Mayweather - Cotto?!?

OK - I am a huge boxing fan, been following the sport since the 80's. I am a 'fan' of both Mayweather AND Pacquiao - though I enjoy them for different reasons. Mayweather for his great skill and the soap opera antics he brings to enliven this sometimes moribund sport - Pacquaio for his sheer excitement and for being a great ambassador for achievement.

Obviously, partisan fans defending their favourites to a FAULT is a bit of a scourge on these forums, BUT it has to be said that if Floyd/Pac doesn't happen this time after everything Pac has done to make the fight, as well as all the effort that the networks have made, and Floyd fights a past his best Cotto instead, then basically all questions are answered.

No more bringing up baseless PED accusations from the past. No more Bob Arum blocking bull****. No more afraid of needles or new stadium blah blah blah. No more "walked away from $40m" nonsense when the fight was clearly worth more than that....NO MORE.

It will be unequivocal as to why the fight hasn't happened, and it comes down to FLOYD. He loves to tell us that he is his own boss, and he has evidently used this luxury to rob the sport of the fight it needs, and that the fans want. There will just be no defending it.

Sorry, I have tried my best to be fair and reasonable. I have followed both fighters and admired them both. But this should be as plain as the nose on your face. There is no defending Mayweather now. And it's a pity, because he is a fantastic boxer.

So disappointing if true. :----fire:fire:fire

 

Well, I know where you are coming from. It would be nice to think that it could just reach it's natural, unimpeded conclusion. But you can't just leave people sitting on the shelf waiting for a fight that may never happen. Deadlines, unfortunately are necessary to get things done. It would be unfair for either fighter to lead the other on, and then leave them in limbo.
Also worth considering, is that historically Floyd insists on fighting on mexican holiday dates - so the clock is ticking to get the promotion underway.

It also leaves the fans without any fights to look forward to. I personally was disappointed at how long Khan ended up out of the ring in 2013. It may have been his own fault, but it is evidence of Mayweather's staunch refusal to play ball. It's not unreasonable to expect an answer in negotiations in any industry. But in a sport where most windows of prime are slim, it becomes imperative to stay active.

The deadline thing is not a valid excuse to not negotiate, basically. Indeed, a deadline is there to ENCOURAGE negotiation!

 

I do understand that. I have been following the sport since the late 80's. And looking at things as impartially as I can (though I am a little annoyed at the current Cotto rumours), it still seems like an excuse really.

Boxing promoters and fighters have always had tempestuous relationships - but the fights, if big enough and demand is deafening (usually)get made.

The reason that I used Floyd being his own boss as evidence against him, is because he uses that as an ****ogy as to why he is free to do whatever he wants. Therefore, if he is free to do whatever he wants, and he is not fighting Pacquaio THIS TIME - after Pacquaio and Arum have conceded to his demands, and Showtime and HBO are diligently working on a compromise, then he is unfortunately the prime culprit in the fight not happening. Like it or not. This is a bridge too far.

Anyway, I still have hope that it will happen and silence all of the pedantic fanboys of either camp. If it doesn't, and May/Cotto takes it's place, then I think we still have a conclusion as to why this has never become reality. :roll:

 

I don't believe that Arum is as much to blame as you think. Consider this - he is a promoter. Promoters look for, and want the biggest fights so they draw the largest commissions. When the biggest fight ever comes along, as a promoter everything else goes out of the window. He may care about Pac and his longevity, but everything has been building to THIS. Why would anyone in any business blow the biggest contract of their career?

He may very well be a scumbag - most boing promoters are - but that is the nature of the fight game. Arum would be the last person to not want this fight to happen. Likewise Haymon.

 

You may very well be right about Macau...this is a complex business, and the sport is not as regulated as others, so all kinds of things influence how things pan out.

But as for May/Pac, I don't believe there were any concrete plans to make that fight during the Macau fights. Boxers have always had issues with their promoters, from Jack Johnston, thru Mike Tyson wanting to kill Don King and beating up Frank ******, to the modern day. It's nothing new in this corrupt sport. But fights have always got made due to the financial gains on both sides.

I just don't see Floyd's animosity towards Arum being enough of an excuse to get him off the hook if the fight falls apart this time after all the concessions that they have made.

Respect your opinions though.