The proposed Pacquiao-Mayweather boxing match tentatively set for early next year is being hampered by several contentious issues, such as billing. That kind of issue will have to be dealt with during the negotiation between the promoters.
The promoters of the proposed Pacquiao-Mayweather match tentatively set of early next year, are now in serious discussion mode, with some contentious issues still to be resolved including the fight purse, catch weight and the venue of what appears to be the biggest boxing event of 2010.
One of the issues that will have to be tackled on the negotiation table is the billing. Just like in the movies, the players are concerned about whose names would come first in their publicity advertisements. The main character usually gets the top billing while the less popular gets a less prominent space.
In the case of Mayweather-Pacquiao match, the matter of billing is perceived to be one of the contentious issues that may derail the proposed boxing match.
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. a very popular and undefeated American boxer has been saying all along that he deserves to get a bigger portion of the fight purse, should Pacquiao agree to fight him early next year.
Mayweather's insistence on getting a much bigger share of the fight purse is a larger issue in the on-going negotiation between Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum, and Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions.
The other major issue is the matter of catch weight an issue that Freddie Roach and Mayweather's trainer will definitely have a hand on during the negotiation process.
The matter of billing could be considered a sensitive issue in the on-going negotiations. Mayweather may insist that he gets top billing because of his unblemished professional boxing record while Pacquiao is expected to capitalize on his recent claim of being the first professional boxer to win seven times in seven different weight classes, a feat that is yet to be duplicated in the history of boxing.
Top billing is very important to a boxer because it will create an impression from the viewers and readers that he is superior or popular than his opponent.
In the case of these two great boxers, the big question is: Whose name will come out first in the promotional and advertising materials, Pacquiao or Mayweather?
Let's find out and wait in the next few days as negotiation between the promoters of the contending parties continues.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Mayweather running out of excuses not to fight Manny Pacquiao
Floyd Mayweather has made is obvious in numerous interviews that he only boxes these days for the money and fame. However he is still an all time great boxer, albeit not in a particularly crowd pleasing way, and is still one of the biggets draws in boxing today
It has been said throughout Mayweather's career that he ducked the best fighters and those who he thought posed the greatest risk to him. Most recently be avoided both Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito, much to the chargrin of the promoter of the pair Bob Arum.
Is Mayweather slowing down?
Mayweather fought a much smaller fighter in his last fight after his short 'retirement' in Juan Manuel Marquez. Not only this, but he came in over weight and further assured he woud have an easy fight. The fact of the mattter could be that Mayweather is simply past his best, and can only keep his unbeaten record in tact by taking easier fights than he did in the past. Similarly there were moments when he struggled with the aggressive but predictable Ricky Hatton, and nearly faltered against an arguably over the hill De La Hoya.
Pacquiao has beaten a lot of the same opponents as Mayweather, and has generally made easier work of them than he did. If Mayweather knows he isn't what he once was, then a fight against Pacquiao is the last thing his unbeaten record needs.
A man trapped by his own ego?
Despite the fact that Mayweather probably doesn't want to fight Pacquiao, it seems he may be forced into doing so by his own ego and pride. In the past he has been able to avoid fighters he didnt want to fight by virtue of the fact that there were always other options out there for him. Now however he finds himself with seemingly only one option left, and that option is Manny Pacquiao. Mayweather doesn't want to fight the other welterweights, and faces derision if he fights undersized opponents like Marquez again.
The latest
The latest from both sides seems to suggest that negotiations are going well, although other reports are saying that Mayweather is training for a fight in England next, against one or other of the Hattons. Ricky Hatton is semi retired and has already lost to Mayweather, and Matthew is less dangerous and recently drew in a close fight with Lovemore Ndou. Neither seems like a very appealing match up for Mayweather at this stage, although either would suffice as a tune up so long as the Pacquiao fight goes ahead in May.
It has been said throughout Mayweather's career that he ducked the best fighters and those who he thought posed the greatest risk to him. Most recently be avoided both Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito, much to the chargrin of the promoter of the pair Bob Arum.
Is Mayweather slowing down?
Mayweather fought a much smaller fighter in his last fight after his short 'retirement' in Juan Manuel Marquez. Not only this, but he came in over weight and further assured he woud have an easy fight. The fact of the mattter could be that Mayweather is simply past his best, and can only keep his unbeaten record in tact by taking easier fights than he did in the past. Similarly there were moments when he struggled with the aggressive but predictable Ricky Hatton, and nearly faltered against an arguably over the hill De La Hoya.
