Fibroso
05-21-2014, 07:23 PM
Manny Pacquiao's Top Rank extension kills any chance of Floyd Mayweather fight
http://l.yimg.com/os/388/2012/05/28/01-expert-feat-posts-70x70-png_225912.png (http://sports.yahoo.com/author/kevin-iole/) ByKevin Iole 19 hours ago Yahoo Sports
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Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather
Many in boxing believe Manny Pacquiao essentially signed the death certificate for a bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Tuesday when he put his name on a contract extension with Top Rank.
The biggest story in boxing over the past four-plus years has been whether the sport's biggest stars would ever share a ring.
In 2009, Mayweather and Pacquiao were not only the two top welterweights in the world, they were easily the two best pound-for-pound fighters as well as boxing's biggest ticket sellers.
.
http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/G_tFpq3V1y0lDTJpfJePGw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTMxMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/Sports/ap/201404122348857080851Timothy Bradley, left, leans back to avoid Manny Pacquiao during their bout in April. (AP)
After Pacquiao routed Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Nov. 14, 2009, talks intensified for a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight. Shortly before the holidays that year, it appeared a deal was imminent. But the deal blew up and never again, despite intense public demand, have the two come close to reaching terms for a match.
When Pacquiao put pen to paper on Tuesday to sing a contract extension that bounds him to Top Rank through Dec 31,2016, when he'd be 38 and Mayweather would be about seven weeks from his 40th birthday, most boxing experts perceived it as the death knell for what would be by far the richest fight in history.
Surprisingly, though, Top Rank CEO Bob Arum is not one of them. Arum was exceedingly optimistic the fight could still be made. Asked to put odds on it, he said without hesitation, "I'd say 90-10 in favor."
Given the enmity between the sides and the roadblocks that have constantly gotten in the way, that kind of optimism seems cockeyed, at best.
But Arum is nothing if not persistent.
"I could see this scenario playing out, if I were Mayweather," Arum said. "He does the final three fights on his contract with Showtime, and he'll be paid an insane amount of money to do it. It's a great deal for him and he's going to be paid that no matter who he fights.
"But at the end of 2015, the contract with Showtime is up and he has the option to retire or make a [expletive] amount of money fighting Manny. And I really believe it's 90-10 in favor of it playing out that way."
He's one of the few in and around the sport who shares such optimism. Yahoo Sports has spoken to the principals, as well as some neutral parties, to try to not only understand what is preventing the fight from happening but to assess the likelihood of the impasse being broken..http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/ZR_4Hx8xRIVQMnobM7Zq5g--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTMxMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_US/Sports/USA_Today/20140504_mjr_su5_002.JPG-d10328d194861298217a8f94d2e074ed
Floyd Mayweather Jr. (left) punches Marcos Maidana during their fight at MGM Grand earlier this month. (USA TODAY …
The first and most obvious issue centers around Mayweather's relationship with Arum. Arum signed Mayweather out of the 1996 Summer Olympics and promoted him through April 2006. Mayweather became a star in his tenure at Top Rank and was widely recognized as one of the sport's finest fighters after beating Zab Judah on April 8, 2006, the last fight of his promoted by Arum. There had been arguments and disagreements with the two throughout their decade together, but nothing hugely significant and mostly centering upon the way Mayweather was marketed.
Top Rank promoted Oscar De La Hoya throughout Mayweather's Top Rank tenure, and had built De La Hoya into the biggest attraction in the sport by tapping into the Hispanic fan base. Arum wanted Mayweather to fight Antonio Margarito, one of the Hispanic stars of his stable, to follow that trend. Mayweather stubbornly resisted and insisted he go in a different direction.
Ultimately, Mayweather bought his way out of the contract with Arum and struck out on his own, a move that clearly worked and made him rich and successful beyond his wildest dreams.
Since Mayweather left Top Rank – which Arum conceded was a wise move for him – he's often repeated the mantra that he wanted to be his own boss.
Leonard Ellerbe, the CEO of Mayweather Promotions, said making a bout with Pacquiao is difficult because Mayweather as the A side and the biggest star would dictate terms. He said Arum wasn't used to being dictated to and would not agree to a deal in which Pacquiao would have to accede to all of Mayweather's wishes.
Marvelous Marvin Hagler did so in 1987 in order to make a bout with Sugar Ray Leonard. And Mayweather gave De La Hoya all the negotiating advantages for their May 5, 2007 fight – De La Hoya earning $23.3 million guaranteed plus upside from the pay-per-view; Mayweather was guaranteed $10 million plus upside – because De La Hoya was then the A side.
"In my opinion, they do well with their events promoting [Pacquiao] and they wouldn't have that control if they were fighting Floyd Mayweather," Ellerbe said. "And they know he would be in a fight he couldn't win. Everyone has the ability to throw a punch and land a punch, but he couldn't beat Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match when we were first talking and he definitely couldn't do it now.
