By Tom Donelson / Writer for dmboxing.com since 2008
Member Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA)
Will he or won’t he? That is the question vexing boxing fans as they wonder if the fight that has been promised for the past five years will ever happen; Mayweather-Pacquiao. Certainly there is one reason that fight happens: money. There was a time that Pacquiao could attract big PPV numbers but against Algieri and Rios, those numbers dropped below 500,000 and Mayweather big numbers came when he fought big names just as Canelo Alvarez but his last bouts were south of million so while he attracted bigger PPV numbers than the PAC Man, he has not match the big numbers that Showtime was hoping when they signed him to a six fight contract.
Much can be done to keep this fight from happening including tough negotiations between Team Pacquiao led by Bob Arum and Mayweather, who views himself in the driver seat. Ego can easily get into the way of a big payday but in the end it is about money and the reality is that both men need each other to secure one big PPV pay day. Alvarez already has a date with Miguel Cotto and that is one fight that will not just sell out but have big PPV numbers that will easily out strip anything that either Pacquiao or Mayweather will do alone.
Why would Mayweather consider a fight against Amir Khan if he can get three or four times as much with a bout against Pacquiao? Khan has made it clear that he wants either fighter and has even attempted to attract Pacquiao for a bout in Great Britain with a filled out Wembley stadium for a bout if Mayweather can’t come to terms with Pacquiao.
Could this strengthen the hands of Pacquiao in negotiations with Mayweather if he has another big money options? Maybe but does anyone think that a Pacquiao-Khan makes more money for Pacquiao than a Mayweather-Pacquiao? As for Mayweather, he is running out of opponents who can give him the big money fight and right now, the biggest fight he has in front of him is Pacquiao. And Pacquiao has to face the reality that for big PPV numbers, there is only one name: Mayweather. There is more money to be made with big PPV than even a filled out stadium.
Mayweather has one chance to match Alvarez PPV numbers and that is Pacquiao. Meanwhile, Saul Canelo Alvarez is moving forward to his PPV match with Miguel Cotto and if he gets by Cotto, there is triple GGG, Gennady Golovkin for a Middleweight title for another big payday so Alvarez may have a shot at two big PPV bouts and that is something that Mayweather can’t match right now.
When Showtime signed Mayweather to his six bout 300 million dollar deal, they were hoping to see big PPV numbers and bouts like the one they had with Alvarez. Showtime would love to have at least one big historic bout and Pacquiao-Mayweather is one of those bout that has history and big money attached to it. Of course, there are plenty of obstacles before this bout actually comes about including ego of the various negotiating agents but really, what fights will bring in more money for either Mayweather or Pacquiao at this stage in their career other than a fight with each other?
I really hope this fight happens. I’m fortunate to have watched the entire decade of the 1980’s and I can’r remember two fighters who so good, not finding a way to make it happen.