Pacquiao has beaten a lot of the same opponents as Mayweather, and has generally made easier work of them than he did. If Mayweather knows he isn't what he once was, then a fight against Pacquiao is the last thing his unbeaten record needs.
A man trapped by his own ego?
Despite the fact that Mayweather probably doesn't want to fight Pacquiao, it seems he may be forced into doing so by his own ego and pride. In the past he has been able to avoid fighters he didnt want to fight by virtue of the fact that there were always other options out there for him. Now however he finds himself with seemingly only one option left, and that option is Manny Pacquiao. Mayweather doesn't want to fight the other welterweights, and faces derision if he fights undersized opponents like Marquez again.
The latest
The latest from both sides seems to suggest that negotiations are going well, although other reports are saying that Mayweather is training for a fight in England next, against one or other of the Hattons. Ricky Hatton is semi retired and has already lost to Mayweather, and Matthew is less dangerous and recently drew in a close fight with Lovemore Ndou. Neither seems like a very appealing match up for Mayweather at this stage, although either would suffice as a tune up so long as the Pacquiao fight goes ahead in May.
Pacquiao vs. Mayweather - Only Dollar Signs Holding Them Apart
According to a report on ESPN.com, talks between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. got underway Monday, with the two sides discussing a mega-fight between the men widely believed to be the two best boxers in the world.
The fight, which would ideally take place some time in early 2010, would pit Pacquiao- considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world- with the undefeated and largely untested Mayweather.
According to the report, Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions- who handles Mayweather- flew to Las Vegas Monday morning to discuss the fight with Bob Arum, of Top Rank. No further details were given.
Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KO’s), is coming off the latest in what has been a string of dominating victories for the Filipino champion last Saturday evening, with a victory over WBO Welterweight champion Miguel Cotto in Las Vegas. The win secured Pacquiao his seventh title in as many weight classes, a boxing record.
As for Mayweather (40-0, 25 KO’s), Ring Magazine’s Boxer of the Year in 1998 and 2007, is coming off a dominating victory of his own recently, beating Juan Manuel Marquez in a September 19th unanimous decision.
Mayweather was considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world after victories over Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton in late 2007, before choosing to retire after Hatton fight. Mayweather’s match with Marquez was his first since returning from retirement.
With the two sides meeting, the heart of the negotiations will likely center on each fighter’s share of pay-per-view money.
Pacquiao is coming off last Saturday’s 1.25 million pay-per-view purchases, with the fight garnering more than $70 million dollars of television revenue. It is believed that between PPV and his gate share, Pacquiao made over $12 million on the fight. Mayweather’s bout with Marquez had 1.05 million buys.
So now, as the world’s two best boxer’s iron out the details of what will be the biggest boxing match in years, the general public is left to wait for an official announcement.
As Schaefer told ESPN.com Monday, "The fact that I am flying to Las Vegas to meet with Bob shows you how serious our side is about making the fight.”
The fight, which would ideally take place some time in early 2010, would pit Pacquiao- considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world- with the undefeated and largely untested Mayweather.
According to the report, Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions- who handles Mayweather- flew to Las Vegas Monday morning to discuss the fight with Bob Arum, of Top Rank. No further details were given.
Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KO’s), is coming off the latest in what has been a string of dominating victories for the Filipino champion last Saturday evening, with a victory over WBO Welterweight champion Miguel Cotto in Las Vegas. The win secured Pacquiao his seventh title in as many weight classes, a boxing record.
As for Mayweather (40-0, 25 KO’s), Ring Magazine’s Boxer of the Year in 1998 and 2007, is coming off a dominating victory of his own recently, beating Juan Manuel Marquez in a September 19th unanimous decision.
Mayweather was considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world after victories over Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton in late 2007, before choosing to retire after Hatton fight. Mayweather’s match with Marquez was his first since returning from retirement.
With the two sides meeting, the heart of the negotiations will likely center on each fighter’s share of pay-per-view money.
Pacquiao is coming off last Saturday’s 1.25 million pay-per-view purchases, with the fight garnering more than $70 million dollars of television revenue. It is believed that between PPV and his gate share, Pacquiao made over $12 million on the fight. Mayweather’s bout with Marquez had 1.05 million buys.
So now, as the world’s two best boxer’s iron out the details of what will be the biggest boxing match in years, the general public is left to wait for an official announcement.
