Manny Pacquiao: Why Boxing Needs Mayweather vs. Pac-Man More Than Ever

A win over Timothy Bradley should've been Manny Pacquiao's rite of passage into a super-fight against Floyd Mayweather. Instead, after a controversial split-decision loss, that dream fight looks farther off than ever, and boxing is in turmoil as fans cry conspiracy over Bradley's win.

A variety of pundits, including Jay Caspian King and Bill Barnwell of Grantland, have hinted that the fight was scored as a win for Bradley because of the financial benefits it would serve later down the line: 

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The fight was rigged to force the contracted rematch. The clues have been easy to spot. At a press conference last week, Bradley stood at the podium and hoisted a gigantic ticket for a rematch and even had the gall to pin down the date: November 10. … The fight contract, of course, had an automatic rematch clause that would kick in if Bradley somehow upset Pacquiao.

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Granted, Saturday's fight was a lose-lose for Bradley. Either he won and the fans called foul, or he lost and, well, he lost.

But on a night when even your fiercest rival's father and former trainer comes out in full support of your cause, you know that something's not right.

According to Ryan Burton of Boxing Scene, Floyd Mayweather Sr., who was in attendance for the fight, said the bout clearly should've been scored in Pacquiao's favor.

"This one belonged to Pacquiao," Mayweather said. "I’m calling it like it is...Whoever these judges was, they need to find a new job."

It's hard to believe that the league would orchestrate such a transparent conspiracy. But how else could you explain a decision in which every casual observer seemed to understand who the winner should've been, but those who should've been the most qualified to make that assessment screwed it up?

Now, when all of the fans swearing off boxing and the longevity of the sport is in doubt, would be the time to pull out the fight that everyone in the world, fans or otherwise, have been clamoring for.

Right now, the fans need something to get excited about. Boxing needs the kind of matchup that will cause even the most casual of fans to pay close attention. For the past several years, the only potential fight that could serve that purpose has been Mayweather vs. Pacquiao.

That is the kind of fight that could make anyone care. People who have never watched a boxing match in their lives would watch that. 

The fight could happen whenever. It could happen after Pacquiao's rematch against Bradley in November or after Mayweather gets out of jail and he's had plenty of time to train. It just needs to happen.

At a time when boxing needs an omnipotent savior to swoop in and save the sport from implosion, Pacquiao and Mayweather are the only answers.