Manny Pacquiao Will Fight Brandon Rios if Floyd Mayweather Doesn’t Step Up

Bob Arum raised some eyebrows late last week when he suggested that Brandon Rios would probably a get a shot at Manny Pacquiao in 2013. Well, scratch that. Arum didn’t specifically name Rios. Rather, the Top Rank Boss indicated that the winner of this past Saturday’s showdown between Rios and Mike Alvarado would probably fight Manny in 2013, and Rios was the one who won that match.

After the fight, Rios was asked about potentially taking on Pacquiao, and how he felt he would do against the Filipino champ.

"You see what happened to Mike Alvarado? I think I could do the same thing to them, too. Mike Alvarado, I think, he hits harder than them and he's more tougher," Rios said (via RingTV).

"Pacquiao's an in and out guy. But you know what? Like I always do, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. taught me very well. Break the body down and the head will fall down."

Obviously Rios wasn’t lacking in confidence that night. Handing a very legitimate fighter in Alvarado his first career loss is big, however, it doesn’t exactly mean that you will have similar success versus Pacquiao. The difference between taking down a good fighter and taking down a legendary one is pretty massive.

This week, Rios’ camp decided take a bit of the sting out of his initial comments. Clearly they really want a showdown against the Filipino champ,  and the last thing they want to do right now is turn anyone off by seeming too cocky.

"The fact that Brandon is being mentioned doesn't mean that the fight is going to happen, so they both have their own managers. We're not 100 percent that it's going to happen," said trainer Robert Garcia (via RingTV).

"But it would be an honor just to know that we're being mentioned as a potential opponent for a guy who has been on top for the last 10 years or so."

That was the kill-them-with-compliments part of the interview. Then Garcia went back to espousing the same sort of message Rios sent after the Alvarado bout: nobody in that camp is afraid of Pacquiao.
“I think that Brandon's style combined with Pacquiao's age and all of that, we might be able to pull of a surprise. I think that Brandon's style is just one that gives everybody problems.

"Brandon ain't taking it easy with nobody. He wants to fight the best guys out there. Everybody says that Brandon fights similarly to Margarito, and that could be true. Brandon keeps on coming, works the body beautifully and throws really good uppercuts in there. The only difference is that Brandon is 10 years younger than Margarito, which could be a big difference in a fight with Manny Pacquiao," said Garcia.

"Right now, I think that he's at a significant point of his career. The same thing with Pacquiao. Pacquiao is not getting any younger, and Brandon is young, strong and hungry, so that could make a big difference. I think Brandon's style is a factor against anybody. We could have Sugar Ray Leonard and Brandon's style could give him trouble, you know what I mean? And if it's somebody like Pacquiao who stands in front of you and goes to war with you, then it'll be a war just like people saw on Saturday."

A fight versus Floyd Mayweather Jr. is obviously priority number one for 2013. However, if that doesn’t materialize (which it very well might not), Rios is clearly being positioned to be Pacquiao’s fallback option.

(Kudos RingTV)

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Was Manny Pacquiao Promised a Fight with Floyd Mayweather in 2013?

A lot of signs have been pointing to Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. putting aside their differences and agreeing to a fight at some point in the foreseeable future.

It all started with a very noticeable change in tone from Mayweather following his release from prison. The usually outspoken undefeated champ has visibly limited the amount of barbs he has sent his arch rival’s way in recent months.

Then there was Pacquiao agreeing to give up 55 percent of the purse split to Mayweather in the event of a Dream Match – something he had previously refused to do.

And that is to say nothing of the little things that have happened over the past few months: Pacquiao’s developing relationship with 50 Cent, Bob Arum’s apparent openness regarding setting the bout up, performance-enhancing drug (PED) testing issues being resolved, etc.

It goes without saying that we have been down this road before only to ultimately be disappointed, however, it does feel like we’re actually creeping towards this thing finally happening.

