Why Pacquiao vs. Mayweather on May 2nd is a done deal
January 26th, 2015
By
Sizzle JKD: Here’s the thing, the long awaited Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather Jr. “super fight” is going to be announced sometime at the end of next week, most likely January 30th or the 31st. Yes, this is a hunch. But my gut feeling for well over a month has had me leaning favorably in this direction.
On January 19th, I wrote that all signs were pointing toward a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight because both camps not only acknowledged that talks were becoming serious, but people such as Showtime V.P. Stephen Espinoza, Haymon right hand man Sam Watson, and Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz all re-iterated that things were in process and moving along positively in the right direction.
In other words, there was progress being made. What made these revelations believable was that both camps seemingly had a strategic position. Team Floyd decided it was their best interests to remain silent about any talks relating to the contract negotiations, while Team Pacquiao made it clear that representatives who were authorized to negotiate on behalf of Mayweather had sent Top Rank “terms and conditions” for the fight which Pacquiao agreed to.
On January 22nd, I wrote that Mayweather would sign the final contract “next week,” which would be sometime between January 26th-February 1st, after Bob Arum said “everything is agreed to” and that Arum was “very positive” the fight would materialize. Furthermore, boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard said that he had “very reliable sources” that the fight would happen.
After digging deeper into the “sources” online, in print, and at home, I came to the conclusion that the main reason Pacquiao and Mayweather visited England and Australia, respectively, was to get a head start at promoting their fight around the world. In essence, conduct a not-so-impromptu world tour of sorts sans the media following that normally covers a promotional tour and adjoining press conferences.
To think that there is still plenty of time to promote the May 2nd fight is shortsighted. The fighters and their promoters only have about one month to promote the fight because beginning in March, both boxers must start training. Training normally lasts 8-10 weeks and commencing training in March will take the fighters all the way up to May. Once the boxers begin training, there are no more tours and press conferences that take place.
Looking back, it’s apparent that the fight was a done deal the moment both camps began serious talks in the beginning of the month.
Both camps marketed it perfectly, while keeping everyone guessing at the same time so as not to destroy the integrity of the negotiations. The resulting media hype, press coverage, and fan fervor has caused quite a stir and has returned everyone back to the uproar of 2009. We are all back on board.
Then there’s the supposed “deadline” to sign imposed by Team Pacquiao. When you read between the lines, it’s not really a deadline. It’s simply Pacquiao hinting when the announcement would be made.
Think about it. Floyd is the A-Side, Pac is the B-Side. Floyd calls all the shots. Do you actually think Team Pacquiao would jeopardize all negotiations by attempting to seize control of the negotiations by forcing a deadline upon Team Mayweather? That would be a stupid business move on Arum’s part. We know Arum and Al Hayon have been very cordial and understanding throughout these negotiations and I’m almost 100% positive the “deadline” was nothing but a marketing ploy.
Team Pacquiao hasn’t revealed any details of the “terms and conditions” and the best way Manny can tell his fans that the fight is happening is by saying there would be a time frame in which when to expect an announcement, whether positive or negative. It’s up to us to read between the lines.
This weekend, additional details came to light that adds to the presumption that this fight will take place in May. When HBO and CBS/Showtime began talks in New York City on January 16, it marked the first step in truly making this mega fight a reality. Fast forward one week later and Espinoza said they are “halfway done.” If the two network giants have reached the halfway point in their talks, then it must mean that the target date to complete the final contract would be right around January 30th-February 1st right? You decide.
And here’s the final nail to the coffin. During the last two weeks of December and the first couple weeks of January, Floyd was spotted numerous times at L.A. Lakers and L.A. Clippers game. Never before has Floyd attended this many sporting events in Southern California in such a short time frame. How is this relevant?
Al Haymon spends a lot of time in the Los Angeles/Beverly Hills area because he has an office there. During the last month, Haymon has been traveling back and forth between New York and L.A. to hammer out TV deals with NBC and Spike TV in order to bring boxing back to free network television. On January 22nd, a new conference was held at the Spike TV offices in Santa Monica, California to unveil Haymon’s new boxing series “Premier Boxing Champions,” which will premier March 13. No boxing media was invited to this press conference, similar to what was done for his NBC deal in New York.
You can bet your bottom dollar that at least several times Floyd met with Haymon “behind the scenes” during the many times Haymon and Floyd were in the Los Angeles area conducting their business. The meetings had one sole purpose – to draw up the “terms and conditions” they would eventually forward to Bob Arum and Team Pacquiao.
So you be the judge. Will Mayweather fight Cotto, like Jim Lampley says? Or did Mayweather already set out to finally satisfy the boxing world and finally agree to get it on with his arch rival?
My money says the latter. The announcement is coming. Mark your calendar. What will you be doing January 30th or 31st?
http://www.boxingnews24.com/2015/01/why-pacquiao-vs-mayweather-on-may-2nd-is-a-done-deal/
HOW??
