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MAYWEATHER’S OPTIONS ARE LIMITED
January 12th, 2010 | by Tim Harrison
Now that the fight of the century has been declared dead, Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather have to explore other options. Pacquiao is looking at Top Rank stable mate Joshua Clottey. Pacquiao balked at the opportunity to face off with Yuri Foreman and take a run at a record-extending eighth world title. Mayweather, on the other hand, seems to have limited options.
He can hop the pond and fight career journeyman and walking punching bag Matthew Hatton in his home nation, or he can travel to the Empire State and take on light-hitting slickster Paulie Malignaggi. Hatton and Malignaggi would be paid a career-high and would jump through a cheerio for a crack at Mayweather and the check. Both fights are seemingly made easily and it’s a couple million in the bank for Mayweather, all at the expense of the last shred of respect he is clinging to.
While some scoffed at the prospect of a Pacquiao-Foreman fight, Pacquiao turned it down because of the risk that came with Foreman’s height and movement, against a low reward in victory. He saved face by picking a tougher, albeit stationary, foe in Joshua Clottey. If Mayweather hopes to remain relevant he needs a fight that presents more danger to him than the Indian burn he may get from Hatton or Malignaggi. WWMD – What Would Manny Do?
The best options for “Money” Mayweather would have to be a fight with the winner between Shane Mosley and Andre Berto. A fight with the Mosley-Berto winner would most likely be pushed back to May, at the earliest. The other serious option would be Paul Williams, another of Haymon’s advisees. Williams would be able to step in to Pacquiao’s place and fight in March.
Mayweather Promotions (ahem) CEO, Leonard Ellerbe, has already stated that any future Mayweather opponent would be subjected to rigorous blood testing procedures, as a contractual demand. One has to wonder if Lou DiBella would have a problem agreeing to such demands for his fighter, Andre Berto. I’m sure Al Haymon, Mayweather and Berto’s adviser, and man on the other end of the Bat Phone at HBO would have no problem with the demand. One also must wonder if Golden Boy would reverse field on their hard-line stance against random testing (as requested previously by Zab Judah in 2008) for Mosley. Lastly, it is highly unlikely that Williams’ promoter, Dan Goossen, will have a problem giving in to the blood testing demands for yet another of Al Haymon’s clients.
Mayweather’s next move will be guided by Al Haymon. Haymon seemingly has the upper hand with Golden Boy, DiBella, and Goossen. Golden Boy will most surely be involved in the fight and would be tickled if HBO picked Mayweather over Pacquiao. Regardless of Haymon’s influence, it seems impossible to imagine HBO picking Mayweather-M. Hatton over Pacquiao-Clottey. If Mayweather and Golden Boy want some form of moral victory in the next round, they have to look at a serious opponent, or risk turning the career of Floyd Mayweather Jr. into a joke beyond repair.
http://boxing.fighthype.com/2010/01/...s-are-limited/
January 12th, 2010 | by Tim Harrison
Now that the fight of the century has been declared dead, Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather have to explore other options. Pacquiao is looking at Top Rank stable mate Joshua Clottey. Pacquiao balked at the opportunity to face off with Yuri Foreman and take a run at a record-extending eighth world title. Mayweather, on the other hand, seems to have limited options.
He can hop the pond and fight career journeyman and walking punching bag Matthew Hatton in his home nation, or he can travel to the Empire State and take on light-hitting slickster Paulie Malignaggi. Hatton and Malignaggi would be paid a career-high and would jump through a cheerio for a crack at Mayweather and the check. Both fights are seemingly made easily and it’s a couple million in the bank for Mayweather, all at the expense of the last shred of respect he is clinging to.
While some scoffed at the prospect of a Pacquiao-Foreman fight, Pacquiao turned it down because of the risk that came with Foreman’s height and movement, against a low reward in victory. He saved face by picking a tougher, albeit stationary, foe in Joshua Clottey. If Mayweather hopes to remain relevant he needs a fight that presents more danger to him than the Indian burn he may get from Hatton or Malignaggi. WWMD – What Would Manny Do?
The best options for “Money” Mayweather would have to be a fight with the winner between Shane Mosley and Andre Berto. A fight with the Mosley-Berto winner would most likely be pushed back to May, at the earliest. The other serious option would be Paul Williams, another of Haymon’s advisees. Williams would be able to step in to Pacquiao’s place and fight in March.
Mayweather Promotions (ahem) CEO, Leonard Ellerbe, has already stated that any future Mayweather opponent would be subjected to rigorous blood testing procedures, as a contractual demand. One has to wonder if Lou DiBella would have a problem agreeing to such demands for his fighter, Andre Berto. I’m sure Al Haymon, Mayweather and Berto’s adviser, and man on the other end of the Bat Phone at HBO would have no problem with the demand. One also must wonder if Golden Boy would reverse field on their hard-line stance against random testing (as requested previously by Zab Judah in 2008) for Mosley. Lastly, it is highly unlikely that Williams’ promoter, Dan Goossen, will have a problem giving in to the blood testing demands for yet another of Al Haymon’s clients.
Mayweather’s next move will be guided by Al Haymon. Haymon seemingly has the upper hand with Golden Boy, DiBella, and Goossen. Golden Boy will most surely be involved in the fight and would be tickled if HBO picked Mayweather over Pacquiao. Regardless of Haymon’s influence, it seems impossible to imagine HBO picking Mayweather-M. Hatton over Pacquiao-Clottey. If Mayweather and Golden Boy want some form of moral victory in the next round, they have to look at a serious opponent, or risk turning the career of Floyd Mayweather Jr. into a joke beyond repair.
http://boxing.fighthype.com/2010/01/...s-are-limited/
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