Manny Pacquiao Should Never Take Less Than Even Split to Fight Floyd Mayweather

Who the hell does Floyd Mayweather think he is?

OK, OK, so he's arguably the greatest pound-for-pound boxer alive, also arguably the largest draw in the sport and is undefeated in 43 bouts.

But that doesn't mean he deserves anything more than an even split with Manny Pacquiao were the two to ever actually fight. And Pac-Man should never take anything less, even if it means the fight doesn't happen.

For all of Mayweather's accomplishments, Pacquiao has a few of his own. And as William C. Rhoden of The New York Times noted, Pac-Man's legacy is far more secure than Mayweather's legacy is:

"

Pacquiao’s legacy is rounded out in other ways. First and foremost, he is a hero and a legend in the Philippines; Mayweather is neither hero nor legend. As a fighter, Pacquiao has won six world titles and is the first eight-division world champion. Pacquiao has been an actor, has recorded music. Two years ago, he was elected to the House of Representatives in the Philippines.

"

While all of that stuff is nice and fancy, what I'm interested in is that Pac-Man is "the first eight-division world champion." Why should that man take anything less than an even split in a fight against anyone, ever?

Who the hell does Mayweather think he is?

There will be arguments about which fighter does bigger pay-per-view numbers, who the bigger draw is, etc. They'll argue over who the more iconic fighter is, put legacies against one another, make it a popularity contest publicly and a negotiation privately.

But there are exactly two stars in the sport of boxing, two men that transcend the sport for casual fans, and those men are Pac-Man and Money.

They are equivalent as icons from a purely boxing perspective, and in that regard they deserve an even split in the fight.

Mayweather can rant and rave about Pac-Man and drug-testing (though Pacquiao's camp has said he agreed to the testing), or about how he despises Bob Arum and won't negotiate with him.

Blah, blah, blah.

At the end of the day, the ball is in Mayweather's court. The public knows Pacquiao should never take less than an even split in the fight, and they know Mayweather has said that won't happen. Essentially, that means it is up to Mayweather as to whether this fight will ever happen.

It's up to Mayweather to decide if the epic fight the entire world is longing for will ever ever happen. Pac-Man doesn't have to back down his demands—they're fair.

Nope, the onus is on Mayweather. If he continues his ridiculous assertion that he deserves a larger split, he'll be keeping us from that fight. We'll side with Pacquiao on this one.

And it sure looks like the fight will never happen.

And so it bears repeating one last time:

Who the hell does Mayweather think he is?

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