A FIGHT ‘MADE IN HEAVEN’ SET

By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 07 Dec 2009

The Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight, an encounter everyone has long been waiting because of its potential to become the most lucrative in history, is on.
If plans don’t miscarry the 12-round encounter that is expected to break the existing record 2.4 million pay-per-view, which, incidentally is held by Mayweather in his fight against the now-retired Oscar De La Hoya two years ago, will be held March 13.

Promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank left Manila yesterday after a brief three-day visit here to talk with Pacquiao and bringing with him an offer from Mayweather, which, the Filipino boxing hero could not refuse.

Neither Pacquiao nor Mayweather had signed the dotted line, but Arum said that would only be a formality and that he will be talking to Golden Boy’s Richard Schaefer as soon as he arrived in the United States Monday (Tuesday in Manila) about the nitty-gritty of the contract.

Arum refused to disclose how the mega-purse will be split although a leaked report said it will be divided evenly between the protagonists. The fight will be at the welterweight limit 147 pounds and a pair of eight-ounce gloves will be used.

Reports spread quickly Friday that the much-anticipated fight between the top two finest pound-for-pound fighters in the world will push through after that Arum-Pacquiao meeting at a Makati Hotel.

Such reports stemmed from an interview with Pacquiao by a television network where the seven-division champion was quoted as saying “March 13 is OK.” Surprised by the fast development, Pacuiao’s chief trainer Freddie Roach, who was very vocal in his opposition to a March date, nevertheless welcomed the reports.

“We're happy it could be happening, but I'm surprised it's happened so quickly,” Roach told The Los AngelesTimes’ Lance Pugmire via a telephone conversation from Britain where one of his fighters had a fight date over the weekend.

Arum said that next Thursday he, Schaefer and the head of HBO Sports, Ross Greenburg, will visit Cowboys Stadium, one of the venues bidding to host the fight.
A big press conference has already been scheduled January 11.

Pacquiao himself said the talk between him and his promoter went well even as he affirmed that no signing of the contract took place as there are still some things to be ironed out.

“We agreed to everything in principle, but there are still some finer points that need to be negotiated. Bob is going to take all of this back to Floyd Mayweather and then, hopefully, it will be all worked out. We believe that the deal will get done,’’ he assured.

He said running for congress will not affect his preparations as well as the movie “Wapakman” he is presently shooting.

“Yes, I am. I'm not worried about that. The filming of the movie will be completed on Dec. 9, and the movie is scheduled to be released on Christmas.

“I am fine. I will be healthy. My hand was only bruised, but there is not going to be a problem with it,” he said in reference to his ruptured eardrum and broken right hand suffered in his fight against Miguel Cotto. “Also, my ear will not be a problem. I know my body, and I would never do anything to seriously jeopardize my health.

“If Manny says yes, if Manny is ok for March 13, then I say, I’m also ok,” Roach said, adding, ”we’ll have to start training after New Year’ day so that we can get our customary 10 weeks in I guess we will have a month in the Philippines then the remainder in my gym at Wild Card.”

Source: PhilBoxing.com

Pacman-Floyd Coming Together Faster Than Almost Any Super-Fight Ever

By Frank Lotierzo

Reports are starting to surface all over that the most anticipated fight of the last decade is on the verge of being signed. During the last couple days there have been a plethora of reports via the internet, newspapers, cable and broadcast that Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have agreed to fight on March 13, 2010. The only issue that hasn't been ironed out is where the fight will take place. Las Vegas and the new billion dollar Cowboys stadium in Texas have been mentioned the most as far as potential host of the fight.

Pacquiao is less than a month removed from his last fight in which he stopped Miguel Cotto in the 12th round to capture the WBO welterweight title. Mayweather's last fight was contested on September 19th when he won a lopsided 12-round decision over Juan Manuel Marquez. Both Pacquiao and Mayweather fought in catch-weight bouts the last time out. Pacquiao weighed in at 145 and Mayweather weighed in a pound heavier at 146 and their upcoming fight, (if the reports are true) will be fought at 147 with Pacquiao's WBO title on the line.

