As little peeps and hints eke out of the Pacquiao-Mayweather negotiations, it’s becoming clearer by the day that Floyd Mayweather is the one who doesn’t want the fight and never has wanted the fight. He is afraid of being knocked out and physically humilated in front of the world and even the lure of almost all the money in the world will not be enough to encourage him to believe in his skills that pay the bills.
Doubters, look at it this way: It may make dollars but it does not make sense to commit career suicide. And that’s what Floyd Mayweather is deathly aware of, that it could very well be career suicide to climb into the ring and get hit by the raging fists of Manny Pacquiao. “It’s all about making smart business decisions to move me up levels.”
You will never hear Richard Schaefer, Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Sr., Roger Mayweather, Devon Alexander, Tomasz Adamek, Ross Greenberg, Mark Taffett, Max Kellerman, Tim Smith, Teddy Atlas, Evander Holyfield or Jim Lampley describe it in such colorful terms, but I will. Because I know it.
Like George Peterson told us last December, “The fight isn’t gonna happen. Some fights aren’t meant to be made.”
What is going to be most interesting when all the fallout hits home and the reality will be known by all that the powers that be have completely failed to produce the biggest boxing event in the history of the sport, is just how will those powers that be handle this despicable lying coward who cost the sport – and it’s future – mega millions of dollars and uncountable value of goodwill?
Will they continue to sponsor and support this fraud?
Will they continue to promote this fraud and reward him with top dollars for more garbage fights?
How can the sport win from this losing situation, by somehow creating opportunity from such a major setback?
I really don’t know if it can. If the Ali-Frazier fights never happened because one of the contestants was a coward, the sport might have never exploded in popularity as it did. Pacquiao vs. Mayweather is the kind of event that could explode the sport’s popularity and appeal all over again, and the overall value of such a colossal event is simply immeasurable.
I believe if the powers that be allow one man’s cowardice to dictate the fortunes and future of the sport, it could be over as we know it. What has now become a fringe sport will lose even more credibility, respect and trust of the public.
Times change. All good things, great things, come to an end. It’s hard to believe, but boxing, the ultimate sporting competition, may be ready fade away into Bolivian.
No networks, no superfights for five to ten years, such a shortage of superstar American talent, the prospects for boxing’s future may all depend on in the powers that be can “persuade” Mayweather to do the right thing for the sport.
But then again, a coward can be given courage – only in the movies.