Mayweather-Pacquiao Update: Make that Pacquiao-Malignaggi?

 Although it looks worse as each day passes, this fight happens March 13th, this hype job got a little out of control, but everybody IS talkin’ about it. GBP and Top Rank, and their respective fighters, just ain’t gonna leave 200 million dollars in OUR pockets. To believe that a prize fighter would negotiate his way OUT of 40 million dollars is being very naive. Peace!!

 Yeah Matt I hear ya’ but Arum IS the guy who said, “yesterday I was lyin’, today I’m tellin’ the truth”. This fight, as the author suggests, loses a lot of its appeal if they don’t nail it down NOW, while the gun is still smokin’. The PR team for BOTH sides will get these guys in line today or tommorrow. Peace!!

It is annoying, I’m sure, but it isn’t like Mayweather wouldn’t be subjected to the same testing. Someone has to have told him by now that the blood withdrawn to be tested is so minuscule that it would not have the least effect on his performance. Even if it did, Mayweather would be put at the same disadvantage, making the whole thing a wash competitively. It has never been done before, but so what? Since when is more steroid testing ever possibly a bad thing for a sport?

We seem to be overlooking the fact that Manny’s reasons for not going along don’t make much more sense than the Mayweathers’ reasons for pushing for it to begin with. He’s set to make $30 million dollars minimum, more than likely 40, and it is becoming very frustrating that he has lost such sight with the real world for him to believe that that money isn’t worth it. Isn’t that why we loved Manny, or at least a part of it? He was a man of the people. Now $40 million dollars isn’t worth being woken up at 2 am and losing an vial of blood.

He’s being given a pass mostly because Dan Rafael filters the coverage on ESPN and he really, really hates Mayweather (the best part of his chats every day is often his posting someone pointing that out so he can refute it with the maturity of a four year old with classic name calling), but that won’t hold forever if he doesn’t give in. He’s going to be labeled a cheater. That is the way this works.

I also don’t understand why go to Paulie. I suppose he’s one of the only logical fights remaining, but he was the first one to raise the steroid issue. Why would he feel any different?

As disapointed as I am about how things have unravelled this past week (albeit, like SC, I remain highly sceptacle that the fight will fall through), I think drawing Paulie as the replacement is a stroke of genius by Top Rank.

Here’s why:

1. He’s a relatively safe fight for Pacquiao – he sure as hell won’t get knocked out by the guy.

2. Paulie’s had a pretty good year and his stock is certainly up so it’s not like it drops to the depths of, say, a Matthew Hatton.

3. Stylistically he’s in the same lane as Mayweather. Given that Pac has pretty much only fought come-forward style fighters the past couple of years, this isn’t bad prep for a Mayweather bout. A 12-rounder with a slick boxer (with feather fists) might be just the thing.

4. PR-wise this is genius – beside Floyd Sr., Paulie has been most vocal re roids etc. To then get him to step in the ring with Pacquiao, and NOT demand blood tests, is a wonderful point to make. It would appear to invalidate the accusations and illustrate what they’ve always been – baseless.

5. Picking Paulie leaves Mayweather in a somewhat sticky situation re his alternative. He’s already under pressure to pick a legit opponent after Marquez. Clottey, PWill, the Berto/Mosley winner are all there – but much higher risk. Even though I don’t see Malignaggi as a dangerous fight for Pacquiao, he is certainly much stronger on paper than the possibilties Mayweather/GB have been putting forward as of late (Hatton, that young lad down in Mexico et al).

So: as much as I believe May/Pac will go ahead, if it’s postponed for now I think Paulie is a smart choice of opponent and not too bad a fight either.

Floyd has not exactly jumped at top competition as a WW anyway. 2) This might all be a lot of pre-fight noise, or it might actually mean something, but I’m sure not losing any sleep over all the back and forth in the meantime. 3) If Floyd doesn’t fight Manny, he further tarnishes his “legacy.” 4) No matter what happens, I’d still like to see Floyd fight some real WW’s.

I can see where you guys are coming from re risk of taking Paulie fight and the allegations he’s made BUT:

I would see this move as somewhat discrediting the accusations that Malignaggi, Floyd Sr. et al have been making. Here you’d have one of the most vocal Pac-naysayers jumping at the chance to fight him, and prob without any bloodletting preconditions (or Pac’s team may use it as an opportunity to showcase their 3 stage blood test routine). Even if Paulie’s motivation for doing so is just the money – isn’t this the argument that most fans have been making re why Pac-May needs to get made?

