MANILA, Philippines – The fight almost every boxing fan wants to see remains as elusive as ever. For a few years now, boxing observers had been craving for a showdown between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, two of the sport’s biggest and most bankable stars.
People often mention Mayweather and Pacquiao in the same sentence after each boxer’s fights. A Mayweather-Pacquiao duel has the potential to break existing pay-per-view records and bring both fighters career-high paydays.
The fight, however, remains a dream. While Pacquiao has openly expressed his willingness to take on Mayweather, the latter isn’t keen on the idea. The undefeated boxer has brought up a slew of reasons for not facing Pacquiao, from the Filipino’s supposedly weaker PPV performance to his association with Bob Arum, whom Mayweather disdains.
Will we ever witness Mayweather and Pacquiao together on the ring before they end their respective careers? Philstar.com sought the opinions of veteran scribes who have extensively covered Pacquiao’s boxing career for the country’s major print and online media outfits.
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Abac Cordero, Philippine STAR: Slim chance. Floyd already makes a lot of money fighting others. He wants that 50-0 [record]. But he will always blame Pacquiao and Arum why it’s not happening.
Carlo Pamintuan, Yahoo! Philippines: Yes. Ultimately, if Pacquiao realizes he can't fight Mayweather with Arum, he'll walk away from TRP [Top Rank Promotions]. Manny needs the money so in the end I think he'll let Mayweather dictate everything for a fight.
Francis Ochoa, Philippine Daily Inquirer: There is that slim chance that it will. But it will take the perfect alignment of planets and stars. One thing's for sure, both fighters will have to make the decisions for it to happen. If promoters get in the way, goodbye megabout.
Gerry Ramos, Spin.ph: Yes I believe it will happen. When? That’s the $40-million question.
Joaquin Henson, Philippine STAR: Yes! It could happen sooner than we think. It’s a fight that every fan wants to see. The money will be irresistible, it’s a dream match between hero and villain, and it’s the fight to bring excitement back to big-time boxing.
Nick Giongco, Manila Bulletin: If they both keep on winning, they’ll get it on. Promoters will find a way to get the fight done. But I won’t still be surprised if it doesn’t. There’ve been a few great match-ups that didn’t become a reality, like Lewis versus Bowe.
Ryan Songalia, Rappler.com: I think it will happen but in 2015. There's clearly more to the story than meets the eye. It won't be as big as 2010 but it'll be big still.
Snow Badua, Spin.ph: I think so. Mayweather has nowhere to go but to fight Pacquiao. He can brag about fighting Amir Khan or other little known boxers. But he should admit [that] the biggest fight out there who can give him probably the biggest paycheck of his life is against Pacquiao. Pacquiao, on the other hand, is just waiting for Mayweather's challenge. It will happen. Let’s just wait for the two fighters to finally realize its value.