Manny Pacquiao: 9 Reasons He Must Fight Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Every time Manny Pacquiao steps in the ring, the same question is asked over and over again.
When will he and Floyd Mayweather Jr. finally fight?
It might finally be time. Pacquiao is starting to run out of other options, and this super fight may be imminent.
These are the top nine reasons Manny Pacquiao must fight Floyd Mayweather in the near future.
9. They Are Running out of Time
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Floyd Mayweather Jr. is 34 years old and Manny Pacquiao is 32 years old. They are not extremely old, but a fighter usually starts to decline around those ages.
Take “Sugar” Shane Mosley. He just fought Pacquiao at the age of 39. Mosley was not terrible, but he was nowhere near the fighter he once was.
Fans want to see Pacquiao and Mayweather fight in their prime. Nobody wants to see the two fighters six years from now when they are old has-beens trying to have one more day in the sun.
8. Settle the Lawsuit in the Ring
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Pacquiao has filed a lawsuit against Mayweather Jr., accusing him of defamation.
When the fighters were originally planning on fighting in March of 2010, they could not agree on terms regarding drug testing.
Mayweather Jr. wanted the testing done by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which would require a blood test at least 30 days prior to the fight. Pacquiao refused to be blood tested that close to the fight, claiming it would weaken him.
After these negotiations officially failed, Mayweather Jr. accused Pacquiao of using performance enhancing drugs.
The lawsuit Pacquiao filed was just for $75,000; not much for a prize fighter like Mayweather Jr.
In my opinion, this would be settled more effectively in the ring against each other. There would be much more money involved and bad intentions.
7. I Am Tired of Seeing Friendly Manny
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This reason goes hand-in-hand with the one on the previous slide.
When a boxer walks to the ring, I like to see them snarling and grimacing with anticipation and anger. When Manny walks to the ring, he is usually smiling and appreciating his admirers.
Though it is nice that he appreciates this and is thankful for the moment, don’t you wish you could see him mad?
In a Pacquiao-Mayweather Jr. bout, neither side would like each other. There wouldn’t be friendly gestures at the beginning of every round like in the recent Mosley-Pacquiao fight.
Pacquiao-Mayweather would be a good old-fashioned brawl between two men who do not like each other.
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6. Juan Manuel Marquez Could Upset Him
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Nobody has challenged Pacquiao in recent years quite like Juan Manuel Marquez.
In 2004, the two fought in the featherweight division and the bout scored a draw. The two met again in 2008 as super featherweights, and Pacquiao defeated Marquez on a split decision.
If I am Pacquiao, I might not want a third match against Marquez. He has shown that he can go toe to toe with the Filipino champion twice.
Pacquiao has no reason to take the risk of losing to Marquez. If he never fights him again, his legacy will remain the same. If the two do meet again and Marquez shocks him, Pacquiao’s legacy will tainted.
5. Be the First
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Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s record is 41-0. He has never even been in a split decision.
Last night, Pacquiao wanted to be the first boxer to ever knock out Shane Mosley. He did not succeed, but his goal was to be the first.
I picture a similar situation if Pacquiao fought Mayweather Jr.
Pacquiao would have the opportunity to be the only man in boxing history that defeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. It would be yet another prestigious honor to add to his already lengthy list.
4. The Payout Will Be Huge
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When the two were first negotiating to fight in 2010, the payout was expected to be $50 million for both fighters.
I could only imagine that the two could make that number even higher if they wanted to.
This would be one of the most anticipated and talked about fights in the sport’s history. Plenty of money will be tossed around.
3. Floyd Is the Only Other Great Fighter Left
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Shane Mosley and Oscar De La Hoya are probably the two biggest names that Pacquiao has ever defeated, but the two were past their prime when they faced the champion.
Pacquiao has never really beaten a great fighter. Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, Juan Manuel Marquez and Antonio Margarito are all very good, but not elite.
The only great fighter still left is Floyd. He is the only guy left for Manny left to beat that will prove he is the greatest of the generation.
If the two never meet, the debate will never be settled.
Who was the greatest of the 2000’s, the Pacman or Pretty Boy Floyd?
2. Silence the Critics
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The question in the last slide is the theme of this one. Who is the greatest?
Personally, I think Mayweather Jr. is better than Pacquiao. The way I look at it is, Pacquiao takes a lot of chances when the fights. He throws huge hooks, hoping that his opponent cannot counter it.
Mayweather Jr. is different. He does not need to take chances because he is that much better than his opponents. He simply waits until he has an opportunity to take advantage of an opponents aggressiveness.
Pacquiao needs to prove to people like me that he is the best, or else he might be doubted for the rest of his career.
1. It Could Save Boxing
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This match is bigger than just these two fighters. Not only do they need the fight, but the entire sport of boxing needs them to fight.
Mixed martial arts is becoming more and more popular, turning boxing into an old man’s sport. As a fan of boxing rather than mixed martial arts, I think it is sad to watch such a great sport slowly diminish.
The reason boxing used to be great was because of matchups like Ali-Frazier and Tyson-Holyfield. They were memorable and had people talking for years.
Pacquiao-Mayweather Jr. has every chance top be ever bit as great as those legendary bouts.
Hopefully it can finally happen and save the sport of boxing from fading away.
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