By David Mayo, The Grand Rapids Press
I think Floyd Mayweather is scared.
Oh, he’s not scared of Manny Pacquiao. I think he whips Pacquiao flat if they ever find themselves in a prize ring together. One false whirlwind move and, presto, Pacquiao pancake.
Of course, if someone like me expresses such an opinion, I’m just a homer in the Mayweather camp’s pocket to some bloggers who couldn’t get 10 seconds with either fighter, unless they had a Sharpie in one hand and something to autograph in the other.
But that’s how pathetic the discussions have come between packs of blindedly loyal fans that have developed derogatory-but-familiar nicknames for each other: Pacquiao loyalists who think anyone who picks against their man is a racist “Floyd-iot,” and Mayweather groupies who think the other side is filled with “Pac-tards.”
They’ll be at each other hard now after it all fell apart again in the wee hours Saturday -- with an asterisk -- when Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, conducted a 3 a.m. EST conference call to announce the deadline for negotiating exclusivity had ended and Pacquiao should have an agreement within 10 days to fight either Miguel Cotto or Antonio Margarito -- unless Mayweather pops up and agrees to their terms before then.
That won’t happen.
That’s where Mayweather’s fear comes in.
It isn’t fear of the fighter, it’s fear the negotiation goes against him. It’s fear his ego won’t get fed by the fiscal measure of the professional athlete, because when you punch for pay, only two things matter: money and championships.
Mayweather has plenty of the latter.
What the Grand Rapids native wants to make sure of is that he doesn’t get hoodwinked at the negotiating table, because the measure of a fighter at this stage of his career is predicated just as much on who holds the upper hand before the fight as it does on what happens after the bell rings.
Mayweather is a walking ATM. According to Forbes’ list of richest athletes, he made $68 million in the recently concluded 12-month period, making him the second-highest-earning person in sports during that time. Tiger Woods topped the list at $105 million.
The other sports figures earning in excess of $40 million were Michael Jordan ($55 million), Kobe Bryant ($48 million), David Beckham ($44 million), Roger Federer ($43 million), Pacquiao ($42 million) and Lionel Messi ($40 million).
When Mayweather defeated Oscar De La Hoya in the fight that propelled him into astronomical, difficult-to-calculate earnings, the final tally had Mayweather earning about $25 million, while De La Hoya made the biggest one-night windfall in sports history, about $53 million. Give or take a couple million, that is.
Mayweather won the fight. De La Hoya won the negotiation.
In no way does Mayweather want to leave boxing knowing Pacquiao can make the same claim.
Would Mayweather leave $50 million-plus on the table on principle, walk away from boxing without making the biggest possible fight and tarnish his legacy with people who think he’s fearful of Pacquiao defeating him?
One might think the obvious answer is no.
One very well could be wrong.
I still think the fight gets put together for May 2011 and that Mayweather, who made $40 million for beating Shane Mosley two months ago, would just as soon take some time off and defer his biggest career payday until a new tax year.
But anyone who thinks that’s a certainty probably thought the talks for the proposed March and November fights were certainties, too.
Arum never specified the terms proposed to Mayweather, although it was interesting he never had direct contact with the Mayweather camp. All talks when through HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg, which was a stunning break in negotiating protocol.
My best guess is drug testing isn’t the issue but that Pacquiao sought a 50-50 financial split, which is why Mayweather never even responded to the proposal.
Not getting the negotiating advantage after a 41-0 career, against his rival promoter and an opponent with five non-victories, is Mayweather’s true fear.
He just might be willing to walk away from the richest fight in history if an equitable split is the financial term.
The question, at some point, could be whether Pacquiao is willing to bend or play hardball to the same bitter conclusion.
E-mail David Mayo: dmayo@grpress.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/David_Mayo
Source: mlive.com
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