It's almost unfathomable that a super-fight the likes of Pacquiao-Mayweather will be realized so soon after both last fought. That just doesn't happen in boxing. Usually the super big fights are signed five or six months before taking place. And if Pacquiao and Mayweather actually sign to meet on March 13th of 2010, roughly sixteen weeks after Pacquiao's last fight, it'll be the quickest a big fight has ever taken place after the official announcement of it in recent memory.

The quickest a mega fight has ever been realized after it was initially signed was the first fight between "Smokin" Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali. But there was a huge reason as to why that was the case and the fight happened so quickly.

Frazier-Ali had been in the making since Frazier showed up at Ali's public workout prior to his last title defense of the sixties versus Zora Folley in March of 1967. When Joe showed up someone suggested that he and Ali pose for a picture together. When Frazier advanced towards Ali to pose for the picture, Ali leaned over and put his arm around Frazier and said, "You're too short to give me any real trouble." To which Joe replied, "We'll see about that." Once Frazier fired back at Ali it was on and Muhammad began hyping Joe as a future threat to him and his heavyweight title.

As most know Ali was exiled from boxing and stripped of his undisputed heavyweight title a month after stopping Folley in the seventh round. For the next three plus years while Ali was fighting the United States government in court for draft evasion, Joe Frazier succeeded him as heavyweight champion of the world.

After a 43 month exile Ali returned to the ring on October 26, 1970 and stopped Jerry Quarry in three rounds in his first fight since beating Zora Folley. Six weeks later he stopped Oscar Bonavena in the 15th round on December 7, 1970. Once Quarry and Bonavena were dispatched, the drumbeat for Frazier-Ali, (which was how the fight was billed) began to explode with anticipation.

On December 30, 1970 Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali signed to fight on March 8, 1971, roughly 12-weeks after Ali beat Bonavena in his last fight. Granted, the interest world wide for Frazier-Ali was unprecedented and the time between the actual signing and the fight itself was unheard of.

But that was for a very good reason.

During Ali's exile, a proposed fight between he and Frazier seemed on the verge of being made but always fell apart before it could be finalized. Once Ali's boxing license was reinstated the thought behind the promotion was to make the fight as soon as possible. And that was because Ali's case for draft evasion was going before the U.S. Supreme Court in June of 1971. The thought at the time was that he was going to lose the case and have to serve his five year prison sentence imposed on him in June of 1967.

The March 8 date was the only open date for Madison Square Garden before the June Supreme Court case. And to clear the slate for the 8th, James Taylor had to agree to not holding a concert that night at the Garden. With the thought being Ali would be going to prison in June, the promoters feared if Frazier-Ali wasn't realized before the June court case, the fight would never happen. And there was way too much money involved for everybody to take that risk.

Given his choice, Ali wanted more time to get ready for Frazier and was hopeful of meeting Joe in mid May. However, Frazier was insistent that the fight take place in Madison Square Garden and March 8th had to be the date.

On March 8, 1971 Joe Frazier won a hard fought 15-round unanimous decision over Muhammad Ali to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. On June 28, 1971 Ali won a bigger fight when the Supreme Court over-turned his draft conviction by an 8-0 vote and the rest is history.

Frazier-Ali was the largest grossing fight in boxing history at the time. And the five million dollar guaranteed purse they split was also the largest purse split by any two fighters at that time. If Pacquiao-Mayweather happens on March 13, 2010 it'll probably be the biggest grossing fight in boxing history. And if it's the biggest grossing fight of all-time Pacquiao and Mayweather may both gross over $40 million dollars apiece which would be a record.

As of this writing it looks as though Pacquiao-Mayweather will be made almost as quickly as the most anticipated fight in boxing history, Frazier-Ali. Along with that Manny and Floyd look to have a real shot at splitting the biggest purse ever in boxing.

And if Pacquiao-Mayweather is half the fight Frazier-Ali turned out to be, we'll all be winners.

Source: thesweetscience.com

Marley’s Memoirs: Why Pacquiao-Mayweather will end up in Las Vegas

Las Vegas Boxing Examiner | Chris Robinson

In boxing there is always more than meets the eye. What takes place on the surface is often masking something else and in a sport often lacking in loyalty and good will you never know what is taking place behind closed doors. Whether we like it or not, sometime the moves that are made in the business are solely based on money and incentive, and not the best interest of all parties at hand.

