Pacquiao vs. Bradley Post Fight: Pac-Man Needs Floyd Mayweather More Than Ever

After losing to Timothy Bradley, Manny Pacquiao probably lost most of his leverage in the superfight negotiations with Floyd Mayweather.

Nonetheless, after the loss he needs Money May more than ever.

Why, you might ask? Well, for one a fight with Mayweather still offers the most lucrative outcome Pac-Man can hope for, as David Mayo of MLive.com points out:

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Pacquiao reportedly is guaranteed $26 million for his loss to Bradley. On paper, according to the contracts filed with the Nevada Athletic Commission, he made $6 million. The reasons for the disparity could be any mix of back-end payments from pay-per-view and other revenue sources, and money earned from international revenue sources which never enter the U.S. so as to avoid taxation in this country.

Regardless, Pacquiao received a $6 million check after declining the $40 million that Mayweather offered him in January, for a fight this spring, a figure many people decried as insufficient, as if their fight is some surefire 3.5 million-unit PPV seller domestically, at $89-or-so a pop, and boxing revenue comes from a bottomless wellspring.

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That $40 million probably looks pretty good now, huh?

But this isn't just about money. Even if Pacquiao convincingly beats Bradley in a rematch—thus setting up the inevitable and completely uninteresting rubber match, seeing as most though Pacquiao won the first fight—his reputation has taken a bit of a hit after the split decision went Bradley's way.

Once the "Pac-Man got robbed!" talk subsides, the conversation will naturally turn to the fact that the last two Pacquiao fights have left doubt in the judges' minds. Remember, many people thought Juan Manuel Marquez won his last bout against Pac-Man.

The conversation will soon enough turn from "Pac-Man was cheated!" to "Should Pac-Man retire?"

And it's a fair question. Is Manny Pacquiao over the hill?

The one way to prove he isn't—and truly go out in style—would be to fight Mayweather and ruin his perfect record. Pac-Man has enough going on for him in the rest of his life that he doesn't need to stay in boxing long after his prime.

What better way to finish his career than with a win against Mayweather? What better way to leave his legacy on a high note could there be?

Money talks, and Pac-Man will listen to Mayweather's offer more carefully now, even if that means he needs to move on from Bob Arum. In some ways, Pac-Man's loss may be what this superfight needed.

And in every way, it is what Pacquiao now needs most.

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