This evening on Twitter, ESPN's Dan Rafael reports that negotiations for a May 5 fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao will not be pursued, and that Top Rank (Pacquiao's promoter) will instead focus on making a fourth fight between Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez:
Breaking: @FloydMayweather & @GoldenBoyBoxing have been told @trboxing won't negotiate Pacquiao-FM in order to pursue 4th fight with Marquez
I don't know how people are going to take this, because there are reasons to be annoyed, reasons to be angry, and reasons to say that it makes sense. Mayweather announced his return date of May 5, 2012, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, during the build-up to Pacquiao vs Marquez III, which took place on Saturday.
Through the final week or week and a half of the Pacquiao vs Marquez promotion, a lot of the buzz was about whether or not we'd finally get Pacquiao and Mayweather in the ring next. The date lined up, it's a traditional big fight weekend, and like it or not, that's the fight the mainstream media and casual fans care about most.
But with Marquez giving Pacquiao a horrible time again on Saturday night in what was a very good fight, the mood changed after, and it's been reported that Pacquiao and his team badly desire a fourth fight to try and finally get a convincing victory over Marquez, who feels that for a third time, he was robbed by the judges.
Marquez said after the fight on Saturday, when speaking with HBO's Max Kellerman, that he would consider retirement. If the money is right -- and it will be big, a career-best payday that tops the $5 million purse he made for Saturday's fight -- expect him to go in there with Manny one more time.
As for what this means for Mayweather on May 5, we'll have more on that soon. But for now, all potential for a Mayweather vs Pacquiao fight is off the table, unless Marquez turns down a fourth fight with Manny.