In regards to the hopeful March 13th Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather clash there is still much uncertainty in the air. Rumors are swirling left and right on a daily basis and there are still many particulars that need to be ironed out if the bout does end up going through. At the moment there still seem to be three key players looking to host the fight; Las Vegas, Dallas, and New Orleans.

One man who knows Vegas very well from all of his years in the sport is veteran boxing scribe Michael Marley, and the Boston native is firm in his belief that the city will once again play host to yet another huge showdown by landing the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight. Having spent some of his early years in Nevada as a writer for the Las Vegas Sun, Marley has a deep appreciation for everything that Las Vegas brings to the table and considers it the modern day Mecca of the sport.

Marley recently opened up to me about all things Vegas, from his initial venture to the Valley, his best memories from the boxing world, and how the city has reinvented itself over the years. Marley will be the first to tell you that there is no other place like Las Vegas and has an endless list of reasons for believing why there is no other ideal place for a fight like Pacquiao-Mayweather to jump off. In his own words, this is what Marley had to say…

Going out to Las Vegas…
“I grew up in Boston and left home when I was 18. I wouldn’t say I had an outstanding amateur career but I did have a little bit of success. I floated like a butterfly and I stung like a moth. I never had any illusions about being a professional but I wanted to see if I could the little boxing knowledge I had to either go to college or fight in the army. Jimmy Ellis, who became Heavyweight champion and was known as Muhammad Ali’s sparring partner and friend had a brother named Charley Ellis who recommended that I try out for the army boxing team. To make a long story short I would up going to the University of Nevada which was one of the four colleges that still had active boxing. I boxed up there and I also worked for the newspaper up there. I left there and went back to Boston for a year. The economy was even worse believe it or not than it is now. I couldn’t get back on the Boston Globe where I worked as a kid so I actually got back into the ‘transportation industry’ which was a nice way of saying that I was driving a cab in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Then I got a chance to go work for the Las Vegas Sun from the Sports editor out there. He asked me when would I be available to go out to Las Vegas and I went out there immediately.”

A lot of fun…
“I spent three fun filled years out in Nevada. I was at the age of 25 and it was going towards the end of the year. It was around the time when the wise guys ran Las Vegas and it was a lot of fun. There were always great fights out there. I was able to make great relationships with guys like Larry Holmes, who was Heavyweight champion for eight years. Every Wednesday night out there we used to have the old Silver Slipper fights on the strip. The Silver Slipper was a very small Casino but it was a fantastic atmosphere. You always had wise guys in there and casino guys. I can remember one night sitting ringside and Red Fox was next to me and the great tennis player Jimmy Connors was in front of me. There was no television back then but the betting was phenomenal. There weren’t any real sports books that were in the casino but guys would end up betting ten and thousands of dollars. You had all these characters out there too. It wouldn’t be uncommon to see a boxer losing a fight and have one of the gamblers run up to him and say ‘Hey kid I’ll give you $500 if you score a knockout,”, because they obviously had money on the fight. The commission just looked the other way and that’s how Vegas was back in the day.”

Great affection…
“I had to leave Vegas because I had an opportunity to write for the New York Post, which had always been my goal since I was a little kid. I went to New York but will never forget my years out in Las Vegas. I have great affection for Las Vegas and the state of Nevada. I still go back from time to time and I can tell it has changed. Nevada is different from the other 49 states in a lot of ways. I think Las Vegas has changed in the sense that it has become a big corporate enterprise. The gangsters were run out of town and some of them died off. Now you just have these corporate mentality guys and that’s when they started with ‘family, fun, Las Vegas’ and there is a place for that but they don’t call it an adult Disneyland for nothing. You have the ladies in the evening, the gamblers all day long and it’s just a different kind of crowd. It’s a crazy city where you can have the best professor in the world at UNLV make $100,000 while some strippers making $300,000 a year. I think it just became not as personal over the years. The old timers use to runt their casinos in a much more personal way. In the old days you used to be at the bar in Caesar’s Palace and Frank Sinatra would be sitting across from you. You had the legends in those days, guys like Sammy Davis Jr., Sinatra, Dean Martin, the famous Rat Pack, and that’s what made Vegas what it was and made it unique.”

