By: Sean Crose
More than a few jaws dropped a few weeks back when it was announced that Floyd Mayweather would be facing arch rival Manny Pacquiao in a professional boxing match at the Sphere in law Vegas. It was also announced the fight would be aired live on Netflix. Groans of frustration could be heard across the internet a short time later when Mayweather came out and said the fight would not in fact be a professional match. What’s more, Mayweather said the fight would not be waged on the professional record. “We signed a real fight,” Pacquiao said in response on Inside the Ring. “I think he’s scared of losing.”
This of course could all be chalked up to mind games. Mayweather has a reputation for getting the mental edge over his opponents. If that happens to be the case, however, its clearly annoying more than just team Pacquaio. Netflix and the Sphere have a lot riding on this rematch. What if it’s more than just mind games, though? What is Mayweather is truly set on making the fight become a non-professional affair – one which has no winner and no loser?
“He cannot get out of this contract,” said Pacquiao. “This is the most important fight in my career.” And that’s what it all comes down to for Pacquiao – getting another crack at Mayweather. Their first fight was considered a disappointment, but it wasn’t as bad as fans said it was. Mayweather essentially dominated through a classic Mayweather defensive performance, but Pacquiao was no easy out. Without doubt, a second go round between the two men is an interesting proposition, especially when people realize they won’t have to cough up around one hundred dollars to watch it live like they did for the first match. Should this fight actually end up going down, expect big numbers coming in for Netflix.
Here’s an interesting point, though: Pacquiao has a lot less to lose if he should be bested by Mayweather a second time than Mayweather does if Pacquiao wins. Think about it. Should Pacquiao pull off the victory, the Mayweather aura – that air of stylistic invincibility Mayweather carried with him for over a decade – would lie about his feet in ruins. In a sense, Mayweather is a victim of his own success….even now, about a decade past his prime. Conor McGregor never really posed a threat to Mayweather, but Manny Pacquiao, even an older Manny Pacquiao, does.
Still, it’s good to recall that Mayweather was and is a competitor. Despite what some may say, Mayweather at his peak was one of the greatest fighters in history. We’re talking top ten here. A man like that doesn’t want to fade off into the sunset, not with the chance to earn money, glory and accolades by facing Manny Pacquiao a second time. And a man like that certainly doesn’t want to be remembered for avoiding his arch rival. So, yes, the odds are in favor of Manny and Floyd squaring off again, this time on Netflix.
So Pacquiao has good reason to be optimistic. And he has to be delighted that he has an opportunity to fight Mayweather once more. Pacquiao must also be a bit surprised that a rematch is (likely) going to happen. It’s been over ten years since he and Floyd shared a ring together. Ten years. The hope of a rematch must have slowly faded for Pacquiao over that decade or so. How could it not have? Yet now here Pacquiao is, with a contract signed for him to face Mayweather once more. Boxing is indeed the strangest of all sports.
