[SBR Lou]

Source: Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao nearly agreed to a 2010 fight, documents show

LAS VEGAS – Though sports fans remain desperate to see Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight Manny Pacquiao, in 2010 the superstar boxers came closer to fighting than anyone previously realized, according to a document obtained by Yahoo! Sports.

A contract sent on Dec. 11, 2009, by Golden Boy Promotions on behalf of Mayweather to Top Rank on behalf of Pacquiao proposed a 50-50 financial split between the sides for a fight that would have been held March 13, 2010.

The eight-page agreement is so detailed that it indicates which of the two fighters would step onto the scale first at the weigh-in (Pacquiao), who would walk to the ring first (Pacquiao), who would be introduced first (Mayweather) and who had first choice of the locker room (Mayweather).

It detailed that the bout would have been on HBO Pay-Per-View at a cost of $59.95. Billing was to be "Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, presented by Top Rank, Golden Boy Promotions, Mayweather Promotions and M-P Promotions in association with [approved sponsors and the site]."

A Mayweather-Pacquiao bout is expected to be the largest-grossing fight in history, in which total revenues could reach $300 million. Experts have predicted the fight would sell between 2.5 million and 3 million pay-per-views in the U.S.

Given that Mayweather's May 5 bout against Miguel Cotto was priced at $69.95, it would not be unreasonable for Mayweather-Pacquiao to be priced at $79.95 or more. At $79.95, it would generate a whopping $199.875 million if it reached 2.5 million pay-per-view buys.

Pacquiao's side declined the 2009 contract offer because Pacquiao objected to Mayweather's request for the drug testing.

[SBR Lou]

After a while, folks will start to realize the bullshit the media has been serving them... just like in the Zimmerman case.

Pac has had great moments but he'd have no match for Mayweather's counter-punching and defense. So laughable the mega fight wasn't made due to him being "scared of needles" or afraid his "stamina would drop".

[GamblerSpirit]

After a while, folks will start to realize the bullshit the media has been serving them... just like in the Zimmerman case.

Pac has had great moments but he'd have no match for Mayweather's counter-punching and defense. So laughable the mega fight wasn't made due to him being "scared of needles" or afraid his "stamina would drop".

Lou, aren't you tired of sucking off Mayweather?

[YorkHunt]

Lou you should worry more about letting services be sponsors of SBR...

between you and bobby heenan, the both of you have so much of mayweather's dick in you might as well carry a *** rag around to wipe off the inner mouth area.

[rsnnh12]

And yet Pretty Boy won't fight him now that he's agreed to the testing. Wonder why....

[neverstoppers23]

yes, i know this.but everyone wants to roar about mayweahter saying it was his fault, but mayweather doesn't care because he knows the hate only brings him in more money.

now that pacquio has 'found god' just in the last couple of months..... i wonder what he is going to do. guy is a piece of shit for what he said about homosexuals. he said it was in the bible, guess he agrees with the phrase 'obey your master then'. so he also agrees with slavery.

the sad part is when he tries to take it back and say he never said it. people roar all over this message board for slight comments mayweather said about lin and him being all hyped because he is Asians.

pac said gays should be killed.

[SBR Lou]

And yet Pretty Boy won't fight him now that he's agreed to the testing. Wonder why....

Come on. It's not that hard.

One is the unbeaten, PPV king. One is declining in relevance and is showing the image crafted for him is not in fact who he is. A guy with three losses, two draws, and who even had his own country thinking he just lost his last fight.

Let's compare the PPV #s between Floyd/Cotto & Pacquaio/Bradley. I'll give the next 20 posters who reply a 300 point freeplay if Pacquaio/Bradley surpasses Floyd/Cotto in PPV buys; with the understanding that those users will try to fathom why an equal split is inappropriate.

[boeing power]

Fukin Lou getting buried in here

[SBR Lou]

Fukin Lou getting buried in here

I could return fire but choose not to. Have got the equivalent of Money May's straight right hand in my posting game, but I've hung up the gloves.

[boeing power]

I could return fire but choose not to. Have got the equivalent of Money May's straight right hand in my posting game, but I've hung up the gloves.

We need to see that side of your game.

It keeps people honest.

[YorkHunt]

Guy is going to have the time of his life in prison:

[FuzzyDunlop]

Why was Golden Boy involved on his behalf?

