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The contract negotiations are irrelevant to what follows.
Almost a decade on from their delayed fight, arguments between the two factions of fans rage on with considerable ferocity. The reason for this is ideological at root. Although Mayweather plays it down now, he very obviously had a personal problem with Pacquiao, especially around 2009/2010. Pacquiao’s fans had a problem with Mayweather, but not Pacquiao himself. This is a critical distinction.
Mayweather was respected but not loved. Pacquiao was loved. This is another critical distinction. The reasons for this are twofold: Pacquiao was a more relatable/likeable person to most people; and he had a more fan-friendly fighting style. Mayweather’s fans insist that he is the superior technician which is probably correct, but the obvious problem with this is that if every boxer approximated Mayweather’s style the sport would be largely devoid of excitement.
Mayweather’s fans became very invested in the doping narrative which emerged in the wake of Pacquiao’s defeat of Miguel Cotto. Mayweather’s father’s thoughts on the subject seem to have influenced Floyd towards the “Olympic style drug testing” he insisted on. The perception since, from Mayweather’s fans’ point of view, has been that Pacquiao is fraudulent on some level. Positions hardened over the five years it took for them to eventually share a ring.
Their 2015 fight was generally viewed as disappointing, compounded by the speculation that it may have been better in 2010. We’ll never know if that would have been the case, but given the buildup combined with the number of casual fans who watched it then this perception was almost inevitable. Mayweather won but it wasn’t emphatic, which was in keeping with his style of victory post-2007. The most obviously hurtful punch landed in the fight was thrown by Pacquiao.
In the end, if one believes Mayweather was the “master boxer” of his era this is irreconcilable with the view of Pacquiao as a risk-taking entertainer. Neither position is necessarily incorrect.
Almost a decade on from their delayed fight, arguments between the two factions of fans rage on with considerable ferocity. The reason for this is ideological at root. Although Mayweather plays it down now, he very obviously had a personal problem with Pacquiao, especially around 2009/2010. Pacquiao’s fans had a problem with Mayweather, but not Pacquiao himself. This is a critical distinction.
Mayweather was respected but not loved. Pacquiao was loved. This is another critical distinction. The reasons for this are twofold: Pacquiao was a more relatable/likeable person to most people; and he had a more fan-friendly fighting style. Mayweather’s fans insist that he is the superior technician which is probably correct, but the obvious problem with this is that if every boxer approximated Mayweather’s style the sport would be largely devoid of excitement.
Mayweather’s fans became very invested in the doping narrative which emerged in the wake of Pacquiao’s defeat of Miguel Cotto. Mayweather’s father’s thoughts on the subject seem to have influenced Floyd towards the “Olympic style drug testing” he insisted on. The perception since, from Mayweather’s fans’ point of view, has been that Pacquiao is fraudulent on some level. Positions hardened over the five years it took for them to eventually share a ring.
Their 2015 fight was generally viewed as disappointing, compounded by the speculation that it may have been better in 2010. We’ll never know if that would have been the case, but given the buildup combined with the number of casual fans who watched it then this perception was almost inevitable. Mayweather won but it wasn’t emphatic, which was in keeping with his style of victory post-2007. The most obviously hurtful punch landed in the fight was thrown by Pacquiao.
In the end, if one believes Mayweather was the “master boxer” of his era this is irreconcilable with the view of Pacquiao as a risk-taking entertainer. Neither position is necessarily incorrect.
Coverdale
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