By COLIN HART, The SunFANS worldwide are dying to find out if Floyd Mayweather Jnr or Manny Pacquiao is the premier pound-for-pound fighter of this generation.
If the two of them ever get to fight it out for that mythical yet symbolic title, it would result in a financial tsunami.
There is not the slightest doubt it would become the richest scrap in history by far. Not since Sugar Ray Leonard and Tommy Hearns had their classic confrontation 29 years ago has boxing cried out for two welterweights to settle an argument that has intense global interest.
They were supposed to clash in March until negotiations broke down when Mayweather demanded Pacquiao take random blood tests to prove he was drug-free.
An incensed Pacquiao angrily rejected that proposal and filed a lawsuit against Mayweather claiming defamation at the insinuation he is taking performance-enhancing substances.
Floyd's stance on this issue was made clear after his landslide points victory over Sugar Shane Mosley last weekend.
Before leaving the Las Vegas ring, Mayweather said: "If Manny takes the test, we could make the fight happen. If he doesn't we don't have a fight."
Nothing will be resolved until after Monday's Philippine elections where Pacquiao is bidding to become a member of parliament.
But one of promoter Bob Arum's staff told me: "Bob and Manny are adamant they are not going to let a little s*** like Mayweather dictate terms to them.
"Manny is gagging for this fight because he can't wait to shut Mayweather's big mouth."
Projected figures for what would certainly be considered the fight of the 21st century are mind-boggling.
It makes the previous richest, the Mayweather - Oscar De La Hoya encounter, three years ago, seem like piggy bank money.
Then, the pay-per-view audience totalled 2.15million in the States, which raked in an unprecedented £80million. A live gate of 16,000 paid £12.5m.
Arum's idea is to take Pacquiao-Mayweather out of Las Vegas and stage it at the fabulous new Dallas Cowboys 100,000-seater stadium, which would make the live gate worth at least £30m.
It is not too far-fetched to forecast the pay-per-view would attract at least three million subscribers to send incomes soaring to £180m.
With those remarkable sums Money Mayweather and the Pac Man could be sharing a £70m fortune.
That is why it is hard to believe a compromise between the two bitter rivals won't be reached over drug testing and any location problems.
If not, we will be arguing for an eternity about who would have won.
Source: thesun.co.uk
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