[iQon]

*Most pointless article

Neither of these clowns want the fight. Mayweather was posturing with the testing. Just like he's posturing over the purse now that Manny has agreed to random testing.

Manny's PPV numbers have been the same since 2010! Why the change of heart?

And of course Manny/Bradley won't draw what Mayweather/Cotto drew. 4 boxers named there, who doesn't belong? Tim Bradley. Tim Bradley can't sell out the MGM fighting a relative nobody. Tim Bradley can't do 1m PPV buys fighting a relative nobody. Tim Bradley has never even been on a PPV. Hell, Tim Bradley was the man at 140 and I'm pretty sure Amir Khan would have taken the lions share had that fight materialized.

[Crassus]

Come on. It's not that hard.

One is the unbeaten, PPV king. One is declining in relevance and is showing the image crafted for him is not in fact who he is. A guy with three losses, two draws, and who even had his own country thinking he just lost his last fight.

Let's compare the PPV #s between Floyd/Cotto & Pacquaio/Bradley. I'll give the next 20 posters who reply a 300 point freeplay if Pacquaio/Bradley surpasses Floyd/Cotto in PPV buys; with the understanding that those users will try to fathom why an equal split is inappropriate.

that's a ridiculous comparison, Cotto is the third/fourth most popular boxer in the world today.

[marcoloco]

And of course Manny/Bradley won't draw what Mayweather/Cotto drew. 4 boxers named there, who doesn't belong? Tim Bradley. Tim Bradley can't sell out the MGM fighting a relative nobody. Tim Bradley can't do 1m PPV buys fighting a relative nobody. Tim Bradley has never even been on a PPV..

'pretty boi floyd' was just like bradley at one time, with low ratings. no one was paying big bucks to see him. i have heard people say "watching mayweather fight is like watching a porn that never leaves missionary and titts covered up" it gets the job done but not very exciting at all. people now pay to see "money may" lose. his trash talking is what has got him paid. not his skills. once he loses that perfect record, he stops getting paid. its a big pay day to fight manny but also too big of risk for him

[SBR Lou]

that's a ridiculous comparison, Cotto is the third/fourth most popular boxer in the world today.

I feel like I'm talking to space aliens sometimes.

If we use this logic, we can say that no fighter's PPV numbers are worth looking at. Overall, the reason Floyd is worth more because his PPVs sell more. Say it's because he's a better businessman in that people tune in to watch his opponents or the undercard he puts on all you like, just sounds silly. He's the headline.

[bobby heenan]

i love how people say floyd is just doing more posturing with the purse split now that manny has agreed to testing

what testing has manny agreed to? how do you know? because he said he will...or arum said it isnt an issue???

that means nothing....has arum ever showed us a contract that he sent to floyds camp(actually he recently said things like "i dont even know who to call to talk about that fight" and "a 50/50 split wouldnt even get it done").......has he ever put anything it writing???

thats the beauty of boxing....there is no league...no governor....no one can be fined for things like that...and no one is forced to call someone or make a fight if they arent interested

read it...great article detailing arums actions post pac/jmm3

http://espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id...yweather-fight

so at one point the testing was a huge issue(every excuse from manny not liking needles...to how the soreness from the needles would hinder pac from proper sparring)......such an issue that they walked away....now, when theyve never even come close to getting the fight done, arum and pac spout off about how testing isnt an issue......so much that pac isnt implenting any new testing in any of his fights(where as many other fights are getting additional testing)......saying testing isnt an issue anymore, when you arent even trying to negotiate the fight, is the ultimate posturing move

[bobby heenan]

