Someone’s going to have to get awfully stupid for this fight not to happen.

Such is the prevailing sentiment regarding the pending multimillion-dollar megafight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.

The noise inside Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena following Pacquiao’s historic 12th-round knockout of Miguel Cotto had yet to subside last weekend when thoughts began to turn to a mega showdown between the sport’s two best fighters as early as next spring.

It’s already being dubbed the Super Bowl of boxing, with the level of interest rivaling the epic bouts of yesteryear.

Maybe not quite Ali-Frazier, but certainly the great fights staged by Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler and Tommy Hearns.

When is the last time that happened?

“It’s rare when you have the two best pound-for-pound fighters in the world both in their prime in the same weight class,” Ross Greenburg, president of HBO Sports, told ESPN.com. “And when that happens, you seize the opportunity.

“I’ve lived through Leonard-Hagler, Leonard-Hearns. This is exactly where we were in 1981 (with Leonard-Hearns I), and the fight had to be made. The public demanded it, and the fighters demanded it.”

Greenburg vowed to do everything he can to make this one happen.

“I will not let it die,” he said.

Not that the sport is in desperate shape. Boxing has had a very good 2009.

Pacquiao-Cotto drew 1.25 million pay-per-view buys and, coupled with the 1.05 million for Mayweather and Juan Manuel Marquez in September, it marked the first time since 1999 when Felix Trinidad beat Oscar De La Hoya and Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield fought to a highly disputed draw that two bouts in the same year topped 1 million PPV buys.

But if ever there were a fight that will generate mainstream interest all across America — something boxing hasn’t had in a while — this is it.

The fighter driving the hype, of course, is Pacquiao, the 5-foot-6-inch package of dynamite from the Philippines who has set a record by winning titles in seven weight divisions.

And to think Pac-man, now a welterweight, began as a 106-pounder.

The 30-year-old southpaw seems to only get better with age, turning every fight into an electrifying, fistic work of art.

Watching the fight at Fatso’s Sports Garden, I found my mind drifting back to 2003 when Pacquiao destroyed Marco Antonio Barrera at the Alamodome.

This fight had the same feel. It was a systematic destruction, only it came against a bigger, stronger man in Cotto.

Is there anything Pacquiao can’t do?

Putting the Mayweather fight together won’t be easy. Mayweather and Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank, haven’t gotten along since Mayweather split from Top Rank in 2005. And you can bet “Pretty Boy” Floyd will want the higher percentage of revenue. Greenburg predicts the bout will break the records set in the 2007 clash between Mayweather and De La Hoya. That fight generated all-time highs in pay-per-view buys (2.44 million), PPV revenue ($137 million), total gross ($165 million) and live gate ($18,419,200). It also produced a combined purse of $80 million. Greenburg said this matchup would be too big to let egos get in the way. “The money is too great, and the importance is too high,” he said. In other words, only stupidity can stop it from happening.

SOURCE: http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/columnists/john_whisler/70735682.html

I thought the catch weight bouts for Manny Pacquiao were done and finished with his fight with World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Miguel Cotto last weekend, but I guess I’m wrong. Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach, in an article with Philstar, said “ Maybe we can do Marquez one more time and give him a rematch…It will definitely be a big fight.” Roach is speaking of Juan Manuel Marquez as a backup plan to use in case a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. doesn’t materialize for one reason or another.

This would be great news if Pacquiao fights Marquez. The two have fought twice and both fights have ended up in controversial outcomes. The first fight ended up in a 12 round draw and the 2nd fight resulted in an even more controversial 12 round split decision win for Pacquiao. Many people felt that Marquez won the fight, and there was no effort on Pacquiao’s part to make up for it by fighting Marquez in a rematch.

The one problem for a rematch is that Roach is talking about the fight taking place at 145 pounds. Frankly, I think that sucks. Marquez already showed against Mayweather that he doesn’t have the frame to carry 144 pounds without being drastically slowed down because of it.

But by Roach wanting the fight to take place at 145, it’s as good as saying that wants Pacquiao to have a huge advantage in the fight. I’m tired of these catch weight fights. I don’t know why Pacquiao has to fight at a catch weight for so many of his fights. He did it with Cotto, and although the fight against Oscar De La Hoya wasn’t at a catch weight, it might as well have been because De La Hoya had to come down to 147 for the fight, a weight he hadn’t fought in years.