As Schaefer told ESPN.com Monday, "The fact that I am flying to Las Vegas to meet with Bob shows you how serious our side is about making the fight.”
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Richard Schaefer, Bob Arum won't comment on status of Mayweather-Pacquiao negotiations
Richard Schaefer and Bob Arum engaged a day of negotiations this week, related to a potential Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight next year, but don’t expect either one to divulge much about talks that could extend for several weeks.
"The fact is that both Bob Arum and myself had to agree on a total no-comment position, so we really can not talk about the negotiations in any way, shape or form," Schaefer said Tuesday in a message to The Press. "I’m really going to have to refer to that confidentiality clause that we agreed to."
Schaefer, the CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, is representing Mayweather in talks with Arum, who promotes Pacquiao.
The two met Monday at MGM Grand, which is the leading Las Vegas contender to act as casino host for a potential Mayweather-Pacquiao blockbuster next year.
"The fact is that both Bob Arum and myself had to agree on a total no-comment position, so we really can not talk about the negotiations in any way, shape or form," Schaefer said Tuesday in a message to The Press. "I’m really going to have to refer to that confidentiality clause that we agreed to."
Schaefer, the CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, is representing Mayweather in talks with Arum, who promotes Pacquiao.
The two met Monday at MGM Grand, which is the leading Las Vegas contender to act as casino host for a potential Mayweather-Pacquiao blockbuster next year.
Vegas fighting to keep Mayweather-Pacquiao
As boxing promoters Bob Arum and Richard Schaefer have begun the process of hammering out a deal for a 2010 showdown between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, officials in Las Vegas are scrambling to keep the fight on the Strip.
Las Vegas has been hit harder than most cities by the recession and, with 13 percent unemployment, is in need of major events to bolster tourism and invigorate its economy. A potential Pacquiao-Mayweather bout would likely be the largest-grossing boxing match in history. Predictions for the pay-per-view sales alone have reached as high as 5 million.
More From Kevin IoleMailbag: World wants Manny-Floyd Nov 24, 2009 Boxing needs Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown Nov 24, 2009 ADVERTISEMENT
Predictions for PPV sales alone for the potential Pacquiao-Mayweather bout have reached as high as 5 million.
(Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)
Pacquiao is the top-ranked fighter in Yahoo! Sports’ ratings of the world’s best boxers with Mayweather sitting at No. 2. They’re each in their prime – Pacquiao is 30 and Mayweather is 31 – and each fights at welterweight.
Pacquiao, who is 50-3-2 with 38 knockouts and holds the World Boxing Organization welterweight title, has been named the Fighter of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America in 2006 and 2008 and is almost certain to win it in 2009. Mayweather, who is 40-0 with 25 knockouts, was the BWAA’s Fighter of the Year in 2007.
Arum, who promotes Pacquiao, and Schaefer, on behalf of Mayweather, met in Las Vegas on Monday and agreed not to speak to the media.
“We’re under a gag order until this gets done,” Arum said Tuesday prior to a news conference at the Las Vegas Hilton to announce a middleweight championship bout between Kelly Pavlik and Miguel Espino.
Schaefer declined to speak about any aspect of the Mayweather-Pacquiao talks. But powerful Las Vegas political consultant Sig Rogich is leading a group that is exploring the possibility of erecting a 30,000-seat outdoor stadium on a Las Vegas Boulevard site once occupied by the New Frontier Hotel.
The majority of the most lucrative boxing matches in the past 15 years have been held in Las Vegas either at the MGM Grand Garden Arena or the Mandalay Bay Events Center, both of which are owned by MGM Mirage. Officials of MGM Mirage would be interested in the fight and would likely be the frontrunner to land it for the MGM Grand if the bout is made.
Rogich, who worked in the George H.W. Bush administration, said Las Vegas officials are discussing a plan with El-Ad Properties, which purchased the New Frontier Hotel and the 36 acres of Strip-front property it sits on for $1.2 billion from Phil Ruffin in 2007, to have the site serve as the location for the lucrative fight. The plan would be to have the fight sponsored by the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority, with a consortium of Las Vegas casinos contributing money toward the cost.
Though Las Vegas has landed the majority of the major boxing shows in recent years, interest from venues outside Las Vegas in acquiring a Mayweather-Pacquiao megafight is very high. Arum has received inquiries from many venues, including New Orleans, and Democratic political strategist James Carville has phoned Arum about trying to broker a deal to bring the fight to the Superdome in New Orleans.