Vegas wins out…
“It’s funny. I noticed that Bob Arum spoke to a Filipino reporter today and he mentioned that the MGM is a leading candidate. I think the fight will wind up at the MGM. I know they are going to go visit Jerry Jones in Dallas and maybe there will be a proposal from New Orleans, but New Orleans is still hurting from Hurricane Katrina. Dallas could be a good place but for as big as a fight as it is, it’s still a fight between Mayweather and a guy from the Philippines. If you had a Mexican opponent, like a Marquez or a Chavez type of guy than I think Dallas would make more sense but at the end of the day Vegas wins out.”

Sticking with the winner…
“Outside of maybe New York or Los Angeles, I can’t think of any other American city that has more flights coming in, especially from international locations, other than Las Vegas. Even though the economy is bad like it is everywhere, Las Vegas is still going to have more flights. You have 150,000 hotel rooms, the food is still reasonably cheap, and you can take a $1,000 and go to Las Vegas and have the time of your life. Vegas has also always supported boxing through good times and bad. I know there isn’t any loyalty in boxing because it’s all about the money and I know there isn’t any loyalty in the casino business either but there is an expression in gambling that you stick with the winner. Boxing owes something to Las Vegas. As I said, through good times and bad Las Vegas has always been there. Look at Atlantic City; they have maybe one or two big fights a year. It never became a rival to Las Vegas. When you think of all the great fights there, Las Vegas became what Madison Square Garden was years ago. It became the Mecca of boxing and I’m convinced that on March 13th, 2010 we’ll all be out there again to see Mayweather and Pacquiao in the ring. Especially now given the financial situation, Vegas is still on the ropes and Vegas needs this fight. The city of Dallas is going to roll on with or without the fight. Las Vegas needs it and the MGM Grand, the same company that owns the Mirage and the MGM and Mandalay Bay, I think they are going to clamp down and I don’t think they are going to let this fight of the century out their grasp.”

Source: Examiner.com

ARUM SAYS RP DESERVES THE BEST FIGHTS

By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 07 Dec 2009

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum has said the Philippines deserves the best fights because “any country that can produce a Manny Pacquiao deserves to get the best in boxing” even as he announced that he would stage four “Pinoy Power” fight cards in 2010.

Arum who signed a two-year deal with the giant broadcast network ABS-CBN during a quick visit to Manila said the first big “Pinoy Power III” card will take place at the Las Vegas Hilton on February 13 headlined by WBA super flyweight interim champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire (22-1, 14 KO’s) who will battle Gerson Guerrero, the reigning North American Boxing Federation champion and the winner of a WBC title eliminator last June 13.

Guerrero scored a 10th round TKO win over Enrique Quevedo in capturing the NABF title and winning the WBC title eliminator.

Donaire, on the other hand scored a twelve round unanimous decision over Panama’s Rafael “El Torito” C oncepcion in a clash for the WBA interim title which Concepcion lost on the scales by being well over the 115 pound limit.

Also on the Top Rank card will be featherweight Bernabe Concepcion (27-3-1, 15 KO’s) who will take on Puerto Rican southpaw Mario Santiago (21-1-1, 14 KO’s) whom Arum described as a tough opponent having drawn with WBO champion Steven Luevano in a title fight on June 28, 2008 and beaten Morris Chule by an eight round split decision last October 17.

Former two-division world champion Gerry Penalosa (54-7-2, 36 KO’s) , the veteran southpaw will go up against former world champion Eric Morel (41-2, 21 KO’s) of Puerto Rico in a bantamweight title eliminator while Arum indicated he would try to use his persuasive powers to get WBO champion Fernando Montiel of Mexico to take on Michael Domingo who is a replacement for Z “The Dream” Gorres whose career was regrettably cut short by brain surgery following a smashing victory of Luis Melendez of Colombia last November 13.

Top Rank’s respected matchmaker Bruce Trampler who will soon be inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame told us that Morel had turned down the offer to fight Domingo but gave no reason for the rejection. However, Arum appeared confident he could persuade Montiel to take the fight.

In addressing ABS-CBN Chairman and CEO Gabby Lopez, Arum said “I promise I will supply you with the best in boxing and I know you will showcase it here for the Filipino people like no other television entity in the Philippines.”

