Last week, the camp of Floyd Mayweather, arguably the top pound-for-pound fighter in boxing, announced the WBC welterweight champion had reserved the MGM Grand in Las Vegas for May 5, 2012 presumably to fight Manny Pacquiao.
This past weekend, Pacquiao, a future Hall of Fame bound and equally deserving top pound-for-pound fighter, escaped the MGM Grand with a razor close decision against arch rival Juan Manuel Marquez.
Pacquiao now holds a 2-0-1 advantage head to head versus Marquez, with fans of both sides each having a right to dispute each fight's result.
Immediately after the fight, Top Rank CEO Bob Arum unashamedly told the assembled press that he was planning on pursuing a fourth fight between Pacquiao and Marquez next May as his top priority.
With all due respect, while their rivalry has produced one of boxing's all-time great trilogies, what is there left to prove matching the two up again in another six months?
Absolutely nothing.
What was initially merely thought to be post-fight posturing by Arum turned out to become a firm reality earlier this week when ESPN reported that Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer and Mayweather trusted advisor Leonard Ellerbe were told by a retired federal judge that Top Rank wasn't interested in negotiating a Mayweather versus Pacquiao mega fight.
"We have been informed that Bob Arum is not interested in pursuing a fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao at this time," Schaefer said according to the ESPN report. "This is obviously as clear as it can be that they have no intentions of making a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight. Therefore, Floyd Mayweather will have no other choice than to move on and identify and lock in another opponent for his ring return on May 5."
To be fair, Arum responded with the following, "If we decide we want to do a rematch with Marquez, there is no reason to sit down with Mayweather. If we want to explore a Mayweather fight, we will sit down with them. But I'm not going to sit down with them just because it's a good show."
Enough is enough fight fans.
Forget about whose side you're on for a moment.
It doesn't matter whether you're sick of Mayweather's drug testing demands, Pacquiao's reluctance to submit to that very testing, or Arum's constant flip-flopping in the press; only one thing is going to get both sides to the bargaining table.
Cold hard cash.
Pacquiao reportedly made over $20 million this past weekend to fight Marquez for a third time and produced a live gate of close to $12 million, which ranks ninth all-time in Nevada .
Mayweather reportedly earned well over $30 million to dispatch a way over his head Victor Ortiz back in September, generating over one million pay-per-view buys in the process.
With so much cash available to these guys every time they lace up the gloves, why would either one of these accomplished fighters be in a major hurry to stop their money train?
But ask yourselves this question. Who is helping these guys continue to generate top dollar despite their inability to satisfy the masses with their career defining fight?
That's right. Fight fans are funding this operation.
Each side, Pacquiao backers and Mayweather supporters, have been so blinded by playing the blame game with each other that they have become co-conspirators in an operation that has allowed both fighters to make millions fighting inferior competition.
If you ever want to see a Pacquiao versus Mayweather matchup while both guys are still near their physical primes, it's time to show Top Rank and Golden Boy through your actions fight fans.
If Pacquiao versus Marquez IV is announced or Mayweather versus insert-name-of-talented-but-non-threatening opponent here, don't engage in hyping the fight in your favorite boxing forums, don't purchase tickets or fly out to the venue, and whatever you do, don't drop $60 of your hard-earned dollars on a fight you feel isn't worthy.
If these guys can continue to rack up one million pay-per-view buys and $20 million paydays by continuing to avoid the matchup true fans want to see, then human nature dictates that most people will indeed continue taking the path of least resistance.
If the next fight for either Mayweather or Pacquiao gets announced and it doesn't involve each other, then count me out from participating in any of the festivities.
My advice is that all true fans of the sweet science do the same, regardless of whose side you're on.
Keep your chin tucked.
You can follow Lang on Twitter @LangGreene
[EDITOR'S NOTE: FightHype would like to welcome the talented Lang Greene to the team.]
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