Will Floyd Mayweather Jr avoid Manny Pacquiao when the time comes?

The self proclaiming greatest fighter of all time, undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. has returned to the sport of boxing to face Juan Manuel Marquez on July 18 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV. Many have predicted, expected, and called for Mayweather’s return ever since he announced his retirement last summer. Now that the former pound for pound king is back to reclaim his throne, there have been questions as to why he is once again competing. Throughout the press tour, Mayweather has insisted that he is returning for the love of the sport, but also suggests that he fight for checks rather than bragging rights. Could it possibly be all about the money for Mayweather?

One would think that the love of the sport would stem from one’s feeling of climbing into the ring and mastering one’s art against a line of tough and worthy adversaries. In a recent interview on ESPN News, Floyd admitted, “Boxing is in my heart, it’s an adrenaline rush, but mainly it is the fans.” Mayweather later countered his passion for the sport with his love for money, boldly claiming, “You can call Pacquiao the best pound for pound, just call me the cash cow.”

Keeping in mind that he is fighting for checks rather than bragging rights, it is incumbent on Mayweather to realize that it takes two stars to make a big multi-million dollar PPV fight. Pacquiao serves as a substantially greater pay day for Mayweather than does Marquez, Shane Mosley, or Miguel Cotto. Considering the money that Mayweather generally takes home with him on the night of a fight, there could potentially be a difference of five to 10 million dollars going to Mayweather for a Pacquiao fight than for any other fight that could be made at this point. Why is this the case? Pacquiao is head and shoulders above any other potential Mayweather opponents as it pertains to star status and marketing power.

Given Money May’s love affair for currency, boxing fans and observers must be wondering if a fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao is ever going to happen. Is this a match up that is going to fall apart at the seams when it reaches the negotiation table? Just as people might forget that Pacquiao has two knockout losses early in his career as well as unanimous decision loss to Erik Morales in 2005, it should be dually noted that Marquez is not undefeated and has a split decision loss to Pacquiao that is a little over a year old. Pacquiao’s devastating two round knockout of Ricky Hatton sets the stage for what would be a huge mega fight between the two best pound for pound fighters in the world.

Should Mayweather successfully defeat Marquez on July 18, and in more impressive fashion than Pacquiao was able to accomplish, demand for a Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight would be truly astronomical.