It is currently 1:30 in the afternoon on Monday, November 23, 2009 and it was reported earlier today on ESPN.com that Top Rank's Bob Arum and Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer will have lunch today at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada in attempts to negotiate Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao.
My gut assumption at this time is that there will be NO resolution today.
There is just too much pride, to much to argue about on both ends, and too little common ground for a nice, peaceful negotiation process that leads towards agreements for what is being said will be the biggest fight since Leonard v. Hearns or Frazier v. Ali. That's big company, and being such, the ‘fight before the fight' should be just as difficult, yet not at all entertaining.
The casual fan cares not for the evils of the negotiation process. Yet the factors in making a high profile fight the fan knows not (there's a little Yoda vocabulary for you). Fighters throw punches over what size gloves they will throw punches with, the size of the ring, the weight issues, (which insiders believe will be a HUGE issue with this fight), who will make their entrance first to which ring corner they will be in.
The fight signing process is one of the most grueling of the major competitive sports, and this one could prove to be one of the worst the sport has seen.
What both sides need to realize is just how important this fight is to the sport of boxing. It is the biggest fight to be made right now, could drive boxing to epic proportions and stands to make both sides gobs upon gobs upon gobs of money. So what's a gob or two between making boxing history?
Promoter Bob Arum has his open distaste for Mayweather, yet stated last week that he will not let that get in the way of the fight getting done.
"The only reason I want this Mayweather fight is because the public wants it so badly," Arum said. "Boxing is on a real, real roll right now and I don't want to do anything to get it off that. But if that doesn't matter to him, OK, it doesn't matter to him. I have no problem.
"But I would feel I cheated the sport I've worked in for so long if I stood in the way of this fight happening. Because of that, I'll do everything in my power to try to make it happen. Do I really want this happening, though? Other than that, the answer is no," said Arum.
On the other side, Golden Boy Promotions' Richard Schaefer, who has spearheaded negotiations for Mayweather's last three fights, will do the same for this one after being given the green light by Mayweather himself last week. Schaefer seems to respect the fight and its possible history making aspects by likening the fight to basketball stars Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant going up against each other in their primes.
It will be interesting to see which promoters let their fighters influences bleed through in negotiations. Does Richard Schaefer have an astronomical number that was given to him by Mayweather for Arum, which Arum will laugh at and disagree to? Will Arum stick to his guns and try to secure a 60/40 split for Pacquiao?
It will be interesting to see what develops in the following days. In all fairness, the fight is not expected to actually be signed this week. Pacquiao is currently on vacation, so most likely will not be near a fax machine to pen down his name to a contract. It is my prediction that we will not see a final signing until the year 2010. So what could develop this week are solid steps and agreements to make the biggest fight in years for a sport that has seen its rise in the past few years, and could continue that run in 2010.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009 2:24 p.m.
Still no word on the 'mega super duper blockbuster fight' to be. Yesterday it hit ESPN's news ticker that the negotiations for Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquaio have begun, and if done, will be slated for early 2010.
One positive sign is that the talks began yesterday, and didn't END. Both sides apparently have passed phase one, and probably are etching out the specifics. There was talk that both sponsors Pepsi and Subway have expressed interest in the fight. When you get sponsors like that, there is only one thing to do: Make the fight.
So where does our generations most important fight happen? Does it necessarily need to be staged in Las Vegas, where Pacquiao's previous six fights and Mayweather's previous five fights were held? Does it need to be at the MGM Grand, where both fighter's last three fights have been?
The talk was that Vegas had proposed a temporary 30,000 seat outdoor venue to hold the fight, which would be better than a Vegas Casino, which stretches to put sixteen or seventeen thousand fans in attendance. Why not double that number, which would double the gate?
Even more interesting, why not make it in a major stadium? I wouldn't mind any stadium, and talks have been about the Dallas Cowboys new stadium, yet why not choose the Los Angeles Coliseum, where college footballs USC Trojans play? Each game is a sellout and houses, get ready for this number for those of you not familiar with Southern California, 100,000 fans. Now I'm no mathematician, I prefer words to numbers, yet if the minimum of $50 is charged per ticket to the fight, it would guarantee at least a $5 million dollar gate.
Yet more important than that, it would give 100,000 boxing fan's a chance to say that they were at the biggest fight of our generation.
Wednesday November 25, 2009 2:45 p.m.
