Manny Pacquiao: Pac-Man Should Publicly Call Out Mayweather If He Beats Marquez

It's time for the verbal exchanges between the camps of Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. to end. Either set up a bout that could go down as one of the most memorable in history or consider it dead and allow the sport of boxing to move on.

The most recent jab came from Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum, who downgraded Mayweather's ability when asked about Pac-Man not being able to defeat Money (via Sports Radio Interviews).

"

“What? You’re speaking to the wrong people because the people I’ve been speaking to overwhelmingly figure that Pacquiao beats Mayweather. It’s not even a tough fight. It really isn’t a tough fight. Mayweather has nothing to hurt him with, Mayweather doesn’t throw anywhere near the punches. Manny will not only win the fight over Mayweather, Manny will knock him out.”

"

While it's not surprising to hear tough talk from Pacquiao's biggest booster, the comments didn't resonate as much on a national level because people are bored of talk. It's time to put up or shut up, and the sides don't seem to be urgent about completing a deal.

Perhaps the only way for a fight to actually happen is if Pacquiao himself calls out Mayweather in his post-fight interview following the Marquez bout. That might actually put enough pressure on Pretty Boy to force his team back to the negotiating table.

It certainly can't hurt, because boxing fans are being held hostage by the stalemate.

The fact of the matter remains boxing is struggling to remain relevant because of UFC's rise. A Pac-Man vs. Money fight has the potential to save an entire sport by generating so much hype it might break every social media website in existence.

Not to mention, both men's legacies will fall short if they don't face each other. Every conversation about the two boxers would end with a discussion about the fight that never occurred. And that's something neither guy should want to deal with.

So Pacquiao, who is a heavy favorite to defeat Marquez, should make it clear he is willing to accept all of Mayweather's conditions and just wants to fight. It's a win-win situation because if Money accepts the challenge, Pac-Man gets a huge payday and if he doesn't, Pac-Man looks like the stronger man.

At this point, every tactic that hasn't been utilized to make the megafight happen needs to be attempted.