Manny Pacquiao's Desired Floyd Mayweather Bout Remains a Pipe Dream

Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao dominated Chris Algieri in a unanimous-decision victory that featured six knockdowns last Saturday, but Pacquiao immediately turned his attention to calling out Floyd Mayweather for a possible superfight.

Unfortunately for Pac-Man and boxing fans, the fight will not happen.

When asked about the reason Pacquiao is so adamant about getting the fight booked as soon as possible, the champion told ABS-CBNnews.com:

"

I think it's time to say something. The people deserve that fight. The fans deserve that fight. I think it's time to say something.

It's been a long time that I wanted that fight, but I didn't just want to keep talking and talking about that fight (because) the other camp is just denying, denying, always denying to talk about that fight. It was better to say nothing.

"

Pacquiao has now won three consecutive fights since he was knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez in 2012, and he showcased the speed and power during the fight with Algieri that made him a legend in the first place.

Despite his strong showing, Mayweather is still throwing jabs at Pac-Man on Instagram:

As much as Pacquiao wants this fight, there is no real incentive in taking the bout for Mayweather, other than the satisfaction of boxing fans. The reason people wanted to see the two fighters battle was to determine who the best boxer of this generation would be, and the knockout of Pac-Man leads most to believe the answer is the undefeated Mayweather.

If Mayweather defeated Pacquiao in a superfight, most boxing fans would believe what they already believe; Money is the best boxer of the last decade. On the other hand, a loss would instantly reopen the argument and tarnish Mayweather’s perfect record.

While there are flaws in Mayweather’s character, he has always been a student of the game and understands how important a legacy is to a boxer. Pac-Man may want a fight against Mayweather to improve his legacy, but Mayweather is still going to be considered one of the best all-time boxers even without a fight against Pacquiao.

Mayweather sees a clear path through lesser competition to an undefeated career and no amount of Pacquiao campaigning or fan backlash will keep him from riding off into the sunset without a loss on his record.

All Pac-Man can do now is run through the rest of the remaining fighters in his career and finish as strong as possible. Pacquiao will be known as a legend for his success in the ring, but the knockout in 2012 has tarnished the legacy a bit.

No fight against Mayweather will impact Pac-Man's legacy even more than the loss, though, and that’s likely why he continues advocating for the bout.

*Stats via BoxRec.com. 

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