Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao: Why It Will Be a Fight Worth Waiting for

We can all opine on the reasons why the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao fight has failed to come to fruition, however, one thing we can all agree on is that this will be a fight worth waiting for.

The Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight has been several years in the making, but still there’s nothing to show for it, and still we wait.

We wait with anticipation, that one day soon, we’ll arise from our fantasy fight slumber to be greeted with the news that all boxing fans from around the globe have been waiting to hear and for what must’ve seemed like aeons—“the fight is on.”

This time there are no ruses, just the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the boxing truth.

The world’s media have descended on their press junket akin to a swarms of bees to the last drop of honey, to witness boxing history in all its glory—“Money” and the “Pac-Man” have finally signed on the dotted line—it’s official.

The date?

Anytime in 2012 will suffice for us.

We can speculate and we can dream, however, when this fight becomes a reality it’ll be worth its weight in gold.

And here are the reasons why.

Publicity for Boxing

To the hardcore fans and to all those who have boxing's best interests at heart, a fight of this magnitude will generate massive publicity on a scale never seen before in any spectrum of sport.

The casual fans and those unacquainted with boxing, will, if only for one night, seek to be a part of the most unforgiving yet most scientific of sports.

The promotional aspect of this fight will go into overdrive, whilst the hype surrounding it will reach mass hysteria.

For that one night, boxing's competition will take a back row seat, preferably furthest to the wall.

If the naysayers had thought that boxing had taken its last breath, then that night will be proof that the oldest combat sport is still very much alive and kicking.

And the upshot is that boxing wins.

Even if it’s for one night only, boxing still wins.

The Last Mega-Fight of Our Time

Boxing has had its fair share of superfights long before Money vs. Pac-Man—Jack Johnson vs. James J. Jeffries, Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling, Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier 1, Mike Tyson vs. Michael Spinks to name a few.

Be that as it may, when was the last megafight to grace a boxing arena? You’d be hard pressed to find one.

Sure there’s been Mayweather vs. Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton—Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez, Miguel Cotto—DHL vs. Felix Trinidad and so on, but nothing to really get those boxing juices flowing.

Some of the current crop of champions have the potential of producing a superfight, but not on the scale of a Money vs. Pac-Man fight.

This fight most likely will turn out to be the biggest and probably the last megafight of this or any other era.

A fight that boxing's inner circle will savour for an eternity.

The Outcome

This fight is for the supreme bragging rights to who’s truly the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

Questions:

Which one of these fighters will take home the aforementioned accolade?

Will Mayweather’s Philly Shell style and counterpunching prevail over the swarming and attacking style of Pacquiao’s?

Will it turn out to be a slugfest, a tactical fight, a one-sided beatdown or the biggest let down as far as superfights go?

Will Mayweather’s perfect 42-0 record evaporate before our very eyes?

Will Mayweather prove after all that he’s indeed the No. 1 boxer in the world, and that all along Pacquiao has been masquerading around as the fraudulent pound-for pound king?

Will the fight be decided via decision, draw, knockout or disqualification?

Will the fight end in controversy?

Will a rematch be on the cards?

Those questions and more we’d liked answered.

For sure, they will be answered come fight night.

Honorary Mention: The Aftermath

And finally the credits roll.

We’ve probably witnessed one of the greatest fights in living memory or a snooze fest for the ages.

Elation and or deflation, either way the most anticipated fight of a generation is over.

There’s nothing worse than a mind-blowing high, only for it to suddenly descend into an antic-climatic downward spiral of nothingness.

Mayweather and Pacquiao, two of boxing's most marketable and lucrative fighters have ridden off into the sunset $100 million-plus richer.

The same two future Hall of Famers, who for the best part of 21st century have been indicative of the sport whilst casting an ever-effervescent spotlight on it.

To steal a line (revised version) from the cult movie The Unusual Suspects: “And like that, Mayweather and Pacquiao are gone.”

The aftermath in some respects is a reflection on the state of boxing today and to a certain degree its fall from grace.

Nevertheless, I’d like your thoughts on what happens next when Money and the Pac-Man leave the stage?

Which fighters are going to take boxing to the next phase?