"I feel badly that the public has been misled why this fight hasn't happened. It's always 'Floyd this,' and 'Floyd that,' but all Floyd has done is make himself available and ready to go. But the facts are, they [Top Rank] generate more revenue doing [Pacquiao's] fights and they make a lot of money from his fights and that wouldn't be the case if he were fighting Floyd Mayweather."
.
http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/_yqog8MVGaOzsn_sCCz74A--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTIzMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/gettyimages.com/manny-pacquiao-v-manuel-marquez-20121207-172830-137.jpgRapper Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson (L) and Top Rank promoter Bob Arum embrace during the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel …
Arum said that in retrospect, Mayweather was right about the way he should have been promoted when he was with Top Rank. But he disagreed with Ellerbe's larger point about the money. Arum insisted he never has had issues with Mayweather, nor does he now.
"I certainly don't hate Floyd, even though I hear that all the time," Arum said. "Why would I hate him? We lived together with virtually no disputes for almost 11 years."
Surprisingly though, Arum conceded Tuesday that Mayweather was correct about how he should have been marketed by Top Rank. Arum said he believes Top Rank did an excellent job building Mayweather, but said he'd have been more successful had Top Rank paid closer heed to Mayweather's ideas.
"Absolutely he did [make the right move going on his own]," Arum said. "Why? He realized something we didn't realize. He kept telling us we were promoting him wrong, and we should make an effort, a big effort, to promote him in the urban community. I as an old guy remembered the urban community from the days of promoting Muhammad Ali, and it is a totally different community now than it was then during the Ali days.
"He meant that we should have promoted him to the young black people in the music community and those in the urban market place. He was completely right. If he'd have stayed with us, maybe we would have gotten it. Maybe. Maybe. But to a certain extent, he's been better off on his own doing what he's done, and I have no hard feelings."
Mayweather has expressed bitterness toward Arum numerous times over the years since their split. He has a long memory and rarely forgets what anyone said about him.
Several people close to him who asked not to speak on the record said they believed he didn't want to see Arum make money off him any longer.
Ellerbe said comments Arum made to The Sweet Science in February are typical of Mayweather's troubles with Arum.
http://l.yimg.com/os/388/2012/05/28/01-expert-feat-posts-70x70-png_225912.png (http://sports.yahoo.com/author/kevin-iole/) ByKevin Iole 19 hours ago Yahoo Sports
http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/dxomijvf1ZTMaN6zlt2zHg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTQyMTtweG9mZj01MDtweW 9mZj0wO3E9NzU7dz03NDk-/http://l.yimg.com/os/publish-images/sports/2014-05-20/629452d0-e075-11e3-b3fc-cb4ea9a7030e_pacquiao-mayweather-superhero.jpg (http://sports.yahoo.com/news/manny-pacquiao-s-top-rank-extension-cements-death-to-potential-floyd-mayweather-fight-001704691.html#)
Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather
Many in boxing believe Manny Pacquiao essentially signed the death certificate for a bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Tuesday when he put his name on a contract extension with Top Rank.
The biggest story in boxing over the past four-plus years has been whether the sport's biggest stars would ever share a ring.
In 2009, Mayweather and Pacquiao were not only the two top welterweights in the world, they were easily the two best pound-for-pound fighters as well as boxing's biggest ticket sellers.
.
http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/G_tFpq3V1y0lDTJpfJePGw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTMxMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/Sports/ap/201404122348857080851Timothy Bradley, left, leans back to avoid Manny Pacquiao during their bout in April. (AP)
After Pacquiao routed Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Nov. 14, 2009, talks intensified for a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight. Shortly before the holidays that year, it appeared a deal was imminent. But the deal blew up and never again, despite intense public demand, have the two come close to reaching terms for a match.
When Pacquiao put pen to paper on Tuesday to sing a contract extension that bounds him to Top Rank through Dec 31,2016, when he'd be 38 and Mayweather would be about seven weeks from his 40th birthday, most boxing experts perceived it as the death knell for what would be by far the richest fight in history.
Surprisingly, though, Top Rank CEO Bob Arum is not one of them. Arum was exceedingly optimistic the fight could still be made. Asked to put odds on it, he said without hesitation, "I'd say 90-10 in favor."
Given the enmity between the sides and the roadblocks that have constantly gotten in the way, that kind of optimism seems cockeyed, at best.
But Arum is nothing if not persistent.
"I could see this scenario playing out, if I were Mayweather," Arum said. "He does the final three fights on his contract with Showtime, and he'll be paid an insane amount of money to do it. It's a great deal for him and he's going to be paid that no matter who he fights.
"But at the end of 2015, the contract with Showtime is up and he has the option to retire or make a [expletive] amount of money fighting Manny. And I really believe it's 90-10 in favor of it playing out that way."
