Pacquiao vs. Marquez 3: Why Floyd Mayweather is More Important Than This Bout

Manny Pacquiao is heavily favored against Juan Manuel Marquez on Saturday, so it only seems right for Floyd Mayweather to attempt a spotlight-stealing maneuver. He might have accomplished his goal by reserving the MGM Grand Garden Arena for early May, according to The Guardian.

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"In order to maximize the exposure," [Leonard] Ellerbe said, "you want to plan as far in advance as you can to make your event as big as possible. We have secured 5 May at the MGM."

Richard Schaefer, the chief executive of Golden Boy Promotions, which has promoted Mayweather's past five fights dating back to 2007, confirmed: "We have informed the pay-per-view industry and I have the arena on hold."

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Mayweather's camp is trying to make it sound like reserving the arena so far in advance is an open invitation to Pacquiao. However, it's more likely just further posturing on their part in order to score another point in the ongoing media war.

Pacquiao shouldn't have much trouble with an aging Marquez, so his potential epic clash with Mayweather will continue to take center stage. One thing's for sure: both men could really use the fight to complete their career résumés.

Pac-Man hasn't lost since 2005, when Erik Morales beat him by unanimous decision, and Pretty Boy has an unblemished record (42-0).

Both of those impressive streaks will always be followed by a discussion about the fight that never happened, though. So it's important they make it happen before time gets the better of them and the bout is no longer at maximum hype potential.

Each man would eventually come to regret not agreeing to terms, especially considering the gigantic purse available if they could work out their differences. But they risk losing face if they admit that to the media now, which means the verbal back-and-forth will continue.

Pacquiao and his promoters have done a nice job of building Marquez into a formidable opponent even though it's unlikely to be a highly competitive fight.

And that's exactly why Mayweather wanted to take some focus off Saturday and refocus on the distant future. He doesn't want Pac-Man gaining any extra media-generated momentum.

So far, it looks like a successful tactic.