There is still no official word that a deal has been signed to the fight to end all fights. Although I didn't expect the fight to be signed this week, it is still a positive sign to see that the negotiations went past day one. It has been said that both promotional companies, Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions are under a "gag order", as TR's Bob Arum defined it. Which is fine, because the negotiations are still under way, which is a good sign. If the negotiations falter, or stop altogether, you can expect some type of leak that would get out to the media. So far, so good for Pacquiao v. Mayweather in 2010.
Yahoo Sports! reported that Las Vegas is seeking to make the fight in their town, as Las Vegas political consultant Sig Rogich is heading a group proposing a 30,000-seat outdoor stadium on, Las Vegas Boulevard where the New Frontier Hotel once stood.
I was talking to a friend last night, and I brought up staging the fight at the Los Angeles Coliseum, where you can get 100,00o fans to watch the fight. He didn't like the idea, and stated that they would even lose money if they did that.
Which is true, in retrospect. Las Vegas doesn't have the worldwide appeal of Las Vegas, and the city where both fighters last 9 fights have been also has the muster of other casino within an arms length of each other that can increase revenue to other casinos. The Coliseum wouldn't have any other appeal other than well, being the Coliseum. It was a good idea at the time, and hey, I had other people in mind, and would still like the fight to be in a place where over 16 or 17 thousand people can attend and prices start at 30 or 40 dollars instead of 150.
The main discussion in boxing will be this fight. It will remain the main topic until it is made. Which is a good thing. It is exciting to think about how much attention boxing will receive with this fight. There will be more segments on ESPN, and will most likely trickle down attention to the other fights happening in the sport.
Mayweather and Pacquaio needs to be made, not just for those two fighters, but for boxing as a whole.
Francisco Rodriguez, a hero in death
Boxing lost yet another fighter this week, as Chicago's Francisco Rodriguez succumbed to a brain injury suffered in a 10th round loss to Teon Kennedy.
Rodriguez, (14-3-1, 8 KOs) was a junior featherweight, was 25 years old and was lovingly nicknamed "Paco".
Rodriguez will become a hero in death, as the fighter was a donor, and will touch the lives of at least eight people through the "Gift of Life" donor program, including his own uncle.
"We just learned that Paco and our uncle are a match," Alex Rodriguez, Francisco's brother, said in a statement. "Our uncle has been on the waiting list for a kidney transplant for a long, long time. So although we've tragically lost Paco, we're able to give this incredible gift of life to another family member.
Four undefeated Mexican prospects, two Olympics, one magic night in boxing
This weekend John Molina Jr. will face Martin Honorio for the NABF lightweight championship in Temecula, California.
Molina, (18-0, 14KO) is a vastly talented lightweight, has recently came under the tutelage of famed trainer Joe Goossen. For Molina, it will be the biggest fight of his career thus far, and for the first time is scheduled in the main event on a Showtime televised card.
"I can't wait for Nov. 28. I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas," said Molina, who is trained by Joe Goossen and turned pro on March 31, 2006. "I know I always say it's my ‘launching pad,' but this is really it. This is my coming-out party.
2008 Olympic teammates Shawn Estrada, (6-0, 6KO) and Javier Molina, (2-0, 2KO) will be featured in separate bouts.
Also on the card is super bantamweight Rico Ramos, (13-0, 8KO's) taking on Alejandro Perez.
THROUGH MY EYES
All props are due to Andre Ward, who baffled Mikkel Kessler this past weekend for the WBA title and a great first outing for Ward in the Super Six tournament. Ward was an underdog heading into the bout, yet will be the favored fighter in his next two Super Six fights against Jermain Taylor and Andre Dirrell. That could lead to a pretty strong lead in points heading into the final rounds of the tournament. If memory serves right, this writer picked Ward to win the whole thing, right? Check… The Andrade v. Bute rematch should be a pretty good scrap on Saturday. I'll be covering the Temecula card that night, but us writers on press row will keep our ears to the ground to hear the results of that one… Man, it sure seems like this year went by fast. It was overall a very good year for boxing… The 30,000 seat outdoor venue sounds great for Pacquiao v. Mayweather, and will bring back memories of the Ceasers Palace hosting their fights in an outdoor setting… Timothy Bradley will face Lamont Peterson in a battle of undefeated junior light weights on December 12 in what could be a late candidate for Fight of the Year…
Source: 411mania.com
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