Will we finally get to see Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
**Update**
So it looks
like we will see Pacquiao vs. Marquez part three after all. On May 18th all of
the cards seemed to fall into place. Juan Manuel Marquez appeared to be
sniffing out this fight, turning down offers for Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy
Promotions and other outfits as well.
Golden Boy had
offered to extend his contract after its February termination, but Marquez
wanted no part of it, and he began talks with legendary boxing promoter Bob
Arum, who was thrilled at the thought of seeing Manny and Marquez step into the
ring once again.
As most of us
know, the history between these two remains clouded by split decisions, a draw,
and judging mistakes. This fight will bring much needed closure to this
rivalry.
It is reported
that the two will fight at the catch weight of 144 pounds. Marquez will have to
jump up in his weight, as he sits at 135, while Pacquiao will drop a few from
his current 147.
There is only
one future obstacle in Marquez's future, and that is his July 2nd fight against
David Diaz. Manny had defeated Diaz back in 2008 to win the World Boxing
Council lightweight title after nine rounds. This fight was all Manny from the
first bell, and the chance to watch Marquez take a stab will be our best chance
to see just where he sits as far as his stamina, speed, and desire.
This is a fight
Marquez must win to move on to the Manny fight in November. With this fight in
his home town of Mexico City, he should have everything working in his favor.
Original Article
Last night, in
a unanimous decision, Manny Pacquiao defended his WBO Welterweight Championship
against Shane Mosely. Every sportsbook had listed the thirty nine year old Mosely as a
huge underdog in this fight, but many expected him to at least stand toe-to-toe and exchange
punches with the world’s best.
After taking some hard hits in the first few
rounds, Shane chose to spend the rest of the night running, making it clear
that his glory days are gone, and retirement is right around the corner.
Manny Pacquiao knew the fight was his from the start, and after taking the early lead he felt
comfortable letting the rest of the fight work itself out. He did, however, complain
about his legs tightening up during the fight, but to anyone watching, his
performance looked textbook.
So with the
Mosely fight behind him, let’s get to what everyone else wants to know, who is
Pacquiao going to fight next? What we do know is that his next fight is
scheduled for November 12th, and fans are already begging for a fight with
Floyd Mayweather.
Manny
Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather: "Law and Order"
Floyd
Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao would be one of, if not the biggest PPV event
of all time. After the caliber of contenders Pac Man has faced, a fight against
a new face will just be.... well.... boring.
A contender
such as Mayweather would be the desired fight from a fan's point of view, but
is it even possible? Floyd hasn't fought in over a year, well not in the ring
that is. He is currently in the midst of fighting several criminal charges, including
felony charges. All of his court dates have repeatedly been continued, and just
this week he added new charges to the list after threatening a security guard
over parking tickets.
Court cost
don't come cheap, and he owes the IRS a ton as well, so he would be open to a
fight to generate revenue. This is a man with a huge ego, and while he will
fight again, a loss might just kill his reputation and all of the hype he
generates. He has made offers, and even cheap shot taunts Manny, requesting a fight. All of them, however, come with extreme request and are on Mayweathers terms. Even Floyd Sr. is getting in on the action, posting videos on youtube calling out Pac Man.
After the
Mosely fight, when asked about the possibilities of a Mayweather fight, Pacquiao responded with “For me, I don’t care about that fight. I am satisfied with
everything that I have done in boxing. I want to fight because the people want
the fight.”
This is a familiar
response from a fighter who always takes more pride in his ability to entertain
the people than he does in his victories. However, if this statement is true, I
believe the people have spoken, and they want it to happen.
Is this a
bullet they can continue to dodge, or will they finally have to step up and
face each other? All of this talk, hype, and speculation of a "True
Spectacle", and to be sadly honest, when November 12th rolls around and
Manny climbs into the ring to tap gloves with his opponent, Mayweather might be
watching from a chow hall in an orange jumpsuit.
Pacquiao
vs. Marquez: Pt 3?
Juan Manuel
Marquez has been offered $5 million for a third fight against Pac Man, but it appears
that he wants no part of it. Marquez faced Pacquiao in 2004 in what was a
controversial draw, as a judge later admitted that he had made a mistake in his
first round scoring. Both men fought well, and each felt worthy of the win,
however Manny had knocked down Marquez multiple times and was not scored
correctly for doing so. This was a fight that admittedly should have been added
to Pac Man's win list.
The two met again in 2008 in Las Vegas to settle what Manuel called "Unfinished
Business". Once again, the fight went to the judges who, in a split
decision, sided with Pacquiao. This victory earned him two new world titles,
giving him four in total.
Marquez is
planning to face David Diaz (36-3-1) on July 2nd, which would give him ample
time to prepare for a November fight. Juan Manuel did look slow when he faces
Mayweather in 2009, and maybe his upcoming fight will give him the chance to
test his stamina and speed once again to see if he is up to finish the Marquez-Pacquiao trilogy.
It seems only
fair to have a third fight, seeing that the first fight's results remain controversial,
and the second ended with a split decision. Each of these fighters are capable
of dominating the ring, and this rivalry just doesn't feel settled until we see
a KO or at least a unanimous decision.
Word is that
Marquez is looking to counter the $5 million with a request of his own. Having
seen the result of his "Unfinished Business" fight, is his attempt to
stall really about the money or his pride?
What
does this mean for Manny?
If not one of
these guys, who else? Miguel Cotto, Tim Bradley, Zab Judah, and Kermit Cintron
have had their names tossed into the mix, but many think that none of the men
mentioned would generate enough hype to draw the crowds that a Mayweather or
Marquez fight would.
New faces come
and they go in the world of boxing, and very few fighters reach the success
that Mosely, Mayweather, Marquez, and Pacquiao have. As MMA continues to
tighten its grip on the professional fight world and UFC betting continues to gain popularity, boxing is slowly loosing it's charm and popularity. A "peoples fighter" like Manny might be the one who can save it. For this to happen, a true contender
needs to step up to the challenge and give the boxing world what it wants, the
chance to witness two champion quality athletes settle the score man to man.