It?s hard to gauge what is going on in the mind of Floyd Mayweather Jr. at the moment. Ever since returning to the sport this past September with his whitewashing of Juan Manuel Marquez, the undefeated and gifted pugilist has been in the spotlight more than ever and seems to genuinely enjoy the attention that eluded him during his 21-month hiatus from the sport.
For the better part of eight months the boxing world has been hoping for Mayweather and reigning WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao to settle their score inside the ring but it is unknown whether the contest will ever happen. Following Mayweather?s May 1st drubbing of Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand, representatives of each fighter again came together to see if a deal could be worked out. This was in the wake of a January fallout that was rooted from a disagreement over Mayweather?s proposed Olympic style drug testing scenario for the contest. Mayweather had insisted on random drug testing up until 14 days before the fight but Pacquiao refused to meet his demands and each man went in separate directions.
But the second round of negotiations has reportedly been different, as it was revealed that Pacquiao had made concessions towards the random drug testing. Top Rank boss Bob Arum made headlines earlier this month when he said that all points had been agreed upon and that Pacquiao had signed on for the fight. All that was left was for Mayweather to press forward but he has yet to do so, an act that prompted Arum to issue a deadline for his signing, which happens to be this Friday night.
It?s hard to tell exactly what has been going on behind closed doors and if everything that has been said has been the truth. Taking everything at face value, which admittedly isn?t always the wisest thing to do in the sport, one is left with the assumption that the ball is in Mayweather?s court and he has just a few days to decide whether or not to make or break one of the biggest fights in boxing history.
So will Floyd sign? Here are what some insiders in the sport had to say?
Chris Cozzone is a photojournalist for www.FightNews.com and has covered numerous Pacquiao and Mayweather events over the years in Las Vegas. The Chicago native is unsure as to what will happen but is adamant that boxing needs this fight to come about? ?To say that the current negotiation process has been a disappointment is an understatement. That this fight can’t be made, shows how bad boxing has become. If this fight fails to happen, we will have damned our sport for another decade.
Do I think it’s going to happen? I really don’t know. I only know that it has to happen – that it is crucial.?
Scoop Malinowski is a regular contributor to www.BoxingInsider.com and recently wrote a piece titled ?Guarantee: Floyd will not sign the contract to fight Pacquiao? that highlighted his beliefs that Mayweather is reluctant to sign. An excerpt from Malinowski?s article reads below? ?A glimmer of hope remained that HBO and public pressure would persuade Floyd Mayweather to overcome his cowardice and sign the contract to fight Manny Pacquiao in November or May 2011.
But it?s not going to happen. Floyd Mayweather has colossal fears of getting beaten up and knocked out by Manny Pacquiao in front of the eyes of the world, and thus he will not sign the huge money contract currently in his possession.
What sealed this conclusion for me was reading on Sunday at Boxingscene.com that Dan Goossen is already trying to make a Paul Williams vs. Pacquiao fight, if Floyd vs. Pacquiao fails to materialize.
I highly suspect Dan Goossen has inside information and already knows Floyd is not going to sign, as Dan Goossen guides the career of Williams along with Al Haymon who also advises Mayweather. Goossen and Haymon work together closely and have been associates together for years, with several fighters, including Chris Arreola.
Goossen must know the secret plans of Team Mayweather as does George Peterson, the trainer/manager of Williams, who as BoxingInsider.com readers already know, informed me last December 2, 2009 that the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight ?isn?t gonna happen. Some fights aren?t meant to be made.?
So once again, I guarantee you that Floyd Mayweather will duck Manny Pacquiao again. And if you?re keeping count, I?m a perfect three for three on guarantees ? twice on Floyd ducking Pacquiao (December, February) and once on Haye dodging Wladimir Klitschko. It?s just mind-boggling how much ducking and dodging is going on at the highest level of boxing these days. Who knows. Maybe it always was this way. It?s just that the truth is more obvious now.?
Jake Donovan is the managing editor at www.BoxingScene.com and thinks that Mayweather may be stringing the public along with his actions, or lack thereof, but that his career is also riding on his decision? ?My take on why it has taken so long is simply Floyd being Floyd. Much like Team Pacquiao didn’t want to be dictated to last time they were in negotiations, Floyd isn’t going to jump through hoops just because someone asks, much less people he doesn’t even like (such as Arum).
I don’t blame Mayweather one bit – the man was given a deadline, so why not stretch it out to the very end. The other side can huff and puff all they want, but it’s not like anyone is overflowing with lucrative alternative options at this point. It sucks that we as fans have to suffer through it, especially this year being as bleak as it’s been.
As far as whether or not the fight will happen…
It basically comes to this: if it doesn’t happen, then Floyd will have to live with it for the rest of his life. He’s also done as a fighter – unless he’s instead announcing that he’s moving up to fight Sergio Martinez for the middleweight crown, which – if he were to win – would even him historically with Pacquiao for lineal championships in four separate weight classes (130, 135 and 147 being the other three).
I’m optimistic that news comes by week’s end that Floyd has signed on and that they will in fact fight on November 13. Otherwise, Floyd better have Kelly Swanson prepare a second retirement speech for him. Sitting out the rest of 2010 will hardly fly with the fans. Facing Shane Mosley earlier this year isn’t exactly something he can ride out for very long.?
North Philadelphia trainer Naazim Richardson recently spoke to the Examiner about a wide range of topics, including his fighter Shane Mosley?s future as well as his thoughts on Pacquiao and Mayweather. Richardson seems to feel the contest will come off simply because the public isn?t willing to accept anything less? ?I think the fight is eventually going to happen. Some people are trying to act like they aren?t interested but there are no more Shane Mosleys out there. There are no more Cottos and people are not going to accommodate any more Joshua Clotteys. That?s the bottom line.?
David Mayo is a contributor to the Grand Rapids Press and has spent several years chronicling the Mayweather family. In a recent piece entitled ?Floyd Mayweather’s refusal to acknowledge Manny Pacquiao negotiations casts doubt in fight?, Mayo stated his opinion as to why he feels the fight may not be around the corner. Some excerpts from that article are below? ?Here’s the funny thing about the recent Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao negotiations, which now are a scant 48 hours away from a decision deadline: The Mayweather side never even has acknowledged they happened.
So if the Pacquiao side’s Friday deadline passes with no fight in place, as I’ve suspected all along, the pocket-veto tactic of the Mayweather side — eschewing the deadline without acknowledging the offer at all — will be an extension of its position that there never were any substantive talks.?.. (Click for page 2)
Continue on to Page 2 to read what Nonito Donaire, Michael Marley, Floyd Mayweather Sr. and others have to think about Floyd?s deicison?
The Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao saga has been covered unlike anything else in the boxing world. Click on the image galleries below to see more from each man?
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