By Jake Donovan
It seemed as if the sport came to the realization that a dream fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao simply will never happen. The matchup has been coveted for as long as both fighters began campaigning in and around the welterweight division and emerged as the two best fighters in the world, as well as the biggest draws among the U.S. boxing scene.
Patience wore thin on the industry as a whole when the two sides took turns looking for more ways to say ‘No’ without finding one way to say ‘Yes’ to such a fight. But with Pacquiao looking human in recent years and both fighters losing their luster at the box office, their names have become synonymous with one another whenever either has an upcoming fight.
For Mayweather, the question was posed following his rematch win over Marcos Maidana in September. To his credit, he neither dodged the question nor slandered his longtime rival – at least not at the moment he was asked.
“I don’t know who I’m fighting next, but I plan to return in May (2015),” Mayweather responded to Showtime’s Jim Grey when asked about the possibility of facing Pacquiao. “I’m staying busy. If the Manny Pacquiao fight presents itself, let’s make it happen.”
For Pacquiao, the subject has come up in the lead-in to his November 22 HBO Pay-Per-View headliner with Chris Algieri in Macau, China. He responded to it during 24/7: Pacquiao/Algieri, though in an odd twist it was the Filipino icon offering an indirect response, months after Mayweather actually mentioned him by name.
“I have not set a date or determined an age when I will retire. As long as I can keep fighting at the level I expect from myself, I will continue my boxing career. I do have one specific goal and that is to give the boxing fans the fight they have always asked for,” Pacquiao confirmed during the 30-minute reality segment surrounding his upcoming welterweight title defense. “I want that fight too. I believe good faith negotiations could produce that fight. But it is impossible to negotiate when you are the only one sitting at the table.
“Two fighters who want to fight each other have never been kept from fighting each other.”
Of course, Pacquiao still has to get past the unbeaten Algieri (20-0, 8KOs) who moves up from super lightweight (140 lb.) for the forthcoming pay-per-view headliner, which takes place at a 144 lb. catchweight. Should Pacquiao win, the world is there for the choosing. If Algieri wins, it’s a whole other ballgame.
Neither scenario seemed to be of much interest to Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum, who was asked of the possibility of the winner getting Mayweather sometime next year.
“How can I talk for Mayweather?” Arum asked when posed the question during a recent media conference call surrounding Pacquiao-Algieri. “As far as the Pacquiao fight for Mayweather, as much as a lot of people surrounding that would want it to happen, Floyd Mayweather is reluctant to fight Manny Pacquiao. Period. If people don’t see that by now, they ain’t never gonna see it.
“As far as if Chris Algieri wins the fight against Manny Pacquiao, there is a provision in the contract for a rematch. If he beats Manny in a rematch, and Floyd wants to fight (Algieri), that’s none of my business. That’s up to (Algieri’s) promoter—Joe DeGuardia—and the Mayweather camp to discuss.”
Pacquiao (55-6-2, 38KOs) makes the first defense of his second reign as a welterweight titlist. The 35-year old southpaw regained the belt from Tim Bradley this past April, avenging a controversial split decision loss suffered nearly two years prior.
Algieri moves up to welterweight (sort of) following the biggest win of his career, a 12-round upset over Ruslan Provodnikov this past June. The split decision was widely disputed, but Algieri recovered from a pair of opening round knockdowns and a grotesquely swollen-shut eye to wrest a 140 lb. title from the Russian brawler.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com, as well as the Records Keeper for the Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and a member of Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox