Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr.: What Is Preventing Their Fight?

With Pacquiao vs. Marquez III fight coming up on November 12, 2011, the name that everyone is tired of hearing yet escaping it is impossible, Floyd Mayweather Jr., is making its way to the headlines. One of the main questions that people ask nowadays is not who will win in the Pacquiao vs. Marquez fight or anything that relates to their upcoming bout, but whether Manny Pacquiao’s win will finally lead to Mayweather Jr.?

Do all roads really lead to Mayweather Jr.? Maybe. The expression ‘All roads lead to Rome’ makes sense because Rome was an empire, an ever changing self challenging and expanding body. Mayweather Jr. is not an athlete who likes to test the waters and jump in not knowing the temperature. There is no fighter out there right now that can beat Mayweather Jr. except for Pacquiao, and vice versa. The two are the only boxers left capable of challenging each other. Despite the fact that there are numerous benefits to the fans, the history of the sport of boxing, and even themselves, negotiations don’t seem to be gaining any ground.   

Some of the reasons for this are obvious and some are not too clear. Please take a look at my view of what is preventing the fight from coming to fruition. 

1: Cash

Dollars, dollars, dollars. Unfortunately there isn’t an unlimited amount of money to scoop an offer from, thus the money has to be divided somehow. Either they split the cash 50/50 or one of them will have to end up getting paid more.

Should Mayweather Jr., the ‘cash cow’ get more money? Well sure he should. He generates a tremendous amount of PPV buys as well as sells out arenas. His cocky demeanor sells like it’s free. If he fights, you better believe people will watch.

Should Pacquiao get more money, since he is the biggest name in boxing since Mike Tyson? Definitely. The entire country of the Philippines tunes in to see every single on of his fights. His loyal fans travel from all over the world to sit all the way up in the bleachers and barely see Pacquiao, nonetheless be in the same room as this legend of a man. Pacquiao sells seats and PPV buys like crazy, and his name is the most mentioned one in boxing nowadays.

You see the problem don’t you? 50/50 is not a good deal for either of them, and splitting it 75/75 is simply not possible. 

2: The Knowledge That One of Them Will Lose

I think that this is a big part of other excises and reasons for this fight not happening. This has to be the biggest piece of the pie, as I think no matter what both fighter say, both are terrified of a loss.

Mayweather Jr. has never suffered the bitter taste of defeat, and surely is not looking forward to tasting it anytime in his career. Retiring with an undefeated record may not mean much to me and you at the cost of missing out one of the most important fights in boxing history, but to a fighter that has beaten a dozen of world champions and was still able to stay undefeated, it’s a colossal achievement. Thus I do understand Mayweather Jr. and his proud attitude towards that magical ‘0’.

While Pacquiao is not sporting that great looking zero on his record, he has not lost since 2005, when a Mexican legend Erik Morales scored a UD victory. Since then, Manny went on to break records all over the place. He has become a world wide sensation; with the majority of people picking him over any other fighter in the sport (sometimes I think fans would pick him to beat a Klitschko in a fantasy fight). Weight division after weight division, Pacman astonished fans time after time. A loss to him against his arch nemesis in Mayweather Jr. would be a very crushing feeling and career defining end.

Wouldn’t you be terrified of a loss if you were either of those men, especially if this fight wasn’t necessary to stay afloat and make your millions of dollars?

3: Mr. Promoter

Let's be straight here, Bob Arum to Manny Pacquiao is what a stop sign is to a race track. The biggest fights in boxing are not happening because Arum is not letting them.

Generally as a promoter, he is a good guy with good fighters and fight, but his personal agenda against Mayweather Jr. is preventing a history changing mega fight from happening when it still makes a difference. If Arum wanted this fight made, it would have been done by now.

4: Why Take a Risk for a Paycheck When You Dont Have To?

Why would Pacquiao fight Mayweather Jr. when he could fight a blown up and much slower Marquez and get a load of cash for it? Why fight Mayweather Jr. when a guaranteed win is available against Victor Ortiz? Why bother with Floyd, when Manny can go to Ukraine and annihilate Senchenko within a few rounds, and leave with a mind blowing paycheck?

Why should Mayweather go out of his way to get Pacquiao to fight him on his Floyd’s terms, when Victor Ortiz will not only do everything Floyd asks for, but will do it for practically free? Now that Ortiz is done with, who knows, maybe Floyd will wait for Bradley? Or better yet, Khan might talk himself into a Mayweather fight, which by the way is a guaranteed loss for Khan.

Both men can make huge sums of money without risking a loss. Does that benefit the fans? No. Does that benefit them? Undoubtedly. 

5: Jr.'s Intentions

What does Floyd want from the sport of boxing at this point in time? He barely fights, taking long vacations and ‘retirements.’ He disappears for those periods of time without resurfacing to at least let his fans know that he is alive, well and in shape.

I am not too sure that Mayweather Jr. is interested in his own legacy at this point in time. The zero on his record and a huge paycheck now and then might be just enough to make him feel comfortable and satisfied with his boxing career. Maybe fighting Pacquiao is truly and unnecessary move in his mind, in which case he would be utterly wrong. 

6: Pacquiao's Intentions

Whenever we see Floyd Mayweather Jr. being interviewed and Pacquiao being mentioned, Floyd clearly states that he does indeed want to fight Pacquiao as soon as he agrees and goes through the extensive random drug testing. Anyone can find numerous videos and articles where Floyd makes a direct statement where he is calling out Pacquiao to take the test and fight him.

What about Manny? Manny either re-directs this question to his promoter Bob Arum, or barely mumbles something indirect. His default answers of: “I have to talk to my promoter,” “ I have to talk to my team,” and such responses make me think that maybe Pacquiao is only OK with fighting Floyd, but far from passionate about their possible matchup.

If anyone has made their intentions clear, its Floyd Mayweather Jr. and not Pacquiao. 

7: Performance Enhancing Drugs

PEDs have been one of the major stressors of the fight. Mayweather Jr. is convinced that at some point in his career, and possibly currently, Pacquiao has used or is using steroids to juice before his fights and/or during training. Floyd has made a few points which explain why he believes this to be the case. Manny’s increase in weight and ability to stay as quick and strong as before despite the fact that he is far above his natural weight, is the main reason Mayweather Jr. wants the extended random drug testing. Floyd has asked numerous times, in front of the cameras and in private published interviews, yet Pacquiao has been quiet about this issue thus far.

A few times Pacman has issued statements that he is not using any illegal substances, but nothing direct has been said. Excuses that he is afraid of blood and needles is not going to cut it. With numerous tattoos, those excuses are out the window.

Mayweather Jr. truly believes that Pacquiao is ‘juicing,’ and does not want to fight without the guarantee from medical professionals that he is drug free. Can you blame him?

8: Personalities

Who do you think is cockier, Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather Jr.? Most will say Floyd, I say they are equal. One is cocky on screen, the other one off screen. Pacquiao respects his opposition sure, but off camera many have heard his talk trash about his former competition and discredit their skills and abilities in the ring. Floyd is also a loudmouth showing no public respect to anyone he faces.

Which one thinks too much of themselves, Floyd or Pacman? Both of course. Mayweather seems to think that he is a bigger name than Ali, while Pacquiao likes to hang enormous paintings of himself all over his houses. Both men believe they are the god gift to the sport of boxing, and both will not give up their ways. Do you know the phrase: “something’s gotta give?" Well if neither Pacman nor Floyd steps back and obliges the other, the fight is much less likely to happen.