Jan 23, 2012 – It?s the fight that every boxing aficionado seemingly hates to even discuss while every casual observer of the sweet science is still dying to see.
Pacquiao-Mayweather… what?s the deal?
Here?s a time-line of articles that have been produced since Floyd Mayweather Jr. officially called out Manny Pacquiao to a May 5, 2012 fight in Las Vegas, Nevada.
November 2, 2011 – Team Mayweather specifically calls out Manny Pacquiao citing a May 5th Las Vegas Date.
November 4, 2011 – Manny Pacquiao Promoter calls May 5th date as ridiculous
November 12, 2011 – Pacquiao-Marquez III post-fight interview with HBO commentator Max Kellerman asks Pacquiao about a May 5th Mayweather fight. (3:00-3:30) Pacquiao stated, ?Well… lets get it on. Make the fight happen May 5. Lets give the people a good fight!?
November 23, 2011 – Pacquiao advisor, Michael Koncz visits the Mayweather gym in Las Vegas, Nevada.
November 24, 2011 – Pacquiao states, ?Negotiations are ongoing for my fight with Mayweather, but nothing is final. Mayweather may be thinking, I can fight Pacquiao now because he had trouble against Marquez, and I was able to beat up Marquez. This is what boxing fans are waiting for.?
November 28, 2011 – Mayweather states on video, ?You want a fight, let?s make it happen. May 5th. Sign the contract! I?m waiting.?
November 30, 2011 – Manny Pacquiao states, ?We are ready. If it pushes through, once he signs the contract then I’ll sign the contract. Only the little things are being worked out and negotiations are almost done.?
Pacquiao also stated that he had no issue with the May 5 fight date, saying it is a good date for the fight.
December 5, 2011 – Pacquiao would host a dinner in the Phillippines and states that the May 5th date is good, Las Vegas was the likely location and that the fight is 80 to 90 percent finalized. He also stated that the drug testing for the bout was no longer an issue.
December 17, 2011 – Pacquiao agrees to taking a smaller purse (less than 50-50) as long as the fight happens. (I personally found this very strange.)
January 10, 2012 – Floyd Mayweather calls out Manny on Twitter. ?”Manny Pacquiao I’m calling you out let’s fight May 5th and give the world what they want to see. My Jail Sentence was pushed back because the date was locked in. Step up Punk.”
January 11, 2012 – Pacquiao responds to Floyd?s challenge by stating that he would fight him but not on May 5. Manny wants to fight in late May. Michael Koncz and Bob Arum bring up the $40 million potentially left on the table by having it at MGM Grand Garden Arena which holds 16,500 rather than a temporary stadium holding 40,000 people in Las Vegas.
January 19, 2012 – Floyd Mayweather Jr. calls Manny Pacquiao directly over the phone to discuss the fight.
January 20, 2012 – Manny Pacquiao attends People of Asia Magazine awards and didn?t reveal who his next opponent would be but only that his fans would be happy on his choice. “I’m also excited. We’re going to train and prepare hard for his fight since everyone expects me to win. I just put my trust in the Lord, nothing is imposibble with God.
His wife Jinkee Pacquiao stated that Manny confirmed to her that the Mayweather fight would take place in May or June.
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In summary… from November to December, Manny Pacquiao verbally agreed to a May 5th date in Las Vegas. The ?Pacman? would also go on record stating that negotiations for the fight were already in the latter stages in December of last year in addition to taking less than 50-50 in order to make the fight a reality.
Following Mayweather?s direct call out on Twitter, Manny states that May 5th was no longer reasonable. During their direct phone conversation, Pacquiao would request a 50-50 split on the fight which Mayweather apparently rejected.
The fact of the matter is that Mayweather has maintained consistent regarding his stance on the bout following his fight with Victor Ortiz in September 2011. For Floyd, it?s always been a May 5th fight at the MGM Grand.
Pacquiao initially agreed to the date then apparently changed his mind.
Pacquiao also publicly agreed to taking a lesser purse than 50-50 and has recently changed his mind.
However, this is not why I ask the question whether Manny Pacquiao is a liar or not.
The reason for this question is that in November & December of last year, Manny would state that the negotiations had progressed heavily in the Mayweather talks. In discussing with many boxing aficionados, the initial hurdle for most big fights is simply the financial aspect. Projecting the potential revenue for the event and deciding what percentage goes to who is usually where a fight gets made or broken. This is traditionally considered the initial and most important aspect of deciding the next step which would be considered the ?details?.
I just cannot fathom Team Mayweather and Team Pacquiao discussing details such as ring size, glove type, ticket allocation, or sponsorship activation prior to agreeing on proper financial compensation for both men. What?s the point of even discussing these things if the initial hurdle cannot be cleared?
That?s why I ask… is Manny Pacquiao a liar?
When he stated that negotiations were ?80 to 90 percent done? and that ?only the little details remained?, was it an out-right lie, a half truth, or a misinformed relay of what was truly transpiring?
Little details are not the purse amounts for each fighter.
Little details are not the date of the event or the location.
Those are major details.
In my humble opinion, the biggest crapshoot in all of this is Michael Koncz, the negotiator for Team Pacquiao. It really depends on whether he is relaying accurate information to Manny or whether he is saying one thing to Team Mayweather and differently to the ?Pacman?.
The fact that Mayweather called Pacquiao directly shows that Floyd might not exactly trust that Koncz is relaying the information being discussed amongst both parties. It is quite public that Michael Koncz works for Bob Arum, the promoter who has made every excuse known to man since September 2011 as to why a Mayweather fight is not feasible.
So I still ask the question… is Manny Pacquiao a liar?
If the fight was so close to being made last year, why are the major details still being discussed in the public eye?
My theory is… either the fight has indeed been finalized last year and both camps are doing a masterful job of keeping the fans & media on their toes OR… somebody has been relaying false information to Manny Pacquiao which has caused myself to question whether he is truthful in his statements or not.
We?ll find out soon enough what the truth of the situation is.
PS. This entire piece is all rambling speculation but the timeline does not lie. I just don’t understand when both men have stated that they were waiting on the other to sign a contract. Surely it isn’t a blank contract so an agreement must have been made last year on the terms of the event.
