By Coach Tim Walker – You can’t help but be impressed when you list the accomplishments: Castillo, Judah, Hatton, Barrera, Morales, Marquez, Corrales and now Dela Hoya. If that doesn’t impress you then maybe the world titles will. Multiple titles in 9 combined weight classes. Maybe their records will do it for you: one is 39-0-0 and the other is 48-3-2. If you’re still not then maybe the fact that they are both elite boxers, fight in similar weight classes and in the peak of their primes. Let’s go even farther; one is the current pound for pound king, the other only relinquished that title a few weeks ago when he semi-retired.
If you’re clueless as to dynamic duo that I am referring to then you’ve probably lived under a rock, in a subterranean cave on some distant island of which man has never laid foot. If you’ve lived anywhere else on the planet for the last six or eight years then you know that I’m talking about Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Manny Pacquiao.
Fight fan it’s time for a real super-fight! Not like the shadow of a super-fight that Jones, Jr. and Calzaghe produced. Mayweather vs. Pacquiao anywhere on the planet and I’m buying it! Forget the undercard. Forget the location. Forget all the crap that typically stalls the negotiations of a fight. This would be Ali Frazier revisited. Not in styles but in public outcry. Water cooler material at its finest worth the pay docking we’d get for getting back to our cubicle 15 minutes late. This fight would be one for the record books, for the fans, for the ages.
Prime Timing
At 29 and 30 years of age respectively, Pacquiao and Mayweather are not only among the elite fighters between 135-147 pounds they are the best. This would be a far cry from the young hungry lion vs. the over-the-hill veteran that boxing assuredly produces on a yearly basis dressed neatly as drama. Nor would it be a fighter getting the experience he needs to compete at the next level. This would be a prime time boxer against prime time puncher. Both fighters fully understand their bodies, their training, their skill levels, their range, the positives and negatives of their fight styles. They sit atop everything that makes their particular fight styles possible. Pacquiao with his grit, power, thirst and passion. Mayweather with his speed, defense, boxing mind and zeal. What more could they attain to make the fight any better?
We are typically force-fed excuses when significant matches aren’t made. Its either he hasn’t fought anyone significant or that they aren’t a big enough name yet. On occasion, fighters have even taken stealthy positions behind their management/promoters to avoid fighters. That wouldn’t be the case here. Everything that they will possibly ever know about boxing they’ve learned and committed to memory. The time is primed for both fighters.
Money, Money, Money
For Mayweather and Pacquiao there isn’t a higher level of training, another grade of boxing knowledge or frankly a bigger payday.
Unlike many other fights this is that rare fight where money won’t be a hurdle. There will be millions upon millions to be carved up. Venues from Las Angeles to Las Vegas to New York to the Philippines would bid often and early. Stadiums, arenas, reservations and casinos alike would campaign for the opportunity to be the host site. Sponsorship dollars from the world’s largest and most lucrative corporations would pour in. Television and radio stations would line up for interviews. Media outlets from the four corners of the world would request media credentials. I would estimate the payday to be $25-35 million…EACH! With that kind of money floating around no one is debating over scraps.
Maybe a good venue would be China’s Beijing National Stadium (the Bird Nest).
Fair to the Fans
Beyond all the hoopla fight fans flat out deserve this fight. We purchased gate tickets, premium cable subscriptions and pay per view broadcasts even when we felt the fight would be a bust or lopsided decision. We paid $10 and $20 admissions to watch fights at ale houses and sports bars all across the country. We endure the scrub fights, the setup fights, the step-up fights and the mismatch for the fleeting chance at seeing something truly great in the ring. We seek that rare occasion where an unstoppable force runs full speed into an immovable object. Jones and Calzaghe denied us that. Mayweather vs. Pacquiao would be a chance to see the sweet science at its best. It would be worth the wait and worth every penny.