Manny Pacquiao: Floyd Mayweather Is the Only Boxer Pac-Man Should Agree to Fight

The matchup between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather has been delayed long enough, and Pac-Man must not agree to a fight against any other opponent. 

Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times reported the following about the Filipino fighter’s next bout.

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Manny Pacquiao remains undecided about his next fight, but his promoter assures the Filipino superstar will fight either Timothy Bradley or Juan Manuel Marquez on Dec. 8 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

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Pacquiao has absolutely nothing to gain in either fight. He has beaten Marquez three times already, although they were close bouts.

The contests with Marquez were certainly closer than Pacquiao’s fight with Bradley, although the judges inexplicably awarded a victory to the challenger. Pac-Man’s performance against Bradley was convincing enough that he has no reason to fight Bradley again. 

He is still ranked as the No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world by The Ring, ESPN and Fox Sports. ESPN and Fox Sports put Mayweather at No. 1, while the Ring left the top spot vacant and has Pacquiao and Mayweather sharing the second spot. 

Regardless of these slight discrepancies, there is a clear consensus that Pacquiao and Mayweather are the two best fighters in the world. This has been the case for several years now. 

It speaks poorly of boxing as a sport and the professional pride of these two fighters that they have yet to fight each other. Steroid testing protocol, purse distribution and lawsuits have stood in the way of this bout, but there are no more legitimate excuses left.

If no boxing organization is able to put the two greatest talents over the past decade in the ring against each other before they retire, then the systemic problems will completely destroy any legitimacy the sport still had. 

For the fighters themselves, their legacy will be tarnished if they do not fight each other. How can either man declare himself a great boxing champion if they never fought their main competition? 

Boxing is a business, and it is often an inefficient one. This has put major roadblocks on the path to this blockbuster affair, but at a certain point, either Pacquiao or Mayweather has to realize that neither is a young man anymore and that someone must take a stand to push through the obstacles.

Pacquiao is 33 years old and Mayweather is 35. If this match continues to be delayed, both men run the risk of being too far past their prime to put on an impressive performance. This would be just as damaging to their legacy as never agreeing to the bout at all.

Now is the time for both fighters to make it clear that the next step for their careers is to fight each other. Neither man should agree to another fight until it is agreed when and where they will take the ring together.