Many events have transpired since Manny Pacquiao's May 2nd annihilation of Ricky Hatton. On that day, Floyd Mayweather Jr. would announce his return to the ring for a July 18th showdown with Juan Manuel Marquez. A month later, Andre Berto defended his title in a lackluster performance against Juan Urango. Shortly after, Miguel Cotto barely squeeked out a split decision win against Joshua Clottey. And now the latest news, Mayweather vs. Marquez has been postponed due to a rib injury that Lil Floyd suffered during training. Despite all of these events involving so many different fighters, the one name that continues to dominate the headlines is Manny Pacquiao.
Although Mayweather and Marquez tried to steal the limelight just hours before the Pacquiao-Hatton clash, it was Pacquiao who received the final round of applause with his crushing hook that left fans in utter disbelief and astonishment. Since that day, people are still talking about the fight. While there's been discussions regarding Mayweather's sudden emergence from retirement and his upcoming fight with Marquez, they pale in comparison to the conversations about the obliteration of Ricky Hatton and the prospect of who's next in line to face the Pacman.
In those conversations, several opponents have been discussed. In fact, many have emerged themselves to express the desire of landing the fight. There's Shane Mosley, coming off his own victory over Antonio Margarito earlier this year, who practically begged for an opportunity to face Manny. There's Edwin Valero, the knockout king from Venezuela, who called out Manny after his own recent win over Pitalua. And then there's Miguel Cotto, who just recently beat Joshua Clottey and is the current frontrunner to be Manny's next opponent. No matter what, it appears as though all roads and conversations seem to lead back to Manny Pacquiao.
I can't even remember a time like this when Manny Pacquiao had no fight officially scheduled and yet the headlines were dominated with tons of news about him. From his celebration in his homeland to his appearance at the BWAA Awards, it's as if his every move is being reported by the media on a daily basis. Even now, just days after Mayweather was forced to postpone his bout with Marquez, there's still more talk about who Manny's next opponent is going to be. Despite the fact that Mayweather insists that he's a bigger draw, all the talk, all the focus, all the attention has been and continues to be on Manny Pacquiao.
As a Filipino saying goes, "times are changing and the only thing that doesn't change is the word permanent." So with all the incidents that have happened in the short amount of time since May 2nd, does Mayweather really deserves the lion's share of the purse if he fights Pacquiao or is it really the other way around?