As previously reported on FightHype.com, Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe has decided to take Top Rank CEO Bob Arum's word that Manny Pacquiao has indeed agreed to Olympic-style testing for the past two years, announcing Floyd Mayweather desire to make the biggest fight possible, the long-awaited Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight, a reality when he returns to the ring on May 5, 2012. Part of me wanted to believe it, especially when Pacquiao's short list of opponents, including a fighter that has no pay-per-view exposure (Brandon Rios), a nearly non-existent fan base (Tim Bradley) and an already conquered foe (Miguel Cotto), won't bring in the type of money that a fight with Mayweather will do. The other half of me was still skeptical simply due to the fact that Bob Arum, Michael Koncz, Manny Pacquiao, Freddie Roach and Alex Ariza can never agree on the same day about the testing.
True to form, Arum has "clarified" that although they will submit to random testing, USADA cannot perform any of the tests while Pacquiao is training in the Philippines. I am so tired of the back and forth between these two. Even though I was happy that Arum was momentarily put in a corner where it was either put up or shut up, we are just as close to this fight being made as we were in 2009. No need for a refresher course, but Mayweather agreed to a purse split, Pacquiao's choice of ring size and gloves, and a ludicrous $10 million overweight penalty until Pacquiao's camp balked at one thing: random drug testing. Although Pacquiao and Arum both told us that random drug testing is "not an issue", apparently, it still is.
The Best of the Rest...
Showtime will be closing out 2011 with a bang for their December 31 card. Tavoris Cloud takes on former two-division champion Zsolt Erdei and Rico Ramos will get his New Year's bell rung early when he faces off against Guillermo Rigondeux. The night before will feature the return of Jermain Taylor as he makes his comeback after two years of exile against pug Jesse Nicklow. Kudos to Showtime for a great closer for 2011.
There is way too much excitement going on about the thin chances that Yuriorkis Gamboa will fight Brandon Rios next summer. I highly doubt Rios can stay at 135 much longer and despite the huge advantage in size he'll have over Gamboa, Top Rank may choose to preserve him for Pacquiao-fodder later that year. Honestly, I'd rather see Gamboa face off against Juan Manuel Lopez at 130, a fight more likely to happen than one with Rios.
Golden Boy Promotions doesn't think Kermit Cintron has anything left to offer and that's exactly why he's been matched up against the reigning Junior Middleweight champion Saul Alvarez. However, Gary Shaw thought the same thing the night Cintron used his height and reach to pound away on then undefeated Alfredo Angulo, and Alvarez is nowhere near that level quite yet. Alvarez is getting there though. It was only a few weeks ago when Alvarez TKO'd Jr. Flyweight champion Ulises Solis, a fighter who in all honesty may have been in the running for a future date with the heavily guarded Alvarez, over a female.
Danny Howard can be reached via e-mail (dhoward@fighthype.com), Twitter (@DBHoward126) and on Facebook.