May 2 will mark the 3 year anniversary of what was arguably the most highly anticipated bout in the rich history of professional boxing. That was the day when pound for pound elites Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao finally squared off after years of fan demand and failed negotiations.
The bout was the richest fight in boxing history, where Mayweather and Pacquiao both earned obscene amounts of money for facing one another in the bout that broke pay per view records. Despite being a smashing financial success, the bout itself was rather uneventful. By this point in time, Mayweather and Pacquiao were both well past their best fighting days, and with all of the demand, and all of the hype, and all of the anticipation and lofty expectations – the fight was ultimately viewed as a disappointment by the large majority of observers.
Fans were hoping for an epic battle for the ages, like the famous contests between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, or any of the nine match-ups among the Feb Four – Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard, Tommy Hearns, and Roberto Duran. But the fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao was nowhere close to this level, and it certainly wasn’t a classic beyond the historical impact of incredible financial earnings.
In retrospect, the most exciting aspect of Mayweather-Pacquiao was the long build-up and the intrigue of what if, but what never came to be. The fight happened five years too late in the eyes of most fans, and the event itself hardly seemed worth the tediously long wait.
This edition of Rummy’s Corner takes a look back at the time when Mayweather-Pacquiao first became an idea that garnered unprecedented fan interest. From Floyd’s 2007 retirement, through Pacquiao’s rise to greatness as he moved up multiple weight classes beating far larger opponents, we will take a stroll down memory lane at the circumstances that put this contest in such high demand for so many years. What is the lasting legacy of Mayweather vs Pacquiao, now that nearly 3 years have passed? For one boxing fan’s take on this matter, please watch and enjoy the video.