Fighters Fight

The biggest fight in the history of professional boxing is officially dead.  Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Many Pacquiao is no longer scheduled for March 13 and "Pac Man" has opted to fight Joshua Clottey in Dallas at Cowboys Stadium.

The only "winners" who walked away from the blown up negotiations between Mayweather and Pacquiao are Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and, well, Clottey.  Jones gets to showcase his new stadium to the boxing world with the premiere fighter in the universe and Clotttey gets a payday.

Problems making Mayweather-Pacquiao started when the Mayweather camp insisted on blood and urine testing that was outside the regulations of the Las Vegas State Athletic Commission.  The Pacquiao camp agreed to blood tesing a month before the bout; Mayweather wanted random testing up to the fight but backed off the request and asked for 14 days. 

In my opinion, the entire unhappy fiasco was much deeper than the drug testing issue itself.  Pacquiao has a known phobia of needles.  This sounds like a case of Mayweather wanting to get inside his head.  More likely, though, was a strategy to buy time.  Mayweather is coming off an extended layoff with one fight in which he dominated a much smaller Juan Manuel Marquez on September 19, 2009.  His previous fight before that was December 2, 2007 against Ricky Hatton.  "Pretty Boy" Mayweather stopped Hatton in the last round of the bout held in Las Vegas.  Pacquiao knocked Hatton stiff  in two rounds in the same ring on May 2, 2009.

Mayweather's "comeback" bout against Marquez was supposed to prepare him for Pacquiao.  Problem was, the Marquez was much smaller than "Pac Man" is and spent the better part of twelve rounds eating jabs and trying half-heartedly to work his way inside.  Mr. Marquez, I know Manny Pacquiao...and you're no Manny Pacquiao.

Look for Mayweather to huff and puff about Pacquiao avoiding him.  Look for him to be ringside when "Pac Man" blast out Clottey in Dallas.  Look for Mayweather to take a small payday in another tuneup before he gets in the ring with the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world for a $25 million payday.

Fighters fight.  And after all the blowing and blustering and pointing of fingers...this fight will happen.  Both Mayweather and Pacquiao have 50 million reasons why it will take place.