By Matt Stolow, Examiner.com
DALLAS - The state of Texas today (Friday) at approximately 3:00 PM Central sent an email to the promoters of Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Manny Pacquiao saying that it would attempt to satisfy both camps as to the selection of ring officials if their March 13, 2010 fight were to come to Texas.
The email was from Bill Kuntz, Executive Director of the Department of License and Regulation, which oversees the Combative Sports Division.
So just that simply, Texas is a player. I take it to mean as long as it's legal, Texas will be a good soldier and go along.
In recent years, there have been high-level or nationally - televised fights in Texas whereas the officiating (judging and refereeing) has appeared erratic.
But in all fairness, often times two of the three judges that saw a fight a particular way were from outside the state. An example of this was the August fight between Houston's Juan Diaz and New Yorker Paulie Malignaggi. They have a rematch in fact Saturday night.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has made a formal bid to promoters to bring the mega fight to his new $1.2 billion Cowboys Stadium which has an approximate capacity of over 100,000.
Considered the most anticipated boxing match since possibly Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Tommy Hearns in 1981, Mayweather, Jr. vs. Pacquiao could become the highest grossing fight in history based on the record pay-per-view buys the two fighters have generated in their recent pasts.
The two have been on a collision course for years. They are in their prime years, they are in the same weight division and considered the two best pound for pound fighters in the world today. It is very rare that you get a match up meeting this criteria.
But what is going to make this fight sell are the personalities of the fighters and their rabid fan bases.
Pacquiao is a living legend to 90 million Filipinos back home and many more in America and around the world.
Mayweather wears the black hat and he relishes the role. You either love him or hate him but few have no opinion.
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is 32. His record is 40-0 (25 KO's) and he is right-handed. He's from Michigan but lives in Las Vegas. Mayweather was a bronze medalist for the USA in the 1996 Olympics and has amassed world championships in five different weight divisions.
Manny Pacquiao is 30. His record is 50-3 (38 KO's). He lives in General Santos City, Philippines. He is left-handed. Pacquiao has won won a record seven world championships in seven different weight divisions.
At stake, along with millions of dollars and prestige, is the World Boxing Organization Welterweight (147 lbs.) Championship held by Pacquiao that he won back on November 14 via 11Th round knockout over Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, NV.
Source: examiner.com
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