He's one of the few in and around the sport who shares such optimism. Yahoo Sports has spoken to the principals, as well as some neutral parties, to try to not only understand what is preventing the fight from happening but to assess the likelihood of the impasse being broken..http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/ZR_4Hx8xRIVQMnobM7Zq5g--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTMxMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_US/Sports/USA_Today/20140504_mjr_su5_002.JPG-d10328d194861298217a8f94d2e074ed
Floyd Mayweather Jr. (left) punches Marcos Maidana during their fight at MGM Grand earlier this month. (USA TODAY …
The first and most obvious issue centers around Mayweather's relationship with Arum. Arum signed Mayweather out of the 1996 Summer Olympics and promoted him through April 2006. Mayweather became a star in his tenure at Top Rank and was widely recognized as one of the sport's finest fighters after beating Zab Judah on April 8, 2006, the last fight of his promoted by Arum. There had been arguments and disagreements with the two throughout their decade together, but nothing hugely significant and mostly centering upon the way Mayweather was marketed.
Top Rank promoted Oscar De La Hoya throughout Mayweather's Top Rank tenure, and had built De La Hoya into the biggest attraction in the sport by tapping into the Hispanic fan base. Arum wanted Mayweather to fight Antonio Margarito, one of the Hispanic stars of his stable, to follow that trend. Mayweather stubbornly resisted and insisted he go in a different direction.
Ultimately, Mayweather bought his way out of the contract with Arum and struck out on his own, a move that clearly worked and made him rich and successful beyond his wildest dreams.
Since Mayweather left Top Rank – which Arum conceded was a wise move for him – he's often repeated the mantra that he wanted to be his own boss.
Leonard Ellerbe, the CEO of Mayweather Promotions, said making a bout with Pacquiao is difficult because Mayweather as the A side and the biggest star would dictate terms. He said Arum wasn't used to being dictated to and would not agree to a deal in which Pacquiao would have to accede to all of Mayweather's wishes.
Marvelous Marvin Hagler did so in 1987 in order to make a bout with Sugar Ray Leonard. And Mayweather gave De La Hoya all the negotiating advantages for their May 5, 2007 fight – De La Hoya earning $23.3 million guaranteed plus upside from the pay-per-view; Mayweather was guaranteed $10 million plus upside – because De La Hoya was then the A side.
"In my opinion, they do well with their events promoting [Pacquiao] and they wouldn't have that control if they were fighting Floyd Mayweather," Ellerbe said. "And they know he would be in a fight he couldn't win. Everyone has the ability to throw a punch and land a punch, but he couldn't beat Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match when we were first talking and he definitely couldn't do it now.
"I feel badly that the public has been misled why this fight hasn't happened. It's always 'Floyd this,' and 'Floyd that,' but all Floyd has done is make himself available and ready to go. But the facts are, they [Top Rank] generate more revenue doing [Pacquiao's] fights and they make a lot of money from his fights and that wouldn't be the case if he were fighting Floyd Mayweather."
.
http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/_yqog8MVGaOzsn_sCCz74A--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTIzMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/gettyimages.com/manny-pacquiao-v-manuel-marquez-20121207-172830-137.jpgRapper Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson (L) and Top Rank promoter Bob Arum embrace during the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel …
Arum said that in retrospect, Mayweather was right about the way he should have been promoted when he was with Top Rank. But he disagreed with Ellerbe's larger point about the money. Arum insisted he never has had issues with Mayweather, nor does he now.
"I certainly don't hate Floyd, even though I hear that all the time," Arum said. "Why would I hate him? We lived together with virtually no disputes for almost 11 years."
Surprisingly though, Arum conceded Tuesday that Mayweather was correct about how he should have been marketed by Top Rank. Arum said he believes Top Rank did an excellent job building Mayweather, but said he'd have been more successful had Top Rank paid closer heed to Mayweather's ideas.
"Absolutely he did [make the right move going on his own]," Arum said. "Why? He realized something we didn't realize. He kept telling us we were promoting him wrong, and we should make an effort, a big effort, to promote him in the urban community. I as an old guy remembered the urban community from the days of promoting Muhammad Ali, and it is a totally different community now than it was then during the Ali days.
"He meant that we should have promoted him to the young black people in the music community and those in the urban market place. He was completely right. If he'd have stayed with us, maybe we would have gotten it. Maybe. Maybe. But to a certain extent, he's been better off on his own doing what he's done, and I have no hard feelings."
Mayweather has expressed bitterness toward Arum numerous times over the years since their split. He has a long memory and rarely forgets what anyone said about him.
Several people close to him who asked not to speak on the record said they believed he didn't want to see Arum make money off him any longer.
Ellerbe said comments Arum made to The Sweet Science in February are typical of Mayweather's troubles with Arum.