Talks between representatives of Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao to try to put together a fight between the two pound for pound champions will soon take place.
In fact they might be happening right now; this latest round of negotiations are wisely being conducted behind closed doors and with a gagging order for all involved.
But is the position of either side really any different from the last time, and has anything changed that will make the fight more or less likely?
The purse split and venue was agreed upon last time out, with an equal purse split and Las Vegas as the venue. That was before Pacquiao had fought in the Cowboys stadium and before Mayweather had sold well against Mayweather though. The purse split this time might be tipped slightly in Mayweather’s favor for selling slightly more than Pacquiao did against Cotto, although not by a significant amount.
Bob Arum and company would obviously prefer to stage the fight in Dallas again, where not only would more people be able to see it, but Cowboys owner Jerry Jones would supplement the money each side would make through the bidding process. Vegas is Mayweather’s home turf these days though, and he wasn’t keen on leaving it last time. Pacquiao himself likely does not care where the fight takes place though so long as it does, so Vegas is still the most likely location.
If the fight doesn’t get made, which fighter has the better alternative options?
For the moment, both have other fights that they could take. Middleweight champion Sergio Martinez has expressed interest in fighting Mayweather and Pacquiao has his pick from the Top Rank stable. If either get really desperate for someone to fight, if one of the champions eventually unifies the light welterweight titles, then they would make a suitably high profile opponent.
The all important testing was the big issue that stopped the fight from happening before, and it still might again now. Both sides seem to be more open to compromise this time though, and the issues are already apparent before anyone started talking. Last time the testing seemed to take everyone by surprise and rip apart the negotiations fairly quickly, even after everything else had been settled.
The last time the talks were in session, an impasse had been reached between the two sides. Mayweather’s side wanted the cut off for blood taking set at 14 days and Pacquiao’s at 24 days. Meeting in the middle doesn’t seem like a big concession to me, but then again the egos involved are both not going to back down easily. Pacquiao’s will argue he will be weakened if the cut off is too short, and Mayweather will argue that some drugs can be used and flushed from the system within 24 days.
An alternative but costly method of ‘testing’ without having to take blood from either fighter would be to have representatives from the USADA or a similar testing body stay with the fighters at all times. It might sound ridiculous and it would definitely be costly, but with testing agents never less than ten feet away, it would be hard for anyone to use drugs. If either fighter slips away or leaves the sight of the testers, then they have to give an immediate blood sample for testing.
The timing of the fight now might make getting a deal done more prescient to both sides. Pacquiao has said numerous times that he intends to retire before long and Mayweather has said that he can feel his abilities slipping as he gets older. Even against Mosley, Floyd was much less mobile than everyone expected, although whether this was because he didn’t need to move much rather than couldn’t is debatable.
Also the debate and interest in the fight has reached fever pitch, and this will only last for so long. Just look at Jones vs. Hopkins II for a preview of what could happen if Floyd and Manny can’t agree to terms fairly soon.
Drian Brown, Philly: “Mayweather ain’t going to back down from his 14 day cut off and he shouldn’t have to. Some drugs can be detected at 14 days but cant be at 24. Sounds like someone at Top Rank wants some extra cycle time for Pacman”
Colin Jacobs, Pittsburgh: “Mayweather can make $40 million fighting Pacquiao, or he can make the same from easy fights like Mosley. Pacquiao makes less than $20 million per fight because he signed up with the wrong promoter. It’s Pacquiao who needs this fight to happen not Floyd”
By: Scott Heritage
Source: examiner.com
from : http://www.mayweather-pacquiao.com/pacquiao-vs-mayweather-negotiations-whats-different-this-time-around/
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