By: Sean Crose
Years ago I was on a conference call in a dark room inside a nearly empty building. I was just getting off of work but before going home I absolutely had to join that conference call. Why? Because the call had to do with the fact that Floyd Mayweather Manny Pacquiao had finally signed to fight one another. The news had broken a bit earlier and now a chat involving the behind the scenes players was in order. I actually made a joke on the call asking if a rematch was already being planned. It brought out laughs.
Who’d have thought that, all these years later, a rematch would actually be in the works? Floyd Mayweather first fought Manny Pacquiao back in 2015 yet both fighters will draw interest and quite a lot of money in their second go round; if this rematch actually goes through. Of course being signed, the fight should indeed go down… but one really doesn’t know when it comes to boxing. This seems to be particularly true in the case of Mayweather and Pacquiao, who have spent far more time dancing around each other than actually throwing down in the fight ring. With both men way past their respective primes, one might think that any chaos surrounding the fight wouldn’t be interesting to fans.
And in truth, it’s not that interesting anymore. Yes they’re going to fight again, but they’re not what they were and their fight will be more of a novelty than anything else. Still the one thing that’s constant between the first and second bouts is that there’s been a great deal of strangeness going on beforehand. Whether it was drug test disagreements, network or promotional distrust, or what have you, the road to the first match was a rocky one from soup to nuts. Indeed it’s surprising now looking back that the first fight was even made.
One of the things that makes this rematch different is the fact that both men seem to need the fight for more than just legacy. Or at least that seems to be the case with Mayweather who reportedly has some financial difficulties to overcome. Pacquiao, on the other hand, clearly feels like his career is incomplete if he doesn’t have a second crack at his arch rival. There simply seems to be an element if not of desperation then deep need for each man to battle the other at least once more.
Yet here we are with the same kind of nonsense we saw before the first fight. Originally they were supposed to fight the rematch at the famous dome in Las Vegas, then that fell through. Now the date is apparently changed and the location is going to be the MGM Grand in Vegas, where the original Mayweather-Pacquiao bout took place. Does this mean matters are settled? Who in the world knows? Professional prize fighting exists in a strange universe. All that’s certain really is that shenanigans are once again afoot. The more things are different the more they stay the same I guess.
The one thing both Mayweather and Pacquiao have going for them is that whether people admit it or not they are curious to see them fight once more. Why not? The first fight may have been a disappointment but it certainly wasn’t horrible and it’s doubtful the rematch will be either. Once again, the smart money will probably be on Mayweather, but who knows? Neither of these two are kids anymore that’s for sure. The public won’t reject the fight due to outside the ring antics or posing. It simply won’t take it all that seriously. That’s something all parties involved should consider.
