Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl
Don’t hold your breath for that Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather megafight. As far as Top Rank CEO Bob Arum is concerned it’s never happening.
“That fight will never, ever happen,” Arum said. “Ever, ever happen because of Mayweather.
“When Mayweather talks about how he hates Top Rank he’s talking bulls—. What Mayweather hates is Manny’s right hand. Mayweather has no chin and Manny will knock him out. Pacquiao and Mayweather is a three or four-round fight. Period. And who knows that best? Mayweather. The one thing Mayweather has had throughout his career is he knows boxing. He understands boxing and Mayweather can not compete with Manny. It’s the right hand of Manny that is preventing that fight from happening. If Manny agreed just to jab with the right hand the fight would be made in 30 seconds.”
Pacquiao’s promoter made the comments before Pacquiao’s media day workout leading up to his Nov. 12 fight against Juan Manuel Marquez.
“Once Manny demonstrated that fearsome right hand there was no chance ever that the fight would happen,” Arum said. “None. Don’t kid yourself. I know Mayweather, everything else is bulls—.”
When Pacquaio was asked about the megafight he smiled, shrugged his shoulders and answered the same way he normally does.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe the promoters can not afford him. I think that’s the reason. The promoters cannot afford him. What he’s asking is hard.”
Arum also said Mayweather tarnished boxing and cheated the fans with the way he beat Victor Ortiz last month.
“Mayweather demonstrated a complete lack of sportsmanship and the public that paid for that was cheated,” Arum said. “I don’t care about the baloney about protect yourself at all times and its a legal shot. That’s not the issue. The fighter has the obligation to entertain the public and hitting this kid with two cheap shots really put a damper on boxing. For me, f— the legacy, he cheated the public.”
Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach said Pacquiao will only fight for two more years and four to five more fights before retiring and focusing on his political career and believes it is important for Pacquiao’s legacy that he fight Mayweather.
“I think it would be good for boxing and good for the world if that fight happened,” Roach said. “If that doesn’t happen there will always be a question mark why they didn’t fight each other. If Floyd ends up undefeated but didn’t fight Manny Pacquiao it’s going to haunt him for the rest of his life, but I don’t think he thinks logically. It’s always something with him. Only he knows why he won’t take this fight.”
Roach believes the fight needs to happen by next year for it to live up to its lofty expectations, but after so many false starts he’s not making any predictions.
“You don’t want them to fight when its too late and they’re too old and the fight’s not as spectacular,” Roach said. “They’re both in their prime right now and I think it needs to happen now. People around the world are getting tired of it. They need to fight already.”
WRITTEN BY Arash Markazi is a reporter and columnist for ESPNLosAngeles.com & FULL STORY HERE
Follow Arash Markazi on Twitter:Â @ArashMarkazi
