Mayweather vs Pacquiao: Why Floyd Is Real Villain in Failed Fight

There is blame abound for the yet-to-happen fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Both sides have made mistakes  and have failed to compromise.

In the end, the fight may never take place.  

But if you're looking for the real villain in the failed fight right now, it may be Mayweather. 

Unlike Pacquiaom Mayweather is unwilling split the pay-per-view revenues 50-50, which is a backtrack from Mayweather's camp since the start of the negotiations. The two sides have been going back and forth with each other on the fight since 2010. 

While Pacquiao still wants the fight to happen, he won't sign off on anything if Mayweather continues his stance on the money. According to the BoxingScene.com:

"

The only thing preventing a fight between Floyd Mayweather and me is Floyd Mayweather. He no longer wants to split the pay-per-view revenue with me equally, something he agreed to in our first negotiation. Will the fight ever happen? It's up to Floyd. I hope it does. I'm a competitor and I enjoy a challenge. I know the fans want to see us fight. I think it would be good for boxing. As long as I continue fighting I will remain hopeful that the fight will take place.

"

Mayweather, who beat Miguel Cotto earlier this month to run his unblemished record to 43 fights, may not have the same kind of urgency to initiate a fight with Pacquiao.

According to Sports Illustrated, Mayweather still feels "he's in the driver's seat for any mega-fight," but that a fight with Pacquiao "isn't going to happen." Suspicions about Pacquiao's "cleanness" in terms of steroids and performance-enhancing drugs have remained from Mayweather's camp, too, even though no substantial proof has been shown by either side.

But judging by his comments to SI, Mayweather doesn't seem in any kind of hurry to jump start the talks about a fight with Pacquiao. 

"I don't know where we're going to go from here because we basically have fought everybody in this sport," Mayweather told SI.  "I don't have to fight if I don't want to."

It is never smart to read too far into any comments, but Mayweather didn't sound too excited to put his unbeaten record on the line against Pacquiao after one of his toughest career fights with Cotto. Mayweather was beaten and bruised after securing a unanimous decision in early May. 

While Pacquiao sounds like a man that wants to provide the fight, Mayweather continues to back down.

Could Mayweather be "scared" to fight Pacquiao?

Mayweather has another word for it, according to the Associated Press:

"

Writers are saying, `Floyd is scared.' No, Floyd cares about his family. Floyd is smart. At the end of the day, Floyd is smart. My health is important. My health is more important than money. They can take all the money and my health is more important. If they say, `Floyd, you can live a healthy life like you is right now, or you got to walk with a limp, and walk all bent over, but you can have a lot of money for the rest of your life,' I'd say, `Take it all back.' 

"

Mayweather seems convinced that Pacquiao is under the influence of some kind of performance-enhancer, despite his camp's willingness to adapt to the ever-changing demands from Mayweather, according to the same AP article:

"

Go back and look at the pictures. First, his head is small. Then, all of a sudden, his head just grew? Come on, man. Stop! Stop this man! Come on, man! This (stuff's) so easy. Ray Charles can see this (stuff). Come on. Come on, now! Come on, man. I told you, it's basic common sense. Look at the pictures and tell me this man's head didn't get bigger? This man probably went from a seven and one-fourth to an eight. In a hat, a fitted hat. And you're going to tell me this (stuff) is all natural?

"

When the dust finally settles, the money could drive both boxers to get something figured out. Tens of millions will be on the line for each fighter to turn down.

But in May 2012, a fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather doesn't look very likely. 

If this mega fight fails to ever materialize, the man we look back on as the real villain in the talks could be Mayweather. His unwillingness to move off the money line, plus his obsession with Pacquiao juicing, look like obstacles that may be too high to jump over.