"Arum is also a smart boxing guy, as are his matchmakers, Brad "Abdul" Goodman and Bruce Trampler. They know Pacquiao would be the underdog, especially given how he looked in his controversial majority decision win in November against Juan Manuel Marquez, whom Mayweather thoroughly dominated when they fought in September 2009. Arum and his people know there is a strong possibility Pacquiao will lose if he ever fights Mayweather.If Pacquiao did fight Mayweather and lose, he could certainly go on. But at this stage of his career, a loss might send Pacquiao deeper into politics in the Philippines, where he is already a congressman, and that would mean no more Pacquiao fights -- or at least only sporadic fights -- for Arum to make millions on.
It was just this week that Arum said he would go to the Philippines to meet with Pacquiao and present him with the names of four possible opponents for May or June: Miguel Cotto, Marquez, Lamont Peterson and Timothy Bradley Jr.
Arum figured Mayweather would be in jail and off the table. Now that Mayweather is available and seemingly would like to make the match, Arum suddenly isn't interested.
He used the lame excuse of the cut Pacquiao suffered against Marquez, saying he might not be ready for May. (I've never heard of a cut taking more than six months to heal.) However, earlier this week, when Arum thought Mayweather would be on ice behind bars, he said there was a good possibility Pacquiao would fight in May.
Moments after Mayweather was granted the continuance, Arum changed his tune.
"We're fighting in June, one of the four guys," Arum told me over the phone.
I asked him, now that Mayweather was available, would he at least be part of the conversation when Arum meets with Pacquiao next week?
A perturbed Arum's response was, "Absolutely not. Nope."
Come again? You won't even talk about it with Pacquiao, I asked very politely.
"My mission is to go over to the Philippines and talk about these four guys," Arum said. "If Manny feels he wants to go in May, he will tell me. I want to make sure Manny's cuts are healed. We won't fall under this kind of pressure. June is much more likely for Manny's fight, not May."
So May was a real possibility yesterday, but now there's no way?
"What if they fought and Manny started bleeding on the first punch?" a clearly flustered Arum said. "I don't know if Manny is available to fight in May. I have no idea. I haven't talked to him; I haven't seen him. Seems to me, June is more likely based on what his plastic surgeon said."
Arum threw out another "reason" (or excuse, as far as I'm concerned) not to try to make Pacquiao-Mayweather for May 5.
"I don't even know if Mayweather will be licensed [by the Nevada State Athletic Commission] before he serves his time," Arum said.
It would seem to me that if a judge would free Mayweather to make a megafight in Las Vegas, with the economic impact of the fight being a major reason for the decision, then the commission -- political appointees -- would understand what a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight would mean to the community.
In other words, with the amount of money it would generate for the desperate local economy, there is no way the commission wouldn't license Mayweather to fight Pacquiao or anyone else on May 5.
[+] EnlargeEtzel Espinosa/Hoganphotos/Golden Boy PromotionsSeveral candidates will be considered as Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s next opponent if Manny Pacquiao declines, but Saul Alvarez appears to be the clubhouse leader.


My view is that with no Pacquiao fight, Mayweather, a welterweight champion, will wind up fighting junior middleweight titlist Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, who is promoted by Golden Boy, Mayweather's de facto promoter for his past five fights.
I could also see another Golden Boy fighter, Robert Guerrero, who has been heavily campaigning for the fight, being a possibility, and maybe, just maybe, junior middleweight titlist Miguel Cotto, who apparently is a free agent from longtime promoter Top Rank and could go his own way.
But Alvarez seems most likely to me. He is one of Mexico's biggest stars and wants the fight. He said on his Twitter page Friday, after speculation began following the delay in Mayweather's incarceration, that he was "muy listo" for the fight. Translation: Very ready.
May 5, of course, is the Mexican holiday of Cinco de Mayo, a traditional date for a big Mexican fight -- and none would be bigger on that date than Mayweather-Alvarez.
Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer wasn't tipping his hand.
"We have certain names in mind, and I will sit down next week with Team Mayweather, and we will be discussing those names," he said.
Then Schaefer ripped into Arum as the impediment to making a fight he claims Mayweather and Golden Boy have wanted all along.
"I don't think Manny Pacquiao wants to be on that list of names for Mayweather, or Bob doesn't want him to be on the list," Schaefer said. "I am sick and tired of Arum's bulls---. First Bob said June is when Pacquiao would fight, when Floyd was going to be on May 5. Then, when it looked like Floyd wouldn't be available in May, he said Pacquiao would be available in May. Now, since they know Mayweather is going to fight in May, suddenly Pacquiao is going to fight in June.
"I'm tired of all those people saying it is Mayweather who doesn't want the fight. Arum knows who to call. He can pick up the phone and call me and say, 'Let's get a fight done with Pacquiao.' The rest of it is bulls---. The rest can go drink the Arum and Top Rank Kool-Aid. It is Arum who doesn't want the fight to happen, end of story."
I agree with Schaefer."