One advantage Las Vegas officials will have in landing the bout is that Mayweather resides in the city and Pacquiao has fought his last six fights, and nine of his last 12, there.
“We’re aware of the interest from all over the country for this bout and our goal is simply to keep it here in Las Vegas,” said Rogich, who was once the chairman of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. “We’re just exploring the possibility of doing something [at the New Frontier site].
“We’ve reached out to the owners of the property to see if we can do something that makes economic sense. This is such a big fight and we are doing all we can to keep it in Las Vegas amid competition from many other places.”
Las Vegas has been hit harder than most cities by the recession and, with 13 percent unemployment, is in need of major events to bolster tourism and invigorate its economy. A potential Pacquiao-Mayweather bout would likely be the largest-grossing boxing match in history. Predictions for the pay-per-view sales alone have reached as high as 5 million.
More From Kevin IoleMailbag: World wants Manny-Floyd Nov 24, 2009 Boxing needs Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown Nov 24, 2009 ADVERTISEMENT
Predictions for PPV sales alone for the potential Pacquiao-Mayweather bout have reached as high as 5 million.
(Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)
Pacquiao is the top-ranked fighter in Yahoo! Sports’ ratings of the world’s best boxers with Mayweather sitting at No. 2. They’re each in their prime – Pacquiao is 30 and Mayweather is 31 – and each fights at welterweight.
Pacquiao, who is 50-3-2 with 38 knockouts and holds the World Boxing Organization welterweight title, has been named the Fighter of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America in 2006 and 2008 and is almost certain to win it in 2009. Mayweather, who is 40-0 with 25 knockouts, was the BWAA’s Fighter of the Year in 2007.
Arum, who promotes Pacquiao, and Schaefer, on behalf of Mayweather, met in Las Vegas on Monday and agreed not to speak to the media.
“We’re under a gag order until this gets done,” Arum said Tuesday prior to a news conference at the Las Vegas Hilton to announce a middleweight championship bout between Kelly Pavlik and Miguel Espino.
Schaefer declined to speak about any aspect of the Mayweather-Pacquiao talks. But powerful Las Vegas political consultant Sig Rogich is leading a group that is exploring the possibility of erecting a 30,000-seat outdoor stadium on a Las Vegas Boulevard site once occupied by the New Frontier Hotel.
The majority of the most lucrative boxing matches in the past 15 years have been held in Las Vegas either at the MGM Grand Garden Arena or the Mandalay Bay Events Center, both of which are owned by MGM Mirage. Officials of MGM Mirage would be interested in the fight and would likely be the frontrunner to land it for the MGM Grand if the bout is made.
Rogich, who worked in the George H.W. Bush administration, said Las Vegas officials are discussing a plan with El-Ad Properties, which purchased the New Frontier Hotel and the 36 acres of Strip-front property it sits on for $1.2 billion from Phil Ruffin in 2007, to have the site serve as the location for the lucrative fight. The plan would be to have the fight sponsored by the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority, with a consortium of Las Vegas casinos contributing money toward the cost.
Though Las Vegas has landed the majority of the major boxing shows in recent years, interest from venues outside Las Vegas in acquiring a Mayweather-Pacquiao megafight is very high. Arum has received inquiries from many venues, including New Orleans, and Democratic political strategist James Carville has phoned Arum about trying to broker a deal to bring the fight to the Superdome in New Orleans.
One advantage Las Vegas officials will have in landing the bout is that Mayweather resides in the city and Pacquiao has fought his last six fights, and nine of his last 12, there.
“We’re aware of the interest from all over the country for this bout and our goal is simply to keep it here in Las Vegas,” said Rogich, who was once the chairman of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. “We’re just exploring the possibility of doing something [at the New Frontier site].
“We’ve reached out to the owners of the property to see if we can do something that makes economic sense. This is such a big fight and we are doing all we can to keep it in Las Vegas amid competition from many other places.”
Would Mayweather silence the land of Pacquiao?
Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather have traversed different paths and have both found success along the way. Floyd Mayweather Jr rose up the ranks picking apart his opponents one by one, and has yet to be defeated by anyone. His last effort against Juan Manuel Marquez was very impressive, making the Mexican legend look foolish at times. Marquez, a true warrior within his weight class was just not in the same league.
