Mayweather vs. Pacquiao: Arum's Comments Show He Values Money Over Boxing

When Top Rank promoter Bob Arum declared Manny Pacquiao wouldn't fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 5 because a grand facility had yet to be completed, he essentially told everyone that he cared more about money than the state of boxing.

Forget all the back-and-forth about who's ducking who. Arum is telling us, via SI.com, that he would rather see the top two boxers in the world duel for a bigger paycheck than a better fight.

Mayweather's jail sentence for pleading guilty to misdemeanor battery was postponed until June so he could find someone for his May 5 bout in Las Vegas. Mayweather and Pacquiao are still undeniably the top two boxers on the planet, and this is the best chance to see them fight before they start declining due to age (some say Pacquiao has already started on a downward slope).

But Arum apparently doesn't care. He would rather earn a fatter paycheck in a 38,000-seat arena than give boxing what it has clamored for for years.

This is the epitome of what some feel has brought down the sport: Promoters valuing money and pre-fight hype over the fight itself.

Arum should be ashamed. Tell us Pacquiao needs more time to prepare. Heck, even tell us Pacquiao needs to reassess himself after his last two fights. But don't tell us you are delaying what would be a tremendous fight because you want to maximize profit.

This is one of those instances where money shouldn't matter as much.

Both fighters would receive a handsome sum. It's not like they will be walking around in torn sweat pants after the fight. This is about giving the sport of boxing what it needs and putting an end to the...well, endless suffering boxing fans have had to endure.

This is bigger than Arum. This is bigger than Pacquiao. This is bigger than Mayweather. This is about doing what is right.

With Arum's latest maneuver, we don't know if Pacquiao and Mayweather will ever fight, but we certainly know where Arum's head is at.