by Vivek Wallace: As a former scribe for the NBA’s Miami Heat, (via Most Valuable Network), it goes without saying that two major questions have consumed my mind, and perhaps several others over the past few weeks. Those two questions: Where will LeBron James go to display his talent in the NBA next? And when will Mayweather and Pacquiao lace ’em up? At approximately 9:27pm EST lastnight, James removed all doubt from those inquiring minds; yet for those eager fight fans around the globe who continue to impatiently wait, there was no such luck, as Mayweather and Pacquiao remain a major question in search of a definitive answer.
When you examine these two scenarios a little closer, you see several aspects that parallel one another, and at the core of them all, three key elements exist. Money, ego, and ultimate supremacy, which can only come by way of victory. The recent example in the NBA was a rather intriguing one, because you have three of the greatest athletes in the game today, all willing to make an ultimate sacrifice of money and ego to attain that ultimate pinnacle of competition……which is victory itself.. A look at the boxing example isn’t such a smooth ride, as the things Wade, James, and Bosh were willing to sacrifice (money and ego) haven’t seemed to come so easy for Team Mayweather and Team Pacquiao. Whether it be Team Mayweather’s insistence on a 60/40 split with Manny, or Team Pacquiao’s previous insistence on a larger sum of British PPV dollars that nearly prevented the Hatton fight from taking place; both sides have proven that money remains higher on the chart than all else, and the challenge of ego apparently resides close by.
How easy would the Mayweather/Pacquiao fight have come together if the two sides simply removed their love for money and ego from the equation? How easy? Well, very easy. Very easy for the simple fact that in a rare occasion, less would produce more, and in this particular ‘more’, fight fans for once wouldn’t have to find themselves settling for less. Out would be the excuses and shallow business practices we continue to see recycled; in would be the fight that we’ve all so desperately wanted to see. Sounds easy in theory, but time has proven this task to be somewhat insurmountable. Recent updates tell us that there’s been a potential truce between the sides, yet apparently a new undisclosed issue has emerged as the primary obstacle. This new obstacle is said to range anywhere from questions surrounding trainer/uncle Roger Mayweather’s legal troubles, to a potential tax dilemma with Floyd Mayweather jr. himself.
At the end of the day, despite the fact that fight fans are being told that there’s a separate issue preventing the fight from happening, the reality is that no contract has been signed by either party, which means there’s still work to be done. Team Mayweather has never OFFICIALLY stