5 questions to ponder about Mayweather-Pacquiao
It’s really not important how things came to pass, how the signatures of Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao finally found the bottom of the same contract.
Bieber must be ecstatic.
The most anticipated fight in forever will take place May 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, which gives us more than two months to dissect every angle and turn over every rock and report on everything from fighting strategy to ticket prices to the arduous process of transcribing Roger Mayweather quotes.
As a starting point, here are five questions to consider about Mayweather-Pacquiao:
1. How much does ‘0’ mean to a legacy?
Not as much as Mayweather — 47-0 as a professional — wants you to believe.
The zero on his record, more than anything, defines Mayweather. Yes, even more than his fleet of sports cars.
He thinks remaining undefeated should set him apart as the greatest in boxing history. He’s dead wrong, of course, more mistaken than the enabler who forgets to lay out Floyd’s robe and slippers.
It would help Mayweather’s argument to defeat Pacquiao — Floyd has finally agreed to oppose the one fighter of his era the world has wanted him to meet for years — but even a loss wouldn’t dramatically alter the perception most have of him.
That while unquestionably one of the best defensive fighters in history, Mayweather still and will always exist behind the likes of Ray Robinson and Henry Armstrong and Muhammad Ali and others on the all-time pound-for-pound rankings.
It’s a subjective exercise, as with most similar lists.
This isn’t as subjective: The only person who truly cares about the ‘0’ is the guy whose record still includes it.
2. What about a rematch?
Top Rank promoter and Pacquiao man Bob Arum was asked about a second fight on local radio Monday.
“Jesus,” Arum said. “Finally, after six years, we get the fight done. Now, nobody is satisfied. They’re all talking about a rematch.”
There are likely two avenues in which to guarantee one takes place: The fight is scored a draw or Pacquiao wins.
That’s not to say if Mayweather emerges victorious in a close and exciting fight, the potential for yet another payday north of $100 million wouldn’t convince him to sign up a second time.
Some believe this is the first of three fights between the two, that a trilogy could potentially conclude inside the new MGM-AEG arena, scheduled to open next year.
I can see Arum’s head exploding now.
3. Could the fight go off as a pick ’em?
No, but it will likely land much closer than we ever imagined.
Jimmy Vaccaro of the South Point is my favorite bookmaker for many reasons, mostly for things like when I call to ask how early action on the fight is going, he heads to the front of the sports book and says, “Hey kid, call up the fight,” and I’m fairly certain he hasn’t a clue who the kid is.
By late Monday, the South Point had written 115 tickets on Pacquiao and 13 on Mayweather. It’s a popular trend across town, because there should be enormous value on Mayweather hours before the first bell.
Vaccaro believes the odds on Mayweather, now minus-245, could be as low as minus-160 on fight night. One expected entity to pull the margin closer is a Filipino fan base that always backs its hero in Pacquiao.
“We haven’t experienced anything like this since Hagler, Hearns, Leonard, people like that,” Vaccaro said. “But the difference now is how many more sports books there are in town than 20 years ago. It’s just my opinion, but this fight is the one chance for boxing to save itself. If this fight can’t get people interested in the sport, you can put boxing up on the shelf, one step up from hockey.”
Something tells me Bill Foley won’t borrow those words for a T-shirt slogan when his NHL team hits town.
4. Why should you know the name Alex Ariza?
He used to be the strength and conditioning coach for Pacquiao and was with the fighter from 2008 to 2013.
He’s now working in the same capacity for Mayweather.
It’s true that Pacquiao hasn’t scored a knockout since Ariza was fired by head trainer Freddie Roach. It’s also true that Mayweather and his father, Floyd Sr., once accused Ariza of supplying Pacquiao with performance-enhancing drugs.
And then Mayweather hires Ariza?
Maybe it’s for leverage, for discovering any and all secrets Ariza can supply about Pacquiao.
Maybe it’s for something else.
Either way, the most controversial figure in boxing the last 10 years (Ariza) will play a significant role in this historic fight.
5. How massive a media crush will hit town?
It’s too early for Scott Ghertner to guess how many credentials will be approved for the fight, but the director of public relations for entertainment and sports at the MGM said there have been past boxing cards where nearly 1,000 were issued.
Expect that number to be exceeded.
Perhaps even shattered.
Newspapers that stopped covering boxing on a regular basis years ago will make requests. Networks will send reporters to town that don’t know the difference between a catchweight and a paperweight. National sports shows will set up camp for the week leading up to the fight.
Skip and Stephen A. will be in a Starbucks line near you.
This will be very much like a Super Bowl when it comes to media.
It’s not a fight.
It’s an event.
It’s here, and it’s really not important how things came to pass.
Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ed Graney can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday on “Gridlock,” ESPN 1100 and 100.9 FM. Follow him on Twitter: @edgraney.
