Mayweather, 36, has insisted that the fight the boxing world has craved for years is dead in the water whilst Arum has a hold on Pacquiao’s negotiations, although some fear that the reasons the fight won’t happen run much deeper than that.
Internet video’s are doing the rounds pointing out several different scenarios to avoid the fight coming from Mayweather’s camp, with some even declaring that Mayweather is scared to fight Pacquiao for fear of losing his unbeaten record.
In my eyes, Mayweather’s recent declaration that Pacquiao is 1-2 in his last three fights should make the fight more accessible, rather than adding another negative to a clash, as it proves that the Filipino is not at the previous heights of his powers.
Making the fight two or three years ago when the ‘Pacman’ was dealing with 154lbers with ease would have been more detrimental to Mayweather, but the numbers both could come out of the event with should far exceed any justification for not entering talks.
At 45-0 and with four fights left with Showtime, Mayweather has ample time to give Pacquiao his shot and the involvement of Arum is something that could easily be worked out.
Arum could be replaced in fight negotiations by Todd DeBeouf, Carl Moretti or Fred Sternburg and seems to be a lame excuse to refuse to even give Pacquiao his chance to put forward his side of the bargain.
Granted that Pacquiao’s deal with HBO gives the fight some obstacles to manoeuvre, although both networks could brainstorm to iron out the programming details in order to put together a package that sees the two best fighters of their generation collide.
On thing this is certain is that the boxing fans are already disappointed with the rumours that Amir Khan is favourite to land the fight, with his detractors in the UK especially pining for another ‘more deserving’ boxer to be handed the chance.
Danny Garcia and Marcos Maidana seem to be the obvious choices of the fans, although I am positive that Pacquiao getting the fight would more than compensate even the staunchest Mayweather supporters with a mega-fight that takes boxing to an entirely different level.
An announcement from Mayweather and his team seems to be imminent, with the shoe-in for Fighter of the Year giving the impression that he will yet again disappoint the ticket buying public with a fight they would rather leave on the shelf.
There is an abundance of welters that Mayweather can pluck from to make May 3 go down as a major event in the ilk of his last fight, but the man himself has stated that he is now looking to preserve his long-term health – rather than continuing to aim for those big names everyone wants.
Khan, although fast and skilful, is serving only to the US audience as worldwide there is no argument to the fact that Pacquiao is still the fight everyone craves, even if a few years too late.
Now is the time for Mayweather to take up the challenge and give the rejuvenated Pacquiao his shot, as his failure to do so will ultimately leave some slight question marks on a supreme legacy that should never be questioned.
Follow on Twitter @PhilDJay for tweets of upcoming news on WBN