Marquez won’t have any say in the matter, because he’s not the more popular fighter and doesn’t have the title. He’ll take the fight anyway he can get it if they offer it to him. But that doesn’t mean it will be fair to Marquez. We already saw that Marquez is too small to fight in the mid 140s, so why fight him at that weight? If Pacquiao wants to fight Marquez, why not fight him at super featherweight (130)? I’ll tell you why, because Marquez would be quick and dangerous at that weight and it would be curtains for Pacquiao.

Roach also is looking at Pacquiao fighting the winner of the January fight between WBA welterweight champion Shane Mosley and WBC welterweight title holder Andre Berto. “Maybe the winner of that Mosley-Berto fight can be a great fighter for Manny.” Well, you can figure the winner of that fight will be Mosley, who Pacquiao should have fought last Saturday night instead of Cotto. I’m not holding my breath on Pacquiao fighting Mosley anytime soon, not unless Mosley gets a little older. Pacquiao will lose to Mosley.

SOURCE: http://www.boxingnews24.com/2009/11/roach-wants-pacquiao-to-face-marquez-at-a-145-pound-catch-weight/

You know that it’s a special time for our sport when you wake up on a monday morning to find a boxing story as one of the leading headlines on CNN’s website. Thus far in this young century, boxing is seldom seen on front pages and in lead stories – unless, of course, there’s a mention of a Tyson or DeLaHoya somewhere to be found. But, my friends, the tide appears to be turning.

Less than 48 hours following Manny Pacquiao’s finest hour, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. – the one-time Pound-for-Pound King who recently ended his retirement, appears to be ready and willing to take part in the biggest payday in pro boxing history. It has been reported that Money May has told the British Sky Sports: “If he wants to fight Floyd Mayweather all he has to do is step up to the plate.”

And so it begins.

Mayweather’s willingness seems to echo trainer Freddie Roach’s previous profession that a Pac-May fight is what the fans really want. Not many (myself included) anticipated such a fight beginning to come together so quickly; especially, when you consider that a unification bout between Sugar Shane Mosely and Andre Berto is set for January. However, it appears that both the Mayweather and Pacquiao camps realize that a fight between the two will make for the most lucrative bout of all-time.

Further details regarding a potential date are sure to unfold in coming weeks. But let’s follow this story with a large degree of caution. After all, the only thing that speaks louder than ego – is money. While things are surprisingly promising at this point, expect negotiations to hit a major snag at the first mention of a 50-50 split in the purse.

SOURCE: http://www.examiner.com/x-29356-Columbus-Boxing-Examiner~y2009m11d16-Pacquiao-vs-Mayweather-Closer-than-expected

Last Sunday afternoon (Philippine time), another ineluctable boxing history was made after Manny Pacquiao achieved another victory against Miguel Cotto. Before the fight, Pacman’s World Title record evens with Oscar de la Hoya’s record with six both of them. After winning over Miguel Cotto, the Pound-for-Pound King now held his 7th World Title record, a not-so-ordinary feat for most of the boxers even with Manny Pacquiao. He’s not only grasping his gathered achievements along with the most held World Title record in boxing history but also grabbed the first ever WBC Diamond Belt.

According to Boxingscene.com, the Diamond Belt was created as an honorary championship exclusively for fights between elite boxers. Before the Pacquiao-Cotto fight, Manny Pacquiao made a total of three WBC World Title in different weight divisions against Chatchai Sasakul, Juan Manuel Marquez and David Diaz respectively while Miguel Cotto is a former WBC International champion. The belt was handcrafted in Mexico with 18 karat gold and fusion and has 861 diamonds, 221 emeralds, 6 rubies and 180 Swarovsky glass stones all of them mounted on an Italian Ferrari leather. The belt also displays the picture and the flag of 2 boxing heroes, Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto.

Manny Pacquiao’s other 3 World Title records before Pacquiao-Cotto’s Firepower were fought against Lehlohonolo Ledwaba, Marco Antonio Barrera and Ricky Hatton.