Mayweather love him or hate him is a brilliant boxer and nobody can take that away from him. Yes many of Manny Pacquiao's fans dislike Floyd, and there are those American boxing fans that don't like the brash disposition of Mayweather either. But with that said, nobody can take away just how good Floyd is as a fighter. You can't logically say Floyd is a coward, or Floyd is scared, that just doesn't have any merit. Anyone who puts on the gloves and fights on a professional level in this sport is no coward, period.
Right now, it's the Manny Pacquiao show. Manny has rightfully earned his pound for pound king status, and he has earned the respect from his colleagues across the sport. Former 3 time world champion Zab Judah recently said in an interview with www.8countnews.com , " Manny Pacquiao is the legend of our time. They say that every 30 years someone like him comes along."
Pacquiao carved his path to the top by way of demolishing all of the Mexican legends put in his way. Not only that, but he's smacked around welterweights lately as well. So can Manny Pacquiao achieve the ultimate victory? A win over the undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr?
Just about everyone that this writer talks to in boxing all agree that Floyd Mayweather Jr is a whole different monster than anyone that Pacquiao has fought thus far. You have to put Mayweather into a league of his own, you just have to. He's a different fighter, a very good fighter, a very smart fighter, and a fighter that has extremely good defense. People can hate on him all day, but it doesn't change a thing. At the end of the day Floyd Mayweather Jr is undefeated and he's not undefeated for nothing. There is a good reason for it. He's good! Really good.
If the fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr does come to fruition it will no doubt be the most difficult fight for both of these men. Neither has fought anyone that comes close to each other. Pacquiao's blinding speed matched up against Mayweather's brilliant ability to counter punch, and power of his own. It's a very interesting match-up, one that most boxing fans are eagerly awaiting.
Mayweather love him or hate him is a brilliant boxer and nobody can take that away from him. Yes many of Manny Pacquiao's fans dislike Floyd, and there are those American boxing fans that don't like the brash disposition of Mayweather either. But with that said, nobody can take away just how good Floyd is as a fighter. You can't logically say Floyd is a coward, or Floyd is scared, that just doesn't have any merit. Anyone who puts on the gloves and fights on a professional level in this sport is no coward, period.
Right now, it's the Manny Pacquiao show. Manny has rightfully earned his pound for pound king status, and he has earned the respect from his colleagues across the sport. Former 3 time world champion Zab Judah recently said in an interview with www.8countnews.com , " Manny Pacquiao is the legend of our time. They say that every 30 years someone like him comes along."
Pacquiao carved his path to the top by way of demolishing all of the Mexican legends put in his way. Not only that, but he's smacked around welterweights lately as well. So can Manny Pacquiao achieve the ultimate victory? A win over the undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr?
Just about everyone that this writer talks to in boxing all agree that Floyd Mayweather Jr is a whole different monster than anyone that Pacquiao has fought thus far. You have to put Mayweather into a league of his own, you just have to. He's a different fighter, a very good fighter, a very smart fighter, and a fighter that has extremely good defense. People can hate on him all day, but it doesn't change a thing. At the end of the day Floyd Mayweather Jr is undefeated and he's not undefeated for nothing. There is a good reason for it. He's good! Really good.
If the fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr does come to fruition it will no doubt be the most difficult fight for both of these men. Neither has fought anyone that comes close to each other. Pacquiao's blinding speed matched up against Mayweather's brilliant ability to counter punch, and power of his own. It's a very interesting match-up, one that most boxing fans are eagerly awaiting.
Early fight odds favor Mayweather
MANILA, Philippines - The betting lines are open for Floyd Mayweather Jr. versus Manny Pacquiao even before negotiations for the richest fight in history.
Bob Arum of Top Rank, representing Pacquiao, and Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy, who has helped seal Mayweather’s previous fights, are just about to begin talks for the fight the whole world wants to see.
And yet, the betting lines are now open, and it should be the first time concerning a fight that may or may not happen. If it does, it should take place no sooner than June or July next year or even a little later than that.
But at the BetUs Sportsbook, the odds are out, and it’s Mayweather, the flamboyant and undefeated American who came out as the early favorite against the hard-hitting, Filipino pound-for-pound champion.
Mayweather is undefeated in 40 fights, his latest, against a smaller Juan Manuel Marquez, coming after a 21-month retirement. Pacquiao, on the other hand, has fought and beaten everyone over the last four years and eight months.
In the early bettings, Mayweather was tagged as a -165 favorite, meaning to win a hundred bucks you must shell out $165. Pacquiao is at +125, that a bet of $100 wins $125.