Source: PhilBoxing.com

Pacquiao-Mayweather ticket to cost a fortune

By NICK GIONGCO
December 6, 2009, 3:45pm

A ringside seat to the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather super fight next year will amount to the annual income of a minimum wage earner.

Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum told the Bulletin Sunday that a premium seat in the March 13, 2010 welterweight title fight will cost $2,500 (P117,500), while the cheapest will be sold at $500, assuming the fight is held at the 17,000-seat MGM Grand.

If the fight is held, say, at the 80,000-capacity Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the price of the seat would remain the same, while the inexpensive seat will be sold lower than $500.

Arum said a meeting with Golden Boy Promotions (GBP) Chief Executive Officer Richard Schaefer, who represents Mayweather, will be held Monday followed by an inspection of the Cowboys Stadium near Dallas by him and Top Rank officials is scheduled On Wednesday.

“We would know the venue by the end of this week,” said Arum, stressing that billionaire Jerry Jones, who owns the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League, is more than willing to put up a juicy offer that could rival even Las Vegas’ proposal.

The $2,500 appears to be the most expensive ticket to a boxing event as it is slightly higher than the top seat – $2,400 – that was peddled during the June 2002 heavyweight match between Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson at the Pyramid Arena in Memphis.

Should Arum stick to the hefty price, it would be much higher than the $2,000 seat that was sold during the Oscar De La Hoya-Mayweather tiff that took place in May 2007.

Pacquiao and Mayweather are assured of $25 million each and their earnings could go up to as high as $40 million apiece depending on the pay-per-view sales.

Source: mb.com.ph

Super fight easier than expected to make

By John Whisler - Express-News

So much for tough negotiations.

Getting Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. to agree to fight each other was supposed to be a task bordering on the impossible. Sort of like Democrats and Republicans settling on health care reform.

Or worse.

With the egos involved, conventional wisdom said they'd never agree on the purse. One — or both — would surely demand more than a 50-50 split.

And surely there would be other problems. Such as, which fighter would take top billing?

But sanity apparently won out. And it took only a couple of weeks to happen.

The fight many are calling the richest in decades — and biggest since the classic battles featuring Sugar Ray Leonard, Tommy Hearns and Marvin Hagler of the 1980s — apparently is on after Pacquiao signed a contract Friday, according to published reports.

Pacquiao and his promoter, Bob Arum, met for two hours over breakfast in Manila on Friday to discuss the fight.

There apparently were some minor adjustments sought by Pacquiao and, once those were made, Pacquiao later in the day inked the deal.

Mayweather previously had agreed to terms with Golden Boy Promotions, his promoter for the HBO Pay-Per-View fight, but it is unknown if he actually has signed a contract.

The bout reportedly will take place at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds for Pacquiao's WBO title.

Some other interesting details have been revealed. One is a 50-50 split of the money, perhaps the most shocking of all.

But with the fight expected to eclipse the all-time record for PPV sales — Mayweather vs. Oscar De La Hoya registered 2.44 million buys in 2007 — many experts are predicting each fighter could pocket $40 million or more.

It's hard to get too greedy with that kind of cash staring you in the face.

Also, both fighters apparently will wear 8-ounce gloves, but each fighter will be allowed to select the brand.

As for the marquees, the bout will be referred to as Mayweather-Pacquiao, according to ESPN.com, but Arum's Top Rank will receive top billing over Golden Boy throughout the promotion.

The only hint of bad news here is the media tour. Apparently, there won't be one.

Promoters and HBO wanted the fight on May 1, but because Pacquiao is running for a congressional seat in the Philippines, that date could have created a conflict between his training and the campaign.

Thus, March 13 was chosen.

But because of the earlier date, promoters felt there wasn't time to do a full-scale media tour to promote the fight.

This is too bad, because San Antonio might have been included on that tour.

Instead, there will only be a single news conference in New York during the second week of January.

Once Mayweather signs, the only major detail left to be finalized is the site.

The negotiations there could be tougher than they were for the fight itself.

Lesson learned? Maybe Pacquiao was driven to the bargaining table by what happened to Roy Jones Jr.

Wednesday, Jones was knocked out in the first round by Danny Green, sinking Jones' already-signed and long-awaited rematch with Bernard Hopkins.

Pacquiao, and Mayweather, too, for that matter, had talked of taking an interim fight before facing each other.

