Mayweather vs. Pacquiao Is Next Logical Step for Pac-Man's Career

The dream of seeing Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao go toe-to-toe in a boxing match has been just that in recent years—a dream.

You would be forgiven if you are skeptical that this bout will ever happen, but there is simply no place else to go for either boxer at this point, especially after Pacquiao thoroughly eviscerated Chris Algieri on Saturday. Both Pacquiao and Mayweather need to beat the other to fully shape their boxing legacy, and the only way for that to happen is if they finally face off.

Any doubts about Pac-Man’s physical readiness for a potential clash with Mayweather were answered against Algieri.

Pacquiao looked like his old self with a mixture of athleticism, speed, technical footwork and relentless flurries of punches that knocked Algieri down six times and had the challenger in a daze for much of the proceedings. 

Pacquiao ended up with a unanimous victory (120-102, 119-103 and 119-103), which highlighted just how dominant he was for the entire 12 rounds even if there wasn’t an actual knockout. There is only one direction to go from there for Pac-Man's career, and even casual boxing fans know what that entails.

Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports had some rather strong words for both sides when discussing a possible marquee matchup:

"

It's beyond ridiculous what boxing fans have had to put up with the last five years as they have waited, pleaded, hoped and, in some cases, even prayed for a bout between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.

The fact that it hasn't occurred minimizes the sport, detracts from the fighters' resumes and makes all involved look, to a greater or lesser extent, like fools for failing to make a sporting event that in one night could generate close to a quarter of a billion dollars.

"

It doesn’t matter how rich Mayweather is, that is a lot of money to anyone.

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There are plenty of other motivating factors besides the money, though.

For one, Mayweather is 37 years old, and Pac-Man is 36. They are both still physically talented and close enough to their peaks that the fight would be a marquee event that boosted boxing’s short-term popularity exponentially, but it won’t stay that way for much longer. If this fight is going to happen, it needs to happen soon because Father Time is undefeated.

Pacquiao certainly seemed ready for it in post-fight comments after beating Algieri, via George Willis of the New York Post: “I think it’s time to make that fight happen. The fans really deserve that fight. It’s time to say, yes, so people can prepare for early next year.”

Pacquiao mentioning the fans is interesting because public sentiment could eventually put immense pressure on Mayweather to finally accept the bout. Pac-Man has openly stated that he wants a crack at the sport’s biggest name, so it would be easy for the casual fan to pin a large portion of the blame on Mayweather’s shoulders if the fight never materializes.

Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Certain logistics, such as purse splits and location, will have to be ironed out, but that shouldn’t be a problem if there is enough motivation on each side.

Pacquiao made mincemeat of Algieri, and there just aren’t any top-notch fighters left to challenge and generate enough buzz. From a financial standpoint and pure boxing standpoint, this is the next logical step.

If this fight doesn’t happen, both boxers’ legacies will come with something of an asterisk.

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Mayweather, who takes great pride in that defining zero in the loss column, certainly doesn’t want anything tarnishing his inside-the-ring boxing reputation, and Pacquiao proved Saturday that he is physically ready. 

Maybe, just maybe, it is alright for boxing fans to finally dream of the possibility.

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