On Wednesday, Fight Hype  (by way of Bad Left Hook) reported that Pacquiao agreed to an extension with Top Rank. The extension is interesting in itself, obviously, but this part of the report really stuck out:

According to an eyewitnesses on the scene, Dena duBoef, Vice President of Marketing and the daughter of Bob Arum, escorted Pacquiao to a private room where he had a closed-door meeting with Arum, Koncz, and 50 Cent. It's unclear as to exactly what was discussed, however, our source strongly believes that Pacquiao was given a verbal guarantee that, with the help of 50 Cent and Tommy Smalls, an April fight with Floyd Mayweather would indeed take place, convincing Pacquiao to sign the contract extension. "He thinks he has that fight coming, but that fight isn't ever going to happen," our source added.

Clearly this all hearsay and impossible to verify, but it’s pretty huge regardless of Top Rank’s intentions. Whether they want to do it or not, Pacquiao is going to be expecting a bout against Mayweather early next year. And if he doesn’t get it? Well, then he’ll just retire. Top Rank gets paid so long as the Filipino champ fights; if he hangs up his gloves, nobody gets paid. They can’t just stall this thing – it won’t work this time.

Stay tuned. We may be moving slowly, but we're definitely moving towards something.

(Kudos Fight Hype, Bad Left Hook)


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Is Floyd Mayweather Jr. Scared of Manny Pacquiao?

Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have been discussing a potential Dream Match for three years now. When their talks began, it seemed inevitable that the pair would come to an understanding sooner rather than later and ultimately give the fans what they so desperately wanted.

Seemed is the key word there.

Instead we got legal drama, back-and-forth sniping, and bunch of different fights against an assortment of foes that nobody actually cared about.

Last month, Pacquiao made a pretty big gesture when he offered to give Mayweather 55 percent of the purse from their super fight. Seeing as purse split had been major point of contention between them in the past, this was seen as a somewhat monumental turning point. We’ll see, though. Mayweather hasn't really offered much of a reaction to date.

Earlier today, HBO’s Larry Merchant appeared on ESPN’s First Take and offered his take on all things Pacquiao versus Mayweather. And while a lot of people have obviously weighed in on the topic before, what made Merchant’s opinion all the more interesting is the fact that it a.) came bias free and b.) addressed the question: is Mayweather truly afraid of his Filipino counterpart?

“Mayweather thinks he can defeat Manny Pacquiao, and he would be the favorite leading into that fight should it ever take place. But what Mayweather is more afraid of than anything is getting that ‘L’ on his record,” Merchant said (via Joseph Herron of Eastside Boxing who was cool enough to transcribe the interview).

“He has marketed himself as this undefeated and unbeatable fighter. And to a lot of new boxing and unsophisticated fight fans, this is a big, big deal. To anyone who is familiar with the history of the sport, a single loss has never been a big deal. Because if you fight enough good, young fighters, history tells us that eventually someone’s going to beat you.”

So does that mean Mayweather is scared? According to Merchant – no.

“The problem is not that Floyd’s afraid of Pacquiao, but he does recognize Pacquiao as being the greatest threat to him at this time. So considering the Risk vs. Reward equation, why take a risk fighting a tough style match-up who will demand an equal amount of money, when you can make 40 million dollars fighting a more favorable style match-up who will only demand maybe 3 or 4 million dollars?”

And therein lays a great point. It’s not so much that Mayweather is afraid of getting beat up by Pacquiao (like Miguel Cotto was when they were discussing a rematch), he just doesn’t view the reward as something that is worth the risk. He thinks that the damage a loss would do to his legacy and bank account is greater than the damage not fighting would do. Is he right? Who knows. A fighter’s legacy is determined at the end of his career, not during it.

What do you think: is Mayweather scared of Pacquiao? Or does he simply think that it’s a dumb business move (because of the risks involved) to fight his arch rival? Or is that a distinction without a difference?

(Kudos Eastside Boxing)


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Floyd Mayweather: Star's Legacy Will Be Tarnished If He Doesn't Fight Pacquiao

On paper, Floyd Mayweather is one of the greatest boxers of all time. But without a fight against the second-best fighter of his generation, Manny Pacquiao, his legacy will always be tarnished.

Mayweather sports a perfect 43-0 record; he's won eight world titles and has been rated as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world on multiple occasions over the years.


He's also got the personality that boxing fans love to hate. He's as cocky as they come, talks more smack than a cheeky seventh grader and his defensive style often leaves fans clamoring for more.

