Floyd Mayweather Jr.
WBC/WBA welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. (L) of the U.S. takes a forearm to the throat from Marcos Maidana of Argentina during their title fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada September 13, 2014. Maidana was deducted a point for the infraction. Reuters

While the boxing world was stirred with the recent pronouncements by Floyd Mayweather Jr that he’s finally agreeing to a fight with Manny Pacquiao in 2015, one respected boxing writer is not optimistic that the super fight between the undefeated American and the Filipino star is a done deal saying that the “fight is still not going to happen.”

“[Floyd] Mayweather [Jr.] mentioned [Manny] Pacquiao’s name and that in and of itself is a step in the right direction. But he took none of the blame for there being no substantive negotiations for years, and he put on conditions that seem designed more to paint Pacquiao as the bad guy rather than really come to an agreement.” Kevin Iole, fight sports writer for Yahoo Sports said in his recent article. “The bottom line is this: Friday's interview did nothing to advance the cause of getting the fight made,”

Iole went on to say that Mayweather is leaning towards an unfair negotiating tactic of pursuing a way larger portion of the purse of the fight expected to be nearly $250 million for the super fight’s pay-per-view (PPV) potential alone. Iole was also critical of how Showtime handled the recent interview of Mayweather Jr. saying that they avoided questions regarding the Earl Hayes suicide and murder of wife Stephanie Moseley. The American was apparently talking via FaceTime with Hayes during the time of the murder/suicide.

In the recent Mayweather interview, the American stated that he’s willing to fight Pacquiao on May 2, 2015 but also went on to say that Pacquiao doesn’t deserve more than $40M— his original offer way back in 2010. That is where a pair of problems lie for the probable Mayweather vs. Pacquiao super fight.

Watch the full Mayweather interview below:

(YouTube/shosports)

First, that date falls within the Cinco de Mayo weekend when Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto and Mexican Canelo Alvarez is scheduled to fight. Already top executives like Top Rank Promotions’ Bob Arum and Golden Boy Promotions’ Oscar De La Hoya, are criticising Mayweather for openly trying to stir up controversy by stealing the Cinco de Mayo event. According to both promoters, the May 2 date should be dedicated to Mexico and Mexicans considering its significance to the country and its people and Alvarez should headline any boxing event held on that day.

Second, with such a huge event that could potentially draw above $200M shared by both fighters, it appears that Mayweather wants not only a bigger part of the pie but also a considerable part of it. A $40M or less payday for Pacquiao means that Mayweather will get a share above 75 per cent of the probable fight purse— something the Pacquiao camp may never agree upon.

RELATED STORIES