Frank Warren Gives Take on Mayweather vs. Pacquiao

By Frank Warren

Remember that old refrain: “Why are we waiting, oh why are we waiting?” It is one the world of boxing has been humming these past few days - actually more like weeks, months, even years.

We are still waiting for Floyd Mayweather Jnr. and Manny Pacquiao to get it on. Deadlines have passed and so far nothing has happened. I have long doubted it ever will.  Lets hope I’m wrong.

It is still some distance away from being a done deal, whatever anyone says.
The latest word was that the $300 million welterweight Super Fight finally would be announced during Sunday’s Super Bowl, before a captive TV audience of 100 million. But not a peep.

The only word was from the ever-capricious Money Man himself. While soaking up the Caribbean sun in Jamaica, he tweeted:

"Laying back, relaxing, enjoying good weather, palm trees, and piña coladas. While they continue to lie about making the fight... I'm just going to continue to travel and explore the world on my private jet. #FightNotMadeYet.”

Doesn’t sound like a man in a hurry to get the gloves back on, does it?

They say this this is an event that was destined to happen but it has turned into a five and a half year soap opera. Yet even though one combatant is 38, the other 36, some say arguably past their peak, it is still potentially the biggest fight out there; indeed of all time.

If the much-publicised encounter between the ring mega-stars in Pacquiao's Miami hotel suite last week -- after they met face-to-face earlier in the evening and apparently exchanged  phone numbers during a chance halftime meeting at the Miami Heat-Milwaukee Bucks basketball game both were attending - led to the fight talks taking two steps forward, they have subsequently taken a step backwards. Negotiations have hit a wall.

Even Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum, who trenchantly claims they have signed off their side of the deal, admits time is running out, as both men need to start moving into training camps for the proposed 2 May date at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

”We need to get this done,”  says octogenarian Bob. "There are issues that should be solved in 10 minutes, but it's a slow dance. We send one draft to their side and their lawyer sends back a draft with something else that's an issue. And there doesn't seem to be any urgency about it on their side. It's terrible."

So what are the problems? One is over the delayed television rights. The Money Man and Pacman are contracted to rival networks, Showtime and HBO respectively, and while both channels have agreed to joint live screening on pay-per-view (as they did only once before when Lennox Lewis fought Mike Tyson) and there is a rumor of unresolved arguments over who gets the lucrative rights for the delayed broadcast.

Personally I believe Mayweather plans to fight in Las Vegas on May 2 regardless of who it is. Whoever he fights he is guaranteed to get at least $35 million dollars under his contractual arrangement with Showtime so what does he care if it is Manny Pacquiao , Miguel Cotto, Amir Khan - or Joe Schmo?

Intriguingly Mayweather has two fights left on that TV deal and the assumption is that he will have the second in the autumn and then call it a day, having equaled Rocky Marciano’s 60 year old record by retiring undefeated as world champion after 49 fights.

This I doubt. His pride is such that the Money Man will want to become the History Man by breaking that record. Maybe it is in his mind that this possible valedictory fight early next year should be against Pacquiao. Who knows with him? He’s a total enigma.

Only one man has come close to equaling Marciano’s record. In 1986 Larry Holmes would have done so has he successfully defended his world heavyweight title against Michael Spinks. But he was robbed on a split decision - and was so incensed that when asked about Marciano’s record  he infamously snapped.” Rocky Marciano wasn’t fit to carry my jockstrap.”

It was a stupid insult for which he later apologized but lived to regret as it turned much of America against him as one of the sport’s outstanding champions.