JOHN WHISLER'S VIEW FROM THE CORNER

Opening flurry

S.A. duo off to Russia: A local boxer and coach will represent the United States at the World Cup of Petroleum Countries boxing competition Dec. 17-20 in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia.

Bantamweight Adam Lopez and Edward Rivas, coach of the U.S. Air Force team based at Lackland AFB, were named to the U.S. squad that will compete against elite boxers from 10 other countries.

Lopez, a senior at Highlands High School, has won multiple national titles, including the recent National Police Athletic League Championships at Municipal Auditorium.

He will be joined on the U.S. team by seven other boxers, including Errol Spence of DeSoto, the 2009 national champion welterweight.

Joining Rivas as coaches are Tom Moraetes (Augusta, Ga.) and Robert Luna (Commerce, Calif.).

Straight shots

Chavez tests positive: Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. faces a fine and suspension for testing positive for a banned substance, ESPN.com is reporting.

Chavez, 23, the son of Mexican icon Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., tested positive for Furosemide, a diuretic, following his Nov. 14 victory over Troy Rowland.

According to a complaint filed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Chavez faces a suspension of up to nine months and a fine of up to $100,000.

Vazquez-Marquez IV: Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez have already given us a classic trilogy. They will square off for a fourth time on May 22 at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Showtime.

Diaz rematch: The Juan Diaz-Paulie Malignaggi rematch is set for Saturday at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago on HBO. Diaz, a native of Houston, won the first bout on a controversial decision in August in Houston.

Chavez returns: Austin lightweight Jesus Chavez is facing a tough challenge Dec. 19 when he meets Humberto Soto on a split site pay-per-view card in Ciudad Obregon, Mexico.

Local notebook

LBCs: The 2009 LBC Senior Championships run Friday-Sunday at the Antioch Sports Complex on the East Side.

First bell is 6 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Sunday’s session is tentative, depending on the number of registrations.

Male and female open and novice boxers age 17-34 are eligible to compete in novice and open divisions.

Admission is $8 per session.

Amateur MMA: Texas Fight Fest 16 is set for Saturday night at Cowboys Dancehall.

The eight-bout, amateur mixed martial arts card begins at 6 p.m. Doors open at 5.

Featured fighters include San Antonians C.J. Vergara, flyweight; Bubba Martinez, middleweight; and Chris Lopez, cruiserweight.

Also, Richard Smith, an instructor at Lackland AFB, is scheduled to take on Houston police officer Jason Williamson in a light heavyweight match.

Tickets are $15 general admission and $35 for cageside.

Source: mysanantonio.com

Mayweather's legacy on the line

Mississippi Fight Sports Examiner | Brad Cooney

His detractors say that he cherry picked his opponents to an undefeated record. His detractors say that he fights smaller guys for the advantage. His detractors say that he is afraid to engage with his opponents, that he runs. If the Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather fight comes to fruition, "Money" Mayweather will get his chance to prove himself. Or will he?

If he beats Manny, does he redeem himself? Does he gain respect from those who love to hate him? Or will everyone say that he just beat another smaller guy? Or will he get some props for beating the mighty Manny Pacquiao? If Mayweather defeats Manny Pacquiao, he will have wins over names like De La Hoya, Hatton, Pacquiao, Marquez, Gatti, Corrales, Judah, Corrales, and Mitchell. Does defeating the likes of those names warrant legendary status? Would retiring for good with an undefeated record with names like that on your resume warrant legendary status? Some say absolutely yes! and some say, absolutely no.

If Manny Pacquiao defeats Mayweather, in a lot of people's minds it will squash any hopes of Mayweather going down as an all time great. A defeat for Mayweather would reinforce his detractors claims of cherry picking, and fighting and beating smaller guys. If Mayweather wins, he still has the stigma of fighting and beating smaller guys, so it's not a very good position to be in. It would probably take Mayweather beating a Shane Mosley, or a Paul Williams to really get some respect by those who love to hate him.

A victory for Mayweather is a must for him if he wants to salvage any respect from his foes. Floyd Mayweather has his fans, and he will make up to and perhaps more than 20 million dollars for this fight. It may be a matter of him not caring about legacy status. In his mind he may have done enough, and he just moves on to the next chapter of his life.

Source: Examiner.com