Pacquiao vs. Mayweather: 4 Reasons There Are No More Excuses for Further Delay

Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao have avoided each other long enough. The proposed super fight is going on three years, and there is still nothing close to a guarantee it is going to happen. 

The fans had the most anticipated fight of the year stolen from them when a controversial Mayweather punch put Victor Ortiz on the deck for good. Meanwhile, Pacquiao will take on Juan Manuel Marquez for the third time In November. 

Mayweather is 34 years old, and Manny Pacquiao supposedly has five fights left before he takes his political career to the next level. Sadly enough, time is running out for the deal to be signed.   

The sport owes fans the fight they have craved for so long. Here are four reasons why there are no more excuses in the best fight that has not happened. 

The Aftermath of September 17th

After what transpired at the end of the Floyd Mayweather versus Victor Ortiz bout, boxing owes us a super fight.

I will not go into details, (though if you want my take on the debacle, click here) because if you are reading this article, you have by now heard no less than 50,00 opinions and comments on the matter.No matter your opinion on who is to blame for the knockout ending, what is not debatable about the fight is this: the fans lost.

Mayweather may have been well on his way to another TKO victory, or lopsided decision on the scorecards. Still, the bout was the most anticipated fight of the year. Floyd Mayweather has adjusted his style to be more fan-friendly, and was standing in the middle of the ring trading shots with the younger fighter.

Yes, Mayweather was giving his opponent a tutorial in the sweet science, but when you are talking about a fighter with Ortiz’ power (Ortiz had put every man he had faced on the canvas until Saturday night) you never know if and when the punch to end it all is coming.

Fans were robbed of that suspense, and the only way to justify the robbery is to give us the fight we want to see. 

Mayweather Got His Tune-Up

There was one problem with Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather stepping into the ring this fall: If Pacquiao had won the fight, there would have been a built-in excuse that “Money” was rusty due to the long layoff from his May, 2010 win against “Sugar” Shane Mosley.

After knocking out Victor Ortiz, that excuse is gone. If the super fight is scheduled for May (which has been proposed, and has been the month of two of Mayweather’s last five fights), Mayweather would be out of the ring for eight months, and Pacquiao six. Sounds like perfect timing for a super fight. 

Manny Pacquiao Has Agreed to the Drug Testing

Once upon a time, it seemed as though Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather were finally ready to do battle in the ring. Then the Mayweather camp threw Pacquiao a curveball, and demanded Olympic-style drug testing. Pacquiao refused, citing a fear of needles.

Now, it seems Pacquiao has conquered his fear, and will submit to the test, albeit by what promoter Bob Arum describes as a “neutral” organization. With this final hurdle cleared, what is left to stop the fans from getting what they want? 

Who’s Left?

Victor Ortiz versus Floyd Mayweather provided some fun before a tormented ending. Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez is an intriguing match. After that, where is the big fight in the welterweight division?

Third-ranked welterweight Andre Berto just destroyed fifth-ranked Jan Zaveck. Undefeated Mike Jones still has to build his resume before we even think of a Pacquiao or Mayweather matchup. Shane Mosley is 40 years old, and should consider retirement before he gets hurt. Vyacheslav Senchenko and Rafael Jackiewicz are not going to sell any tickets, at least not in America.

An Andre Berto-Ortiz rematch would be fun for fans, but that’s about it. Those are your top eight welterweights, and one matchup has the potential to be a big seller. The time for Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather to square off is now. Boxing fans have waited long enough, and put up with more than enough.

To let these stellar athletes finish their careers without facing off in the ring would be an irreversible travesty the sport cannot afford. 

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