Ever since he announced he’ll be making his ring return May 5th, it’s been rumored ‘Money May’ has been negotiating with Erik Morales, Sergio Martinez, Robert Guerrero and, yes, Manny Pacquiao.
The Latest Mayweather’s adviser, Leonard Ellerbe, said several weeks ago the brash and outspoken Mayweather would return to the ring on May 5 against someone he referenced the “little fella.” Some in the media thought Mayweather and Pacquiao had finally gained traction and that Mayweather had made a first step to securing the megafight by offering Pac a date. And as of today (Nov 30), Mayweather vs Pacquiao appears to be in the works but we’ve been down this road several times before.
Pacquiao’s Alternatives to Mayweather Given Pacquiao’s less-than-decisive win over Marquez and the scoring and foot-stomping controversies in the fight’s aftermath, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum may press for Pacquiao vs Marquez IV or pair PacMan against undefeated Jr Welterweight champion, Timothy Bradley.
Pacquiao vs Marquez IV would likely generate as much revenue as their third meeting earlier this month. And although their third bout was another classic, it left some questions unanswered and posed a few more. Also, a fight with Timothy Bradley would potentially give Pacquiao a chance to redeem himself against a young, hungry, unbeaten top 15 pound-for-pound fighter who, according to most experts, isn’t quite ready for PacMan.
Lastly, pairing Pacquiao with Marquez again or Bradley would (or should) simplify and expedite negotiations because all three fighters are promoted by Top Rank and all dealings would be made in-house. The options are favorable to Top Rank CEO Bob Arum because the promotion company wouldn’t have to compromise with another major promoter and Top Rank would receive a lion’s share of the revenue.
May 5 From a promotion standpoint on Mayweather’s end, fighting a Mexican or someone of Mexican heritage makes sense because May 5th is Cinco de Mayo – a holiday observed in the United States and regionally in Mexico to celebrate Mexican pride. What better way to culminate festivities on Cinco de Mayo than watch a top Mexican fighter challenge a brash, supremely-talented American who is arguably the world’s best?
