by David P. Greisman

They are two superstars who have long occupied the same section of space but ran in different orbits. They were binary stars never to collide, lest one be consumed by the other.

That was the reality we had come to live with after five years without a fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, not only the two best welterweights but also two of the best boxers in the world now, of this generation and of all time.

There had been discussions and negotiations, demands and deadlines, stumbling blocks and publicity stunts, all of which produced nothing but failure and frustration, first at the end of 2009, then once again in the middle of 2010. Since then, their orbits seemed to take them farther and farther away from each other. Their egos were large enough that the rest of the boxing world would revolve around them. They didn’t have to face each other.

Until now. The gravity of the situation has changed.

Mayweather and Pacquiao will meet May 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas for the fortunate 15,000 or so who will shell out thousands or tens of thousands or potentially even more for the privilege of being there.  There will be additional tickets sold for closed circuit broadcasts in Vegas, all for the privilege of being nearby.

And there will be millions who pay more than they’ve ever paid to watch a single broadcast on their television screens, all because this is the one fight that boxing fans have long wanted to happen, the one fight that boxing fans long felt never would happen, the one fight that even the most casual of followers has long asked about — a fight that is finally here.

It is real. And that seems so surreal.

We never seemed any closer to Mayweather-Pacquiao than we had been half a decade ago, even when the major disagreement that had served as obstacle and obstruction was finally removed. Mayweather had sought more stringent drug testing, a demand that seemed accusatory in nature but has increasingly become what the sporting world expects of its athletes. Pacquiao has since dropped any requests for testing constraints and cutoff dates; he hired a testing agency for his recent bouts. Neither man is testing year-round with results posted transparently or reported to athletic commissions. Nevertheless, what was once an issue had since ceased to be.

Instead, the thing that kept them apart was that they didn’t need to get together to make money.

Mayweather was the biggest pay-per-view attraction, the headliner once or twice a year on the May weekend coinciding with Cinco de Mayo and the September weekend near Mexican Independence Day, traditional dates for significant fights. He topped Shane Mosley in May 2010, took a sabbatical and returned with a win over Victor Ortiz in September 2011, then outpointed Miguel Cotto in May 2012.

He spent two months in jail and more time out of the ring before coming back in May 2013, signed to Showtime with a lucrative six-fight deal that began with a win over Robert Guerrero and was followed with the record-breaking revenue of a September 2013 victory over Canelo Alvarez. Last year brought a pair of decisions over Marcos Maidana. All of these fights brought in sizable sums from the MGM Grand.

Pacquiao, too, raked in pay-per-view proceeds, headlining at Cowboys Stadium against Joshua Clottey and Antonio Margarito in 2010, winning decisions over Shane Mosley and Juan Manuel Marquez in 2011 at the MGM Grand, and then suffering two setbacks in Las Vegas in 2012. First came the controversial split decision loss to Timothy Bradley. That was followed by the one-punch knockout at the right hand of Marquez, the fourth meeting in their rivalry, a shocking conclusion that also ended any thought of Mayweather-Pacquiao.

Instead, Pacquiao’s team rebuilt him in the gambling mecca of Macau, China, where he beat Brandon Rios in late 2013, nearly a year after the Marquez defeat. He won a rematch over Bradley in Vegas last year, then ended 2014 back in Macau with a decision over Chris Algieri that was too lopsided to be described as merely one-sided.

Pacquiao’s drawing power had fallen behind Mayweather’s. The Macau money was intended to help make up for that. Yet the quality of the other available opponents was not great, particularly as so many between 140 and 147 were signed with boxing adviser Al Haymon, who also has long guided Mayweather, but with whom Pacquiao’s promoter, Top Rank, and HBO had no working relationship.

Mayweather had two fights left on his Showtime deal. He turns 38 this week, while Pacquiao just turned 36 this past December. Both are nearing the end of their respective careers, even while each remains at the top of the sport.

