Don't hold your breath for Pacquiao-Mayweather fight

Remember back in late November last year when Floyd Mayweather Jr. announced on ESPN that he had agreed to fight Manny Pacquiao but did not divulge any details and contracts were yet laid out and signed? I remember hearing that announcement while I was in Las Vegas having some drinks with other boxing scribes in the area and I vehemently told them I wasn't buying. I even wrote an article about it (click here to read).

As much as I wished I was wrong, things just didn't seem right. And before anyone could blink, the Mayweathers pulled a rabbit out their buttcracks with their steroids accusations and then the fight was off. Smokes and mirrors indeed.

Now we are back to square one. I've received quite a few queries today regarding an article on RingSideReport.com saying the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight is on- except for two small things: the fighters' signatures.

“The long anticipated fight between Manny Pacquiao, 51-3-2, 38 KO’s and Floyd Mayweather, JR., 41-0, 25 KO’s is a done deal with only signatures needed on the printed contract” said a very reliable inside source close to Team Mayweather who has just contacted RSR,"

Okay I've heard this before and all it really says is that the fight really isn't on yet. Uhmm hello?! I'd rather have them say the fight is in jeopardy but both fighters have already signed to fight. That one little thing they're saying that's holding back the fight from happening, is actually the one thing they need for it to happen. It's like a realtor telling you the house is yours except that you don't have the title signed under your name yet.  For all we know, this is another smokescreen being set up by Mayweather's camp for another bombshell of a reason why the fight won't happen. Come on, a reliable source from Team Mayweather? Really?
Unlike the first runaround though, my senses tell me this time around the fight will likely push through. If you're into poker and are good at reading people and their 'tell' signs and gestures, based on my observations, there's definitely a more positive response coming from the powers that be on the subject of Pacquiao-Mayweather happening in November.

Take this with a grain of salt, but me and talented Filipino-American photographer Sean Ong had this conversation a couple of weeks ago in New York regarding how Arum's face lit up when he started discussing the possibility of Pacquiao-Mayweather happening in November. Below is an excerpt of Sean's article published on Enscriber.com:

After reading a few articles of Bob Arum showing signs of the fight negotiations reaching an agreement, I must say Arum would make one hell of a poker player. He looked happy today but he remained tight-lipped about the whole Mayweather-Pacquiao negotiations. I asked Arum if Manny’s focus has shifted away from boxing now that he’s a congressman, he assured me that it hasn’t. Bob Arum went on to discuss future fights with Cotto, Margarito, Foreman and Pacquiao’s names in the mix. He said that should Cotto win his fight against Foreman this Saturday, June 5th at Yankee Stadium, he (Cotto) might face Pacquiao again but at a higher weight class. Whether it would be at 147 lbs. with no catch-weight or 154 lbs. at Super Welterweight, Arum didn’t specify. What Arum did say was that Pacquiao has expressed no interest in a rematch with Cotto, but perhaps for the right amount of money, he might change his mind. Right after saying this, Arum gave a huge smile with his puffy, rosy cheeks and began talking about Mayweather and Pacquiao. Note that he opened this discussion voluntarily. Perhaps he knew that the question would come from the reporters sooner or later… or maybe (just maybe) he couldn’t hold back his excitement? Think what you will but you’ll want to keep reading if you want to hear what Bob Arum says to me.

Bob Arum reiterated that he does not want the media to be a part of the negotiations for the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight but that he is doing his very, very best in bringing us all that fight. I believe him, but I wanted more clues. After he gave two interviews with two different media outlets, I approached Arum to make small talk. Well, it started small but quickly ended big.

I asked how Arum liked the Philippines. He told me that he has been there many times and he loved it. He spoke about Manny Pacquiao’s situation after winning the election and all. I told him I’m from the Philippines too but not from the Sarangani province. We talked a little about Manny Pacquiao’s goal in his boxing career and I told him that I really hope he comes through for all the fans with the Mayweather fight. I then brought up the talk about Margarito coming back to boxing. I asked when Margarito would be licensed again and where. He simply said, “whoever he fights next… it’ll be either in Texas or Las Vegas.” I asked him if Margarito will be fighting soon, this year. He just gave me a smile along with a nod. This was when I sneaked in the big question. I asked, “When Margarito fights again, will it be in the undercard for Mayweather vs. Pacquiao?” Bob Arum said, “Yes”!

There were other things I asked Bob Arum but after hearing that, my mind was all over the place. I can’t even remember what I said before we got to that topic, much less what came after it. Now, I’m not saying anything about what could be nothing. Think whatever you want but I swear, unless Bob Arum heard me wrong (which I doubt), that is what came out of his mouth."


Like I said, nothing is set in stone until both fighters sign on the dotted line. But judging from the silence from both camps and the reactions of the people involved, it really looks like we're going to see Pacquiao-Mayweather in November. If they fooled you once before, then you might want to wait until everything is official, but since I never really got suckered into this the first time around, and I always said and believed this fight was intended to simmer and truly go down towards the end of 2010, I am definitely buying this. See you in Vegas in November!


Dennis Guillermo is a freelance sportswriter. You can reach him by email at dennisguillermo2@yahoo.com