By James Slater:Fight fans everywhere have surely read the recent news regarding superstar Floyd Mayweather Junior’s announcement that he plans on fighting again on May 5th of next year, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Fans have surely also read how Team-Mayweather have said they hope the Pay-Per-View opponent on that date will be none other than reigning Pound-For-Pound king Manny Pacquiao.
Promoter Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy, also spoke of how he has “informed the pay-per-view industry,” and how he has “the [MGM[ arena on hold.”
Upon reading these new revelations, fans understandably got excited: not only will Mayweather be back in action next May 5th, he may also be fighting the man everyone wants to see him fight, in Pac-Man. But not so fast. Is Mayweather merely playing games? Is Floyd attempting to steal the thunder from the fast-approaching Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez III battle?
Top Rank boss Bob Arum sure thinks so. Perhaps Mayweather really does plan on fighting again as soon as May 5th of next year, but Arum is far from convinced it will be against his star attraction.
“This is no way to negotiate a fight,” Arum told SI.com. “The MGM on May 5th? Who the hell is Floyd to say that? I know they are not serious. We put Floyd in a corner when we made it crystal clear that the issue of drug testing is over. So he comes out and makes this statement. Nobody even knows if he is going to be around in May.”
This is the question: is Floyd really planning – and training – for a quick (for him) ring return on May 5th; or is the unbeaten star merely making the most of an optimum moment upon which to go about releasing a guaranteed headline?
Remember when Pac-Man was just hours away from fighting Ricky Hatton in May of 2009, and Mayweather stole a great deal of the media interest by announcing he was going to fight again that September? Maybe Floyd has simply applied similar, headline-grabbing tactics again?
Does Mayweather really want to fight Pacquiao; either in May of next year, or ever? Will the 42-0 master really lace ‘em up again as soon as next May? Only time will tell. But either way, there is no doubting Mayweather’s sheer talent when it comes to causing excitement!