Except for his fight with Oscar dela Hoya last December, Pacquiao had been favored against his previous opponents, and that include Marco Antonio Barrera, Marquez, David Diaz, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto.
Pacquiao went as high as being -350 against Cotto and settled in at -280 against the Puerto Rican’s -230 on the eve of the fight that ended with a masterful 12-round TKO for the 30-year-old Filipino southpaw.
The Mayweather versus Pacquiao is a fight that could break all existing records in boxing, and one that could generate more than $150 million in pay-per-view sales and give each boxer earnings of as high as $50 million each.
But it may or may not happen, depending on the negotiations, since both sides want a bigger piece of the cake. But as experts say, there’d be so much money on the table for the two camps to call it off.
“The money will be unprecedented so they should figure it out (how to make the deal),” said Emmanuel Steward.
And while the bets are on, Hatton, six months after his devastating second-round loss to Pacquiao, is putting his money on Mayweather even if he admitted that the ex-pound-for-pound king is a bore to watch.
“I think Mayweather would win because he’s just so good defensively and hard to hit. (But) Pacquiao gets better with every fight. I didn’t fancy him against Miguel Cotto earlier this month but he smashed him to bits. I was blown away,” Hatton told the UK press.
“If I had to put money on it I’d tip Mayweather though. He has the style and shuts up shop so you can’t nail him. Mayweather is so good he doesn’t let you get any punches off. If he makes Pacquiao miss he’ll take the sting out of him.
“But I’d rather watch Pacquiao though. Mayweather will go down as one of the all time greats but I wouldn’t get up at four o’clock in the morning to watch him. He bores the s*** out of me. He should have knocked Juan Manuel Marquez out in September but didn’t, it was safety first all the time,” he added.
Bob Arum of Top Rank, representing Pacquiao, and Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy, who has helped seal Mayweather’s previous fights, are just about to begin talks for the fight the whole world wants to see.
And yet, the betting lines are now open, and it should be the first time concerning a fight that may or may not happen. If it does, it should take place no sooner than June or July next year or even a little later than that.
But at the BetUs Sportsbook, the odds are out, and it’s Mayweather, the flamboyant and undefeated American who came out as the early favorite against the hard-hitting, Filipino pound-for-pound champion.
Mayweather is undefeated in 40 fights, his latest, against a smaller Juan Manuel Marquez, coming after a 21-month retirement. Pacquiao, on the other hand, has fought and beaten everyone over the last four years and eight months.
In the early bettings, Mayweather was tagged as a -165 favorite, meaning to win a hundred bucks you must shell out $165. Pacquiao is at +125, that a bet of $100 wins $125.
Except for his fight with Oscar dela Hoya last December, Pacquiao had been favored against his previous opponents, and that include Marco Antonio Barrera, Marquez, David Diaz, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto.
Pacquiao went as high as being -350 against Cotto and settled in at -280 against the Puerto Rican’s -230 on the eve of the fight that ended with a masterful 12-round TKO for the 30-year-old Filipino southpaw.
The Mayweather versus Pacquiao is a fight that could break all existing records in boxing, and one that could generate more than $150 million in pay-per-view sales and give each boxer earnings of as high as $50 million each.
But it may or may not happen, depending on the negotiations, since both sides want a bigger piece of the cake. But as experts say, there’d be so much money on the table for the two camps to call it off.
“The money will be unprecedented so they should figure it out (how to make the deal),” said Emmanuel Steward.
And while the bets are on, Hatton, six months after his devastating second-round loss to Pacquiao, is putting his money on Mayweather even if he admitted that the ex-pound-for-pound king is a bore to watch.
“I think Mayweather would win because he’s just so good defensively and hard to hit. (But) Pacquiao gets better with every fight. I didn’t fancy him against Miguel Cotto earlier this month but he smashed him to bits. I was blown away,” Hatton told the UK press.
“If I had to put money on it I’d tip Mayweather though. He has the style and shuts up shop so you can’t nail him. Mayweather is so good he doesn’t let you get any punches off. If he makes Pacquiao miss he’ll take the sting out of him.
“But I’d rather watch Pacquiao though. Mayweather will go down as one of the all time greats but I wouldn’t get up at four o’clock in the morning to watch him. He bores the s*** out of me. He should have knocked Juan Manuel Marquez out in September but didn’t, it was safety first all the time,” he added.
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