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by David P. Greisman - When Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr. fought eight years ago, some described it as the fight that could save boxing. It wasn’t, of course. And when Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao finally face each other on May 2, it won’t mark the end of any of the so-called cold wars that have plagued this sport for years.
Yes, Mayweather-Pacquiao will mark the first time that HBO and Showtime have cooperated on a pay-per-view since Lennox Lewis fought Mike Tyson in 2002.
Yes, it will mark the first time that Mayweather has worked alongside Top Rank since he bought out his contract in 2006 with the promoter that had signed him prior to his pro debut a decade before.
And yes, Mayweather-Pacquiao brought Top Rank’s Bob Arum back into negotiations with Mayweather’s adviser, Al Haymon, about whom Arum had expressed so much frustration ever since they failed to make a bout between Kelly Pavlik, then the middleweight champion and an Arum fighter, and Paul Williams, who was one of Haymon’s clients.
Mayweather-Pacquiao is great for the sport. It brings a massive amount of attention to the Sweet Science at a time when it is attempting to grow back from beyond its niche audience. It comes after five years in which the casual followers and non-fans saw the continued lack of a fight between Floyd and Manny as emblematic of the problems plaguing professional pugilism.
In reality, Mayweather and Pacquiao hadn’t fought because Mayweather and Pacquiao — and their teams — had found reasons for them not to fight. Their egos got in the way until, finally, they realized how silly that situation was. They could make far more money together than they could by remaining apart. Mayweather-Pacquiao hadn’t happened when both were with HBO. Mayweather’s move to Showtime in 2013 wasn’t what kept it from occurring since then. The networks have found a way to work together.
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Yes, Mayweather-Pacquiao will mark the first time that HBO and Showtime have cooperated on a pay-per-view since Lennox Lewis fought Mike Tyson in 2002.
Yes, it will mark the first time that Mayweather has worked alongside Top Rank since he bought out his contract in 2006 with the promoter that had signed him prior to his pro debut a decade before.
And yes, Mayweather-Pacquiao brought Top Rank’s Bob Arum back into negotiations with Mayweather’s adviser, Al Haymon, about whom Arum had expressed so much frustration ever since they failed to make a bout between Kelly Pavlik, then the middleweight champion and an Arum fighter, and Paul Williams, who was one of Haymon’s clients.
Mayweather-Pacquiao is great for the sport. It brings a massive amount of attention to the Sweet Science at a time when it is attempting to grow back from beyond its niche audience. It comes after five years in which the casual followers and non-fans saw the continued lack of a fight between Floyd and Manny as emblematic of the problems plaguing professional pugilism.
In reality, Mayweather and Pacquiao hadn’t fought because Mayweather and Pacquiao — and their teams — had found reasons for them not to fight. Their egos got in the way until, finally, they realized how silly that situation was. They could make far more money together than they could by remaining apart. Mayweather-Pacquiao hadn’t happened when both were with HBO. Mayweather’s move to Showtime in 2013 wasn’t what kept it from occurring since then. The networks have found a way to work together.
[Click Here To Read More]
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