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by David P. Greisman - There are no good excuses. There are no good explanations. There are no winners.
It is no wonder.
It is no wonder that the biggest fight featuring the biggest talents, the biggest stars, became the biggest disappointment, the biggest embarrassment, all as a result of the biggest egos.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao had a mandate – fight each other. Put the two best boxers, pound-for-pound, in the same ring. See who is better.
They could do it for pride. How often do two of the best fighters in a weight class face each other, much less two of the best fighters in the sport?
They could do it for money. Mayweather, in his past three pay-per-view appearances, had buy rates of 2.44 million (Oscar De La Hoya), 920,000 (Ricky Hatton) and 1 million (Juan Manuel Marquez). Pacquiao, in his past three pay-per-view appearances, had buy rates of 1.25 million (De La Hoya), 850,000 (Hatton), and 1.25 million (Miguel Cotto).
At best, Mayweather-Pacquiao could break records and make millions upon millions. At worst, everyone involved would still make millions upon millions.
It was too big to fail.
They found a way.
For once, it wasn’t about money. They had agreed on who would get paid more – it would be a 50-50 split.
It was about pride.
Mayweather wanted Pacquiao to be tested for performance enhancing drugs. He wanted the tests to be more stringent than any done in boxing, beyond the normal urine tests. He wanted blood drawn, and he wanted the testing to be done randomly, unscheduled. [Click Here To Read More]
It is no wonder.
It is no wonder that the biggest fight featuring the biggest talents, the biggest stars, became the biggest disappointment, the biggest embarrassment, all as a result of the biggest egos.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao had a mandate – fight each other. Put the two best boxers, pound-for-pound, in the same ring. See who is better.
They could do it for pride. How often do two of the best fighters in a weight class face each other, much less two of the best fighters in the sport?
They could do it for money. Mayweather, in his past three pay-per-view appearances, had buy rates of 2.44 million (Oscar De La Hoya), 920,000 (Ricky Hatton) and 1 million (Juan Manuel Marquez). Pacquiao, in his past three pay-per-view appearances, had buy rates of 1.25 million (De La Hoya), 850,000 (Hatton), and 1.25 million (Miguel Cotto).
At best, Mayweather-Pacquiao could break records and make millions upon millions. At worst, everyone involved would still make millions upon millions.
It was too big to fail.
They found a way.
For once, it wasn’t about money. They had agreed on who would get paid more – it would be a 50-50 split.
It was about pride.
Mayweather wanted Pacquiao to be tested for performance enhancing drugs. He wanted the tests to be more stringent than any done in boxing, beyond the normal urine tests. He wanted blood drawn, and he wanted the testing to be done randomly, unscheduled. [Click Here To Read More]
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