So while Mayweather could have considered foes such as Amir Khan or a rematch with Cotto, who’s now the middleweight champion, he spoke of hoping to get the Pacquiao fight made. He knew that people wanted it and claimed he did, too. If he felt any pressure, then perhaps he saw that as a good sign, as there still being a market for a massive promotion.

Their egos had kept them apart, had let them earn great money while staying separate even when they could make the greatest possible paychecks by getting together.

They had to do it. They were running out of time and needed to agree on a deal soon.

Their legacies have long been secure, two future Hall of Fame inductees, two all-time greats. Pacquiao has fought for two decades, won 18 title fights, defeated 17 titleholders in 20 bouts, captured world titles in eight different weight classes and been the lineal champion in four of those divisions. Mayweather has fought as a pro for nearly as long, an Olympic bronze medalist robbed of his chance to fight for gold, a boxer who had not officially lost a fight since then. He picked up the victory in 24 title fights, topped 20 titleholders in 22 bouts, captured world titles in five different weight classes and was the lineal champion in four of those divisions.

But just because their legacies were secure didn’t mean their legacies were complete. For as much as they accomplished, any conversation about Mayweather or Pacquiao would have to include mention of the other and ask the question of what would have happened were they to fight — and follow with another, wondering why they had not ever done so.

Mayweather vs. Pacquiao will no longer be hypothetical. It is real. And that seems so surreal, given how long it’s been since we gave up on these two superstars colliding in a supernova, under the brightest lights that have shined on this sport in quite some time.

It would have been ideal when they were younger and better, when Pacquiao was 31 and coming off his dissection of Cotto, when Mayweather was 33, had made easy work of Marquez, Pacquiao’s rival, and would soon overcome one rough round to otherwise dominate Mosley.

It’s not too late.

They are still two of the best — not just of this generation or of all time, but right now.

We have waited long enough, and May 2 can’t come soon enough.

The 10 Count

1.  Gennady Golovkin’s situation is similar (though of course not identical) to what it was a year ago.

He is knocking out everyone he faces — and none of the other titleholders is facing him.

Golovkin extended his undefeated streak this past Saturday with an 11th-round stoppage of Martin Murray, dominating and dismantling a contender who had twice fought for a world title. Murray came up short controversially both times, battling to a draw with Felix Sturm in 2011 and losing a decision to Sergio Martinez in Argentina in 2013.

Golovkin is now 32-0 with 29 KOs and has ended 19 straight fights within the distance. The last person to make it to the scorecards was Amar Amari, who went the scheduled eight back in June 2008. Only two other fighters have lasted longer than that since then: Kassim Ouma was stopped in 10 rounds in 2011, and Murray made it deeper than anyone else, though there shouldn’t have been many complaints had it been halted earlier.

Murray and former titleholder Daniel Geale are Golovkin’s two best wins. And that by and large is because no one else of note at 160 will face him. That was the case a year ago, too.

At this time in 2014, the champ was still Sergio Martinez, who was coming back from injury for a big payday with Miguel Cotto. Now the champ is Cotto, who is getting pressured by fans to defend against Golovkin, and whose WBC belt Golovkin is now in line to challenge for. That’s an interesting circumstance given that Golovkin also holds the WBA title, a circumstance that might not have been allowed in the past due to sanctioning-body BS.

Andy Lee was to have faced Golovkin last year, but that fight was canceled when Golovkin’s father died. Lee is now the WBO titleholder, but he’s scheduled to defend against that belt’s former owner, Peter Quillin, in April. Quillin is represented by adviser Al Haymon, whose plans for Quillin haven’t included putting him in with one of boxing’s most-feared punchers. The IBF title is vacant thanks to Jermain Taylor’s legal woes and will soon be held by the winner of a fight between Hassan N’Dam and David Lemieux.

It’s possible that the N’Dam-Lemieux winner could face Golovkin. Of course, fans want to see Golovkin move on to bigger things. So does Golovkin.

