You have to hand it to Floyd Mayweather Jr., he really knows how to turn himself into a villain regardless what kind of hand he’s dealt.
The man who has kept fans intrigued for a nearly decade by consistently going against the grain added a new chapter to his hate-inspiring memoirs this week when he somehow gave back all of the public leverage he had over longtime rival, Manny Pacquiao.
Just a quick reminder of where we stood heading into last weekend: Mayweather, after two years, finally made fighting his Filipino arch nemesis a priority. He pushed aside all the veiled performance-enhancing drug (PED) accusations, all the personal slights and all he typical nonsense you’d expect from him and simply called on his counterpart to join him in battle.
Finally.
His only specification at the time was that the fight occur on May 5 – thereby allowing the undefeated superstar to get a bout in before his jail stint that was due to begin on the first of June.
It was a reasonable request, and one that the boxing community applauded.
Pacquiao and his promoter, Bob Arum, scrambled. They weren’t used to being on the defensive on the topic of a superfight versus Floyd, and their reaction to Mayweather’s demands indicated this much. One bad excuse after another seemed to flow out of Top Rank for about a week until Pacquiao ultimately put his foot down. Mayweather wanted a fight? He wanted a fight in May? Fine. All the Filipino champion would demand in return would be what he -- and everyone else --felt that he was due – a 50-50 split of the fight’s purse.
Mind you, over the course of the last two years it has been Pacquiao, not Mayweather, who has been boxing’s shining star. In between Mayweather’s sabbaticals, extended breaks and random retirements, it’s been Pacquiao who has racked up accomplishments and been the recipient of various boxing honors, not Mayweather. Now, that’s not to denigrate the undefeated champ’s stellar record or undeniable place in history, it’s just an honest statement of fact – Pacquiao has been the sport's stabilizing force over these last few years, not him.
So, with all that in mind, there is absolutely no reason for Pacquiao to take a penny less than what he would be entitled to in 50-50 split. Pacquiao and Mayweather bring equal name value and hype to this fight and, as such, should each take an equal split of the eventual rewards.
Apparently, though, the man who splurges on stupid sports bets and unnecessary Bentleys just to brag about it on Twitter two seconds later can’t give up a few percentage points in the most profitable venture in boxing history.
He turned Pacquiao's 50-50 request down – thereby effectively killing this fight.
According to the Philippine Star, Pacquiao -- before this 50-50 purse split dispute -- thought a match versus Mayweather was a done deal. As per Philip Ella Juico:
I asked him his choice for his next opponent in May as he revealed to Top Rank’s Bob Arum. Without any hesitation, he said, “Si Floyd (Mayweather) na yan (“It’s done, it’s Floyd”). When I asked him about the possible dates, he remained confident and so sure of himself, replying, “Either May 26 or June 9”.
At this point, hope for a Pacquiao versus Mayweather showdown is dwindling. And it’s dwindling almost entirely because of Mayweather’s stubbornness. The only thing fans can take solace in right now is that Pacquiao’s back-up plan, Miguel Cotto, comes with his own fair share of baggage. As noted by Jhonny Gonzalez of Boxing Scene:
Cotto and his adviser held a meeting with Top Rank's CEO Bob Arum to finalize a deal to face Pacquiao, but the two sides were unable to reach an agreement. The main obstacle is the weight. Pacquiao refuses to fight above 147-pounds. Cotto would likely agree to a catch-weight of 150.
Even still, over the course of the last few years Cotto -- when he’s not doing bad things -- has proven himself much easier to work with than Mayweather. If you had to put money down on Pacquiao reaching an agreement with one of them, clearly it’d be the guy he has already fought and soundly dismantled once.
So there you have it. A fight that we were far, then close, then far, then close to having, is far from happening again. And balance has been restored in the world because, obviously, it’s all Mayweather’s fault.
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If you want to see which of these fighters really wants to see the fight happen and feels good about it, how about this - each fighter is guaranteed 1/3 of the purse and the fighter who knocks out the other wins the additional 1/3? (split 50-50 if it goes the distance and judges determine the result because of the questions that tend to arise in those situations)
Stockball.. I remembder Freddie Roach saying that if floyd doesn't want to agree on 50/50 split with Pacquiao. They will fight him on a winner takes all and the looser goes home with the empty pocket. That being said the fight still didn't materialize because of floyd demands. While his bragging that he will beat pacquaio without a contest.
Floyd plainly made it so clear. He gave an offer that can never be accepted by Pacquiao. Who would in his right mind accept an offer of 40M flat without any share on PPV? Floyd just hammered in the last nail in the coffin.
Floyd is so out of touch with reality. He thinks that all boxers are like Ortiz whom he can sucker-punch and would still lick his boots. As one sportswriter said, "Negotiating with Floyd is like bargaining with a schizophrenic. You’ll never know if what he confirms today, he’ll deny tomorrow. The guy speaks with forked tongue. He doesn’t belong in a slammer. He should be confined in a mental asylum and locked up with the key thrown away." Nice one!
Eric Miranda you get judged by your actions not your intentions, especially in an online community. You presented some juvenile half-witted arguments as your first post and when you were criticized for it you attempted to backtrack and play the respectable debate card. If you had opened up with those valid points you mentioned afterwards you would have had an intelligent discussion. You get what you give.
Eric Miranda.. You made me laugh so hard that i almost crap my pants. You said MP fans don't know anything about boxing. Then by reading on your comments you know less than MP fans that you just called that doesn't have knowledge in boxing. I don't know if you read the column first before making this comment or you just don't know about boxing and can't comprehend on why MP is entitle to demand a 50/50 split of the purse whne is clearly that MP is the driving force of boxing right now. Anyway next time keep your comments to your self so you won't be embarrassing yourself again.
It's BOTH their fault, Manny Pacquiao decerves a 50-50 split no doubt about that but he should have not mention to the media for a lower purse to make the fight happen, as a result, Floyd Joy Mayweather took the bait and start calling out Manny by twitter and by phone. As for Mayweather, it's his fault for not agreeing to make the fight on another date besides May5th. It's obvious they BOTH know how to get into each others HEADS.
There Can Be Only One.
Eric Miranda so basically you're saying since Mayweather requires mind games to win fights and that receiving the higher percentage of a purse split is necessary to play those mind games, that justifies him getting more than 50-50? So let's see, first it was the blood test. Pacquiao agreed. Then it's the date, and Pacquiao agreed. Now it's the purse split, and you're saying Pacquiao should agree in order for Mayweather to have the advantage in terms of mind games. I guess my question is do you have a respectable job? Because your logic and reasoning is subpar and I can't imagine you working anywhere that requires intelligence. But hey your role model is someone who's heading to jail and insulted his father on national television, who hits women and rips money for fun. Birds of a feather flock together I guess.
Yeah,i laughed when i saw his comment. Kid clearly knows nothing about boxing. Floyd tells Manny he can't accept a 50-50 purse,but Pacquaio will make more then he ever has fighting him. Um,okay Floyd your gonna make more then you ever have fighting Manny. So why should he get more? Fact of the matter is Floyd is never gonna fight Manny,he never was. This is all a plot to get his name in the news and make himself look stupid! This late in his career,Floyd wants to make a lot of money fighting opponents he knows he can beat.