hatton predicted a win against him during the closing statements after the weigh-in. He was drowned by the Winter Wonderland song of the Hitman, but his faith was safely tucked in his heart. He believes that he is fighting a higher cause, similar to the Evander Holyfield?s when he fought the menacing Tyson back in 1996. On the right side of his boxing shorts was written Philippians 4:13, ?There is nothing that I cannot do in the One who strengthens me.? This is the real Pacquiao, not the ?hesitant prizefighter? in Dan Hill?s song. He is the one buoyed up by the prayers of his mom, Dionisia.
In every Pacquiao fight, his mom prays the rosary. This may seem contradictory but that is how the Pacquiao household understands this faith. You can also see him kneel down on his corner every time he is inside the ring. He makes the sign of the cross, says a little prayer and gets ready to rumble. When his opponent hits the canvass, he makes the sign of the cross again. When he raises his hand in triumphant gesture and faces the crowd, there is the sign of the cross. He even made Bob Arum swear to have belief in his God.
By the looks of it, both fighters want this fight. Forget about Mayweather Sr. trying to be protective of li?l Floyd and claiming PEDs as a scapegoat. His posturing is a hustler?s code. It was Floyd who said that they are a ?family of hustlers? anyway.
Forget about Roach saying Floyd has lost a step. He is incising a psychological warfare to get inside Floyd?s head and rattle his self-belief. The Irishman knows this business and he can only fight Floyd through his words, the way his mentor Eddie Futch did. Forget Alex Ariza. His statements are footnotes to Pacquiao-Mayweather tussle.
Let?s wait and let Floyd do his thing. Let?s wait and let Manny act out his part in his own soap opera. The greatest November in boxing is bound to happen: it will be ?ba de ya Floyd!? against ?Manny bomaye!?