Alas, in lieu of big fights at 160, a situation that is no fault of Golovkin, there are those who suggest he move up to 168. That is what Golovkin would’ve done for a bout last year against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., except Chavez balked at the contractual terms given to him by promoter Top Rank and sought to part from that promoter, signing with Haymon and fighting this April 18 on a Showtime card at light heavyweight.

Another suggestion is for Golovkin to face Andre Ward, who has been inactive since November 2013, even though he’s no longer entangled in the litigation against now-former promoter Goossen Promotions. Ward has signed with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Sports but has not yet announced a comeback date.

Golovkin has even more momentum than he did a year ago and is considered the best at middleweight, even while the lineage for the championship went from Martinez to Cotto. He’s got a good deal with HBO, which is attempting to build up Golovkin’s presence.

If he winds up challenging himself at 168, it’s because not enough are willing to do so against him at 160.

2.  There were approximately 900 people in the small room in Monte Carlo, Monaco, where Gennady Golovkin beat up Martin Murray.

Or as Michael Buffer deftly spun it: “For the standing-room only fans in attendance and the millions watching around the world.”

Well done.


3.  Miguel Cotto, meanwhile, has wound up without a rematch against Floyd Mayweather Jr. — yet — given that Mayweather will be facing Pacquiao in what will likely be the most lucrative boxing match ever.

Cotto presented an interesting second option for Mayweather. Even though Mayweather won a clear decision when they fought at 154 in 2012, Cotto’s middleweight championship would give Mayweather an opportunity to win a world title in a sixth weight class (and a lineal championship in a fifth).

It was fair to wonder whether a potential Mayweather rematch was why Cotto didn’t come to terms on an agreement to face Canelo Alvarez, whose team ultimately moved on. Alvarez will instead face James Kirkland on May 9 in Houston.

Cotto can still have an “event” of his own — and truly of his own — with his usual June card in New York City on the same weekend as the annual Puerto Rican Day Parade. And then we may go through the same dance, waiting to see if he’ll sign on to face the winner of Mayweather-Pacquiao (should there truly be no rematch), the winner of Alvarez-Kirkland, or someone else.

Gennady Golovkin’s team says “GGG” will be back in May or June, which would make him available for Cotto — or at least aligned with Cotto’s schedule to face him later in the year.

I’m still doubtful that Cotto faces Golovkin unless he truly has no other options available. Cotto has faced all sorts of challenges before in his career, but right now it seems as if he’s waiting for the challenges that are the most rewarding.

4.  I mentioned above that Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. will be fighting on Showtime. That was part of an announcement last week in which we learned that Al Haymon’s “Premiere Boxing Champions” has added another network in CBS, and that Haymon will still be working with Showtime.

The fights announced last week were:

March 28, Showtime: Featherweight titleholder Jhonny Gonzalez vs. Gary Russell Jr., and Jermell Charlo vs. Vanes Martirosyan at junior middleweight.

April 4, CBS: Light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson vs. Sakio Bika, and up-and-coming 175-pounder Artur Beterbiev vs. Gabriel Campillo.

April 18, Showtime: Chavez Jr. vs. Andrzej Fonfara.

May 9, CBS: Former lightweight titleholders Omar Figueroa and Ricky Burns will meet at junior welterweight.

The news release mentioned the potential synergy between CBS and Showtime for advertising each other’s broadcasts, and how they will also “support and be supported by” the May 2 pay-per-view featuring Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao.

I hope “PBC” will also be able to use its other network broadcasts to lead fans to other shows, creating a somewhat episodic feel. Haymon has at least eight televised cards scheduled in a 10-week span. There’s also the March 7 card featuring Keith Thurman vs. Robert Guerrero on NBC, the March 13 show featuring Andre Berto vs. Josesito Lopez on Spike TV, and the April 11 card featuring Danny Garcia vs. Lamont Peterson on NBC.

