Are the Boxing Gods Making the Mayweather-Pacquiao Fight Happen?
It is a fight that is reaching legendary status despite the fact that it has yet to happen. Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather. Not just boxing fans but the world wants to see these two fight.
There have been numerous delays which have postponed what stands to be the most watched boxing fight of all-time. But are we drawing near a point where there will be no more options but to fight?
The California State Athletic Commission took one step toward making the seemingly mythical Pacquiao-Mayweather fight happen after it ruled 5-1 against giving a license to Antonio Margarito for his tentatively scheduled match against Pacquiao.
Margarito is already in hot water with the CSAC after he was found to have an illicit substance in his gloves following a January 2009 in Los Angeles against Shane Moseley.
Now Margarito has only one more option, Texas, to apply for a license before he can step in the ring to face Pacquiao. But are the cards already stacked against him? And is the end result the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight the world has longed for?
Margarito Running Out Of Options
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Margarito, seeing her getting his face punched in by Moseley, is simply running out of options of where he can fight. He already had his license suspended in Nevada and now California will not grant him permission to fight in the state.
Now Texas remains the only state that Margarito can apply for a boxing license but there is a catch...
Settle The Other Issues First
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The Association of Boxing Commissions has recommended that Margarito clear the licensing issues he faces in Nevada and California before applying for a license in Texas.
The trickle down effect of that could prevent Margarito from making it to Texas for his currently scheduled November 13th fight against Pacquiao. If that holds true in coming weeks, Pacquiao will be without a challenger.
Relocate The Fight?
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The licensing bodies in each state tend to follow in lockstep with decisions handed down from other states. That doesn't bode well for Margarito's chances at getting a license in Texas.
Promoter Bob Arum who is putting together the Pacquiao-Margarito fight has hinted at moving the November 13th bout to Mexico if Margarito can't get a license in the United States. Will that be enough to persuade Pacquiao to pull out of the fight?
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Who's Next?
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If the Margarito bout evaporates, and the odds look more and more like it will, who is left for Pacquiao to fight?
Pacquiao has squared off and defeated any notable and/or desirable candidate. Over the last 18 months, Pacquiao has defeated Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto, and Joshua Clottey. It is the same question many have asked for some time now. Who exactly is left to fight Pacquiao if not Mayweather?
Pacquiao Softens Stance
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In early May, Pacquiao went on record saying that he would be open to blood testing closer to any possible bout with Mayweather if it meant the fight would actually occur.
The issue of blood testing prior to the match was once a hard line issue that Pacquiao did not budge on. Yet, his willingness to submit to more testing was a first indicator that the pieces could come together.
The Date Was Already Set
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The date, November 13th, was originally supposed to be the day Pacquiao and Mayweather touched gloves in Cowboys Stadium. That was until Mayweather let pass a supposed deadline in mid-July for a fight.
Now that Margarito may be out of the picture, if the date remains open, Mayweather will be even more without excuse for why he won't step in the ring with Pacquiao.
Arum Doesn't Want to Wait
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The noise around the mid-July deadline for Mayweather to make his decision came with the crux that promoter Bob Arum did not want to wait for Mayweather to make his decision. As of today, any fight would be only three months.
In July, Arum said, "I don't think we can't wait much longer for him to make up his mind, because if we do the fight, we want to make it as big as we can make it".
It feels like now is the time to make that big fight happen.
No One Left For Mayweather
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Mayweather's victory over Shane Moseley in early May cleared his docket as far as who is left for him to fight. Conceivably he could fight Margarito at an undetermined date, but victories over Moseley, Hatton, De La Hoya and Juan Manuel Marquez leaves Mayweather's fight card pretty clear.
Margarito may be the only obstacle standing in between Mayweather and Pacquiao and now it appears that obstacle is in the midst of being cleared.
Promoters Want The Big Stage
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Arum says he is willing to move any Pacquiao-Margarito fight out of the U.S. with his top choice being Monterrey, Mexico, but is that really what he wants?
Any fight including Pacquiao is currently the biggest draw in the sport. Can Arum or any other promoter really stomach moving the Margarito bout, or any Pacquiao bout for that matter, out of the U.S. where the money will be biggest?
There Are No More Obstacles
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What else stands in the way? Both fighters have been all the competition necessary before they can square off. Margarito, while a good fight, doesn't present the challenge to Pacquiao the world wants to see. Mayweather's schedule is clear. Both are licensed everywhere. Both have moved towards agreeing on drug testing. There are no more obvious hurdles. The only thing left to do is fight.
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