Mayweather video about Pacquiao proves he cares
It appears “Money” Mayweather’s armour is not impenetrable.
The undefeated No.2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world has been engaging with the public on the possibility of a Manny Pacquiao fight long overdue.
Last night a video appeared on Youtube dated for 2 Sept depicting “Money” speak candidly about Manny Pacquiao. Candidly, but perhaps not intelligently: Mayweather referred to the seven-division titlist as a “dog” and made several other racism comments, saying that Pacquiao “can’t speak no English,” and that he “ain’t never seen a contract he don’t like.”
It’s possible Mayweather didn’t catch the irony of his statement about speaking English.
Anyway it’s cut, it’s probably a good thing he’s beginning to react to the news story that simultaneously revitalizes itself daily in boxing and hangs like a looming rain cloud. Since early 2009 the boxing world has wanted to see Mayweather and Pacquiao in the ring, but various setbacks, both professional and personal, have impeded the fight’s progress.
One thing is for sure: the biggest impediment thus far has been “Money” himself.
A first round of negotiations dissolved when Mayweather first demanded he bring in the majority of the gate revenue, and then that Pacquiao be subject to Olympic style urine and blood tests before the fight. This was a demand even Mayweather’s contractual promotional team at the time, Golden Boy, put forth, instigating problems between the fighters and their respective promoters.
As a result Manny Pacquiao refused the tests, to the dismay of some, and filed a character defamation lawsuit that is still pending.
In a second round of negotiations this summer, chief Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, who promotes Pacquiao, said the champion would agree to all of Mayweather’s terms. He issued a date on which Mayweather was expected to announce his involvement or decline, but Mayweather refused to address the issue. Instead his public relations advisor Leonard Ellerbe made the caricatural statement that “no negotiations had taken place” between Arum and Mayweather’s camp.
Then it was Don King’s parade, which lasted for, well, about a week. The most notorious head of hair in boxing treated Mayweather to lobster dinner and his recent boxing card in St. Louis, where he told several reporters he wanted to woo Mayweather into a promotional contract. The story did much to revive a tired possibility. If there was anybody that could engineer a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight, Arum said, it was Don King (the two had previously worked together in such mega-busters as the Thrilla in Manila).
But again, after the wooing phase became old news, Mayweather refused to take up the King on his offer, making him look just as useless in his quest as the rest of the boxing world. Mayweather remained on the peripheries of boxing, while being the centre of it, tweeting daily pictures of him with stacks of money and buying 'bling' from Gucci.
A week ago, Mayweather tweeted the cryptic but meaningful phrase: “A real boss moves when he's ready not when told,” indicating boxing concerns were beginning to show their head. And now with his video, we know that to be true, which is ultimately good news one way or another.
Will Mayweather stop counting the cash for a minute and stop being a hypocrite to his fans by calling himself “the greatest,” all the while never picking up the challenge of demonstrating this claim?
Or will he prefer to compare himself to the likes of the real greats, “Sugar” Ray Robinson and others, and even try to oust that by bragging about his perfect record?
Most of the boxing world isn’t stupid. He might compare himself to Robinson on account of his 41 undefeated fights, but remember Robinson lost his first only after his 40th, and went on to fight another 160 professional bouts. The day Mayweather does that might be the day he can get away with claims to being the greatest.
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