Clearly, reports of Showtime's demise were premature despite Haymon’s new venture on numerous other networks. Of course, Showtime's still not getting the biggest of the upcoming Haymon fights, but it still benefits Haymon to drive eyes to Showtime to build followings for his fighters there — particularly for if and when they appear on future PBC shows.

5.  It's only proper that Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is fighting April 18. That allows him to enjoy 4/20…

6.  Meanwhile, I’m not sure what the copy editors were smoking in Southern California, with a Los Angeles Times article on the Mayweather-Pacquiao announcement accompanied by a photo of Pacquiao and… Tim Bradley.

The Times ran a correction the next day: “In the Feb. 21 Sports section, an article about an upcoming title bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao included a photo of a boxer identified as Mayweather. The boxer shown was Timothy Bradley.”

Bradley has something that Mayweather doesn’t: a win over Manny Pacquiao.

But Mayweather will have something that Bradley won’t: a legit win over Pacquiao.

7.  Boxers Behaving Badly, part one: Former lightweight contender Michael Katsidis as accused of “possessing a drug utensil” after officers who had pulled him over in January found what Australian newspaper The Courier Mail called “a drug pipe.” He has a court date scheduled for March 25.

Last year, Katsidis was accused of burglary after allegedly breaking into a house in late July, according to a report at the time in Australia’s Fraser Coast Chronicle. That charge was later dropped, though apparently he still has a related March 18 court date for allegedly “possessing restricted drugs,” according to The Courier Mail.

Katsidis returned in March 2014 after about two years out of the ring, scoring a third-round technical knockout over some dude named Eddy Comaro. He then won a rematch with Graham Earl in July and lost via second-round stoppage to Tommy Coyle this past October.

The 34-year-old is 30-7 with 24 KOs. His record includes wins over Jesus Chavez and Vicente Escobedo, and losses to Joel Casamayor, Juan Diaz, Juan Manuel Marquez, Robert Guerrero, Ricky Burns and Albert Mensah. He had been the WBO’s interim titleholder at 135 twice.

8.  Boxers Behaving Badly, part two: Undefeated but inactive prospect Jose Aguiniga was arrested earlier this month in California. He is facing multiple felonies and is accused of having cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine in his possession with the intent of selling those drugs, according to online court records.

Aguiniga, 33, is being held on $100,000 bail. He had a court date last week and has hearings scheduled for Feb. 26 and March 2.

Online records also show that Aguiniga is apparently much heavier than he was when he was actively fighting. He was listed at 5-foot-5 and 200 pounds. Between 2000 and 2007, he fought as low as 117 pounds and as high as 134 pounds. Then, after nearly five years out of the ring, he came back in February 2012 at 139 pounds, entered another bout in May 2012 at 136 pounds, and then collapsed while trying to make 130 pounds for a bout in May 2013.

Aguiniga hasn’t had another fight since. He is 33-0 with 15 KOs.

9.  Boxers Behaving Badly, part three: Silver medalist turned pro prospect John Joe Nevin is out on bail and due back in court in two months after being accused of criminal damage, according to the Irish Independent. Nevin is accused of “causing 200 euros worth of damage to ornaments and a glass cabinet belonging to a Rosemarie Nevin,” the article said.
 
Nevin was a bantamweight in the 2012 Olympics in London, dropping a decision and the gold medal to British boxer Luke Campbell. The 25-year-old made his pro debut last year, fighting as low as 131 pounds and as high as 138.25 pounds, according to BoxRec. He is 3-0 with 2 KOs and last fought in November.

10.  No truth to the rumor that the loser of Mayweather-Pacquiao has to pay the winner’s back taxes…

“Fighting Words” appears every Monday on BoxingScene.com. Pick up a copy of David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” at http://bit.ly/fightingwordsamazon or internationally at http://bit.ly/fightingwordsworldwide . Send questions/comments via email at fightingwords1@gmail.com