If that wasn't enough, he's a walking, talking prime-time news controversy.

Mayweather has gotten in trouble by opening his mouth more times than can be counted, been to jail after pleading guilty to a reduced battery domestic violence charge and it was only a  few matches ago where he won his fight with a much contested, borderline cheap shot on Victor Ortiz.

He's the type of hype-active personality that boxing has always attached itself to. And when you couple that with his perfect record, he should be in the argument for greatest boxer of all time.

However, one thing is missing from his resume, a fight with Pacquiao.

Manny Pacquiao, the great Pilipino, is seemingly the antithesis of Mayweather.

He's soft spoken, well respected in his native Philippines, where he's a member of Congress, and exciting in the ring with his heavy-handed, take a punch to deliver one style.

Pacquiao is also one of the most beloved boxers of his generation.

He's jumped from weight class to weight class and has won 10 world titles, all the while taking on any and all challengers. Well, all except Mayweather.

And therein lies the problem. The two most popular, and beloved boxers on the planet won't fight each other—the amount of backtracking, pressuring and berating that has gone in these failed negotiations is just too much to sum up in a few lines—and it doesn't look like they're any closer to inking a deal to step in the ring.

However, Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum mentioned in August that spring of 2013 would be an excellent window to fit the mega fight.

If that date doesn't result in a bout, however, the pair will likely never touch gloves in the center of the ring.

Both fighters are getting up there in years, especially in boxing terms. Mayweather is 35 and has already retired once. Pacquiao is 33 and is seemingly focused on a full-time political career in the near future.

But for Mayweather's sake, he better hope the stars align to get this fight done.

Without it, he will always be undefeated—no one else has the skill to touch him other than Pacquiao—but fans will always remember him for the fight that wasn't instead of the 43 that were.

In order to be the best, you have to beat the best, and that's something Mayweather has to remember.

All of the greats have battled rivals, and some, including Muhammad Ali, have been beaten. But those were the bouts that defined their legacies.

Mayweather just doesn't have that.

He may retire undefeated, but without a fight with Pacquiao, Mayweather's zero in the loss column will look especially empty.

Roger Mayweather Wants Floyd to Fight Manny Pacquiao: Fan Reaction

Many boxing fans aren't certain if Floyd Mayweather will ever lace up his gloves, but his uncle, Roger Mayweather, seemed certain that we've not seen the last of the sport's pound-for-pound king during an interview with Chris Robinson.

"Oh yeah, why wouldn't he?" Roger responded when asked if his nephew would ever fight again. "He'll fight a few more times. He ain't took no beatings."

Mayweather has been very coy about when his next fight will be, but he'll probably be back before the midway point of next year. Obviously, he won't have any problems finding an opponent.

A fight against former WBO welterweight champion, Manny Pacquiao, seems to be the best option for Floyd right now, as many in the boxing community would still like to see the super-fight between the two. Pacquiao recently offered to accept the smaller share of a 45/55 split against Mayweather, but he'll need to go a lot lower than that if he's serious about making the fight happen.

Roger understands how profitable a fight against Pacquiao would be for the Mayweather camp, and he's hoping the fight will finally get done this time around.

"The fight [for] Floyd is Pacquiao," Roger added. "That's the fight. He fights Timothy Bradley, he fights Pacquiao. He'll make so much money. He'll make close to $200 million."

I'm not really sold on the idea of a Mayweather vs. Bradley matchup, but it would be a low-risk tune-up fight for Floyd.

I don't think a potential Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight would be competitive either, but it's does make a lot of financial sense for both fighters. Floyd and Manny have rabid followings, and fight between the two would be a huge draw even if they were both in their 40's.

Saul "Canelo" Alvarez also seems like a good opponent for Mayweather, and I would mind watching a Cinco de Mayo showdown between the two.

Alvarez and his handlers admitted that he wasn't ready for Mayweather after his May 5 bout against Miguel Cotto, but they seem to have had a change of heart. I'm still not sure "Canelo" is ready for a technically savvy fighter like Mayweather, but a fight between the two should be entertaining, especially if Floyd decides to do some infighting.