[milwaukee mike]

its boxing, not a fight to the death

I think both mayweather and pacquiao want the fight and the money, but they are both surrounded by jackasses

[Crassus]

I feel like I'm talking to space aliens sometimes.

If we use this logic, we can say that no fighter's PPV numbers are worth looking at. Overall, the reason Floyd is worth more because his PPVs sell more. Say it's because he's a better businessman in that people tune in to watch his opponents or the undercard he puts on all you like, just sounds silly. He's the headline.

So you think it's fair to compare Manny Pacquiao vs Timothy Bradley (a guy who struggled to headline a heavily HBO promoted show) to Mayweather vs Cotto (a guy who puts up 250,000PPV buys against a guy like Mayorga)? Really? Was Mayweather the driving force for those 1.5 million ppv buys? yes. Would he have gotten those numbers against a worse opponent? Nooope.

Mayweather does better PPV numbers overall, I'll give you that but Pacquiao does FAR better international numbers which adds up to be about equal in terms of money-making. There was a pretty good article on SI about this earlier, cant be bothered to find it but yeah. Ridiculous comparison in terms of PPV.

[bobby heenan]

again...floyd has the best deal in boxing....dude is getting huge chunks of all merchandise and food sold....nice ppv chunks.. ..hes taking away, more a fight, than pac by a good margin.....al haymon was a big concert promoter....the ppv numbers speak volumes and they line floyds pockets

so what if hes fighting cotto and pac is fighting bradley? its all about timing and opporunity......so floyd fights cotto...and puts a rising mexican star on his undercard during mexican independence? its opportunity......its smart business.....floyd booked the most desireable date and venue for boxing on may 5th......and those numbers line his pockets and he chose to fight cotto at just the right time....there is a question as to who is worth more(and its been documented that floyd as agreed to 50/50 in the past)....and floyd is making a statement whether you like it or not......is it fair in a perfect world? no.....but its about seizing opportunity and good timing....pac has essentially "blown his wad" in regards to fighters that can help him sell and enhance himself.....dont get it twisted...floyd would have fought cotto years ago had arum ever allowed it(cotto himself said a few times he wasnt ready anyway).....but it worked out for floyd just fine....haymon is a great advisor....especially when he has a talent like floyd to work with

i hate the cliche...but it "is what it is"....both fighters are fighting a month apart....and maybe pac bradley equal floyd/cotto in terms of sales.....but if it falls short by a signifigant amount...well its no ones fault....pac fans cant cry about opposition if floyd gets the upperhand

[bobby heenan]

let me put it this way

back in 2009 floyd beat jmm in like september....pac beat up cotto in november.....was a perfect time to make that fight......

shane mosley had just beaten margarito...revived his career with one of his best wins....and was then scheduled to fight andre berto

so there was floyd/pac...apparently a 50/50 split ready to go....drug testing issue seemed to stop pac....but in reality arum had josh clottey in dallas in his pocket the whole time....pac was at his peak as far as gaining popularity...and floyd just gave a performance against jmm, that while being dominant, didnt move anyone

arum figured "if we make the clottey fight....who is floyd gonna fight....there is no one for him...i can put pac against anyone right now and the people are going to eat it up".....

keep in mind floyd and andre berto are both advised by al haymon.....the earthquake in haiti hit....berto is haitian.....now berto was born/raised in the US.....pierre garcon still played in the superbowl a

so berto backs out of the mosley fight because he said the earthquake bothered him and he lost relatives...now im not saying floyd and haymon caused an earthquake....but if it didnt happen i think its safe to assume berto would have come up with an "injury" in camp...it was the perfect out.......bertos bank account grew without a fight...he stepped aside so floyd could have a big fight he could do big numbers with(shane/berto was going to be on regular hbo).....young berto was sacrificed for the greater good....it was a stroke of genius by haymon.....arum thought he was leaving floyd with egg on his face..instead floyd came out a big winner again

[Crassus]

That's a pretty gutsy accusation about Berto dude...

[bobby heenan]

That's a pretty gutsy accusation about Berto dude...

Tell me it doesn't make sense tho

[The Kraken]

Lou, I agree...