Re smothering talk of steroid use: I was initially of the opinion that the longer Top Rank let this talk continue the worse for Pac. In fact, I believe that the longer this has been in the headlines the worse GB/Mayweather are looking. Top Rank have approached this fairly massive PR problem aggressively and I think floating Malignaggi’s name out there is all part of the same approach. Why else would he get brought up? Surely Foreman (and another belt) was seen to be top of the alternative pile? Malignaggi doesn’t bring much to the table despite being good at hyping a show and having a very credible past year.

Granted, Paulie would prob yap away before, during and after the fight about roids etc but I don’t think it would do much damage. In fact, Paulie would likely play out what we’d expect from Mayweather – thereby robbing Money of what his people obviously see as being a useful PR tool in a fight with Pacquaio.

Re style – sure, Paulie differs much from May but I guess what I meant is that in very basic terms he’s a defensive-minded boxer that would likely take Pacquiao over the stretch.

Re “the Mexican lad” – aye, it was Canelo I was thinking about. I had a good laugh when I read that. But I don’t put it past them…

I think if the fight does fall through, Mayweather would score massive brownie points by taking on the Mosley/Berto winner. It’d be much greater risk than Malignaggi/Foreman but would give May an added bargaining tool in future negotiations.

Ultimately though, I think May-Pac will happen. That sort of money can’t be made any other way for either of these guys. It would just be awful business if it fell through over tesing.

Psychological warfare is nothing new to the sport and although Mayweather has now taken this to new extremes, I believe this is 1) a publicity stunt and 2) most definitely mind games. I think Floyd is very calculating and cunning when it comes to business and with Pacquiao he is absolutely testing the limits of how much power he commands in the sport. This stunt could go three ways, Pacman gives in (and the pressure being applied on him, for me, is unreasonable) , thus Floyd gets HIS way. Or perhaps Pacman will refuse and the Mayweather camp will perform a u-turn of sorts. The third alternative is the most grim for the sport and dictates that both camps remain stubborn and the fight is off.
I genuinely understand both points of view but the whole fiasco comes down to one person; Floyd Mayweather. His motives are not related to drugs in my opinion, he wants to get an upper hand on Pacman. Either way pacman will not come out of this unscathed, because if he gives in, it is a very symbolic victory for Mayweather in terms of the pre-fight hype. Call me cynical, but the history of boxing has made me so.
Pretty Boy…you clever boy. Either you fight pacman with a mental edge or you don’t fight him at all, but have the excuse of all excuses – so as to preserve your legacy. He was a “drug cheat”
I think the fight happens, because it’s serious money and the man they call ‘money’ will not resist a purse of that size.
As far as the future goes? Absolutely I’m all for random drug testing, but not when a fighter (even Pretty Boy) demands it, because then it becomes a psychological tool which can be wielded with the sole aim of fucking with their opponent’s head before they fight.

I agree with maxirap. PBF wants to have advantage psychologically. He knows when PACs latest defeat was when he fights Morales of which blood were taken near fight night. Random drug testing should be handled and mandated by the commission, so that it can be applied to all professional fights. Bobfather agrees to have blood taken even if in time of fight while walking to the ring, as long as mandated by the commission.

I’ll believe the fight doesn’t happen when I start to see posters and a TV date for another fight in its place. Malignaggi is a foolhardy endeavour: He’s fast and tough enough to potentially be a spoiler, and yet fans remember that two guys Pacquiao has starched (Hatton and Cotto) are the guys who blew through Paulie; in short, no one will take the fight seriously, Juan Diaz fights or not.

The only replacement I’d consider caring about would be Tim Bradley.

if the fight doesn’t come off (and I believe the fight will be held) that Floyd eases out looking better. Most seem to feel that his demands are over the line, and if he didn’t fight Manny, it would just be one more chapter in “Fighters Floyd Didn’t Face”: and that, historically, cannot = anything positive for Floyd. Whether it’s truly accurate or not, I believe that a majority of fans see Manny as having risen to the bigger challenges, and he is definitely willing to fight this match following current rules. Still think it’s all hype anyway, but hype has hardened into positions before, so—