Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather: 5 Things Standing in the Way of the Fight

The continuing debacle surrounding the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao fight seems to be a never-ending saga, due in part to a number of things standing in the way of what would be the fight of the century.

The latest news in this ongoing fantasy come fiction anecdote is that “Money” is ready, willing and able to throw leather with "Pac-Man" whenever the opportunity presents itself. The Mayweather camp would prefer to have the fight on May 5, the date penciled in by his manager, Leonard Ellerbe.

But it’s more than guaranteed that somewhere down the line Pacquiao will have his own say, and then it’ll go back to Money, and so on.

At present, there’s no end in sight to the to-and-fro, back-and-forth thespian dramatics from both the Money and Pac-Man camps, and don’t expect the credits to roll for the feature fight anytime soon.

Let’s take a look at what’s preventing this fight from transpiring.

Money’s Legal Issues

Money’s legal issues have been well-documented, but let’s look into them quickly:

Mayweather has faced two counts of misdemeanor charges toward security guards—one on an accusation of verbal threats and another on assault occasioning actual body harm, both taking place outside of his housing complex.

Mayweather as of now has been acquitted of both charges.

Money has also recently been sentenced to 40 hours of community service for delaying a deposition under false pretences—he postponed a future hearing date due to the need to recuperate after the Victor Ortiz fight back in September of 2011.

He was, however, found to be living it up while he was supposed to be convalescing.

The case per se stems from a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by music producer Anthony Dash—it has to do with Money’s entrance music during his stint at WWE.

And last but not least, in a case that has yet to be resolved, Mayweather's ex, Josie Harris, has accused him of assaulting her.

But wait—the one man who is more than imperative to their fight occurring, Pacquiao, filed a lawsuit against him too. This suit is a defamation case filed by Pac-Man in response to Money’s allegations that he has used performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) throughout his career.

The case is still pending.

Manny Pacquiao vs. Marquez IV

If Pacquiao chooses not to forfeit a fourth encounter with Juan Manuel Marquez, then it more or less nixes an eventual matchup with Mayweather.

The likely date for a fourth meeting would likely be on or around May 5 or so, the same date pencilled in for his proposed bout with Mayweather.

Whatever the case may be, if the superfight that we’ve all be clamoring for is to come to fruition, this or any other fight can’t happen.

Olympic-Style Drug Testing

Another obstacle standing in the way of this fight hinges on whether Manny Pacquiao will wholeheartedly submit to the Olympic-style drug testing that Mayweather and his camp have stipulated as a prerequisite in order for the fight to materialize.

According to Bob Arum, Pacquiao has agreed to the testing. But that’s just his words, not Pacquiao’s.

Until Pacquiao comes out publicly and says that he’s willing to subscribe to the testing, this fight isn’t getting off the ground.

Retirement

Both Mayweather and Pacquiao have had illustrious careers thus far, with 102 fights between them.

Would anyone begrudge either fighter if they called it a day and headed off in opposite directions?

No.

Well, unless you’re a hardened boxing fan who’s been waiting for an eternity for the prize fight of the century to come about.

Pacquiao or Mayweather’s retirement at this stage would have dire consequences—the fight would be dead in the water.

Promoters

For arguments sake, let’s say Mayweather’s legal issues were a thing of the past and that Pacquiao had finally agreed to Olympic-style drug testing.

Also, let's say the thought of retiring had never crossed either fighters mind.

And finally, Pacquiao puts any and all notions of a fourth Juan Manuel Marquez bout on ice, at least for now.

Then it’s problem solved, save for one glaring obstacle—the fighters' promoters and their conflicting interests, which have in no small measure impinged upon the progress of this superfight.

For some reason, Top Rank Promotions CEO Bob Arum and Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer can’t seem to get around to the negotiating table and iron out their differences.

This fight has been in the pipeline for several years, and yet two of boxing's top promoters are trying to tell us that snag after snag has prevented this matchup from happening.

That I don’t believe. If both parties wanted this fight to transpire, then it would.

Arum seems to be the main reason behind the needless delay.

Maybe he’s afraid of the unthinkable happening—Pacquiao loses and he’s left out of pocket.

Only if the promoters settle their petty differences, or whatever the stumbling blocks there are, will we see Mayweather and Pacquiao face to face in the four-cornered ring.

That, and everything else standing in the way of this proposed fight.