Mayweather vs. Pacquiao: Two Major Stars Never Fighting Proves Boxing Is a Joke

Imagine a world in which the NBA, NFL or NHL playoffs never happened, and teams who never faced each other in the regular season could just claim they were the champions based on their records.

Heck, even imagine if the BCS system wasn’t in place and we went back to the days in which voters pretty much arbitrarily picked a National Champion team, even if more than one was undefeated.

How about individual sports like tennis, where players who are considered the greatest, such as Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, never once matched up.

That is what boxing is right now. Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao refusing to fight one another just proves that the sport is a joke.

It seems crazy that the two can talk so much smack back and forth but never take their words to the ring.

Mayweather knocked out Victor Ortiz last night in dramatic, controversial fashion, but as soon as the fight was over, all the public wanted to know was if he would step up and fight Pacquiao.

Mayweather responded by saying,

"

"All Pacquiao is doing is fighting my leftovers," Mayweather said, referring to Shane Mosley, Ricky Hatton and Juan Manuel Marquez (whom Pacquiao fights a third time on Nov. 12). "The difference between me and certain fighters is there's a boss at other companies. I move when I want to move. I fight when I want to fight. How can [Pacquiao] offer me anything? I do the offering. He has to get his business in order. When he fights, he gives up 30 percent of his check; I get 100 percent."

"

Mayweather is also reportedly asking for Olympic-style blood testing for steroids, as he believes that Pacquiao may be doping to get an unfair advantage.

He told the media,

"

“It’s OK for him to go from 105 (pounds) to 154, and he gets a knockout and they say, ‘You know what? It’s all natural.’ If I went from 147 to heavyweight and was knocking down heavyweights, would that be all natural? That’s what you got to ask yourself at the end of the day”

"

Pacquiao is fighting back in the court room, filing defamation lawsuits against Mayweather and his camp. It is a shame that the two just won’t fight in the ring and give the public what they truly want.

Until this fight happens, boxing will never be considered anything more than a niche sport because it’s two best fighters refuse to do what the sport is about, which is to man up and box. 

Follow @AlexPKay