Pacquiao vs. Mayweather: Pacquiao Win over Marquez Must Happen to Set Up Fight

Before everyone can start seriously speculating about whether the Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather fight will happen in 2012, Pacquiao must first beat Juan Manuel Marquez. His win will ensure that the mega-fight takes place.

Mayweather is always spouting off that he is the greatest because of his undefeated record. He boasts that he has never been knocked down in a fight. He often compares his body of work to Pacquiao's and points out that Pacquiao has lost and has been knocked out as well.

I can almost see Mayweather's tweet now: "Pacquiao can't even beat Marquez, so why the hell would I fight the bum?" Or something along those lines.

There is no question that Mayweather would go to town on Pacquiao. Mayweather could also use Pacquiao's loss to Marquez as a reason to never have to meet Pac-Man in the ring.

A loss will also take away a lot of the excitement of the proposed mega-fight, which would make the fight less attractive to the average sports fan. The air of invincibility surrounding the two fighters would be damaged in the wake of a Pac-Man defeat.

Of course, if the fight was still to happen after a Pacquiao loss, it would be one of, if not the, highest-grossing fights ever.

One other huge factor in a Pacquiao loss would be the mandatory rematch that has been included in the fighters' contracts.

There is a guaranteed rematch clause in the fight between Pacquiao and Marquez. If Pacquiao loses, Marquez would get a guaranteed $10 million for the fight.

That would leave me waiting at least another four months until the fourth fight between Pacquiao and Marquez could take place. It would also push the original date of May 5, 2012 for the Pacquiao vs. Mayweather fight out the window.

So, to make things less complicated than they already are, first Pacquiao must beat Marquez on Saturday night. That will set up the dream fight everyone has been waiting to see.