Floyd Mayweather: Money May Is Better for Boxing Than Manny Pacquiao

Allow me to state what you already know to be true, but are too scared to admit, Floyd Mayweather is the best thing to happen to boxing in decades. 

This news is troubling, especially for me who adores Manny Pacquiao. The world-class boxer is a jack of all trades; politician, singer and boxer. There is seldom a thing he can't do. 

The one thing he has failed to do is polarize. Everyone loves Pac-Man. And if you don't, your heart is black and I can't help your cynicism. 

The NBA just had one of its most fruitful seasons. Ratings were high in the playoffs, and we couldn't get enough. There was one man that put butts in couches as we watched the NBA Finals: LeBron James. 

We are a hating nation. 

Everyone Loves a Hero, but...

Hate is a strong emotion. We may meet someone at a bar and think they are a nice well-rounded person. But the second they walk away, we forget their names. 

However, when we meet a stranger we loathe, the next few months are spent dishing on how evil the person is. We will trash them to anyone within ear shot. One of everyone's favorite pastimes is to talk trash about people you hate. 

You sit around and belittle every last aspect of someone that you don't care for. It's human nature. It's the same with sports. America tuned into the NBA Finals to watch James fail. 

Months later, we can't help but still talk about the guy. Meanwhile, there is little talk about Dirk Nowitzki and what a great chap the guy is. 

Master Villain

Floyd Mayweather is such a great promoter for the same reason that sports columnists get famous. He invigorates, polarizes and piques the senses. 

Whatever you feel about Mayweather, there is the certainty that you do indeed feel something. You either hate him or love him, there is no middle ground. 

Boxing is a failing sport. The advent of MMA has put one of my favorite sports at a cross roads. With too may organizations and belts to count, it is far too difficult for the layman to follow. 

What the sport needs now is a villain, someone that the masses can huddle around and root against. The best part is that Mayweather keeps us rooting. As he notches win after win, we stop wondering when he will lose, and start rooting for him to lose.

Just as we corralled around the Mavericks, so too will we corral around Victor Ortiz, a fighter that by all intents should lose on Saturday night.

Sports is at its best when we have an emotional tie to it. The worst games, matches and bouts are ones we care little for.

Manny Pacquiao is a great fighter. In my opinion he is the pound-for-pound best, trumping Floyd Mayweather.

Yet, Money May has something Pacquiao doesn't: a mean streak. We get vested with Mayweather, and that is going to be the difference moving forward.

The best thing that could happen to the sport is a Mayweather vs. Pacquiao bout. That is beyond obvious.

That fight wouldn't be important because it would be the two of the greatest, but because it would include a fighter that we all feel so strongly about. That fighter is not Manny Pacquiao.

The fighter that evokes strong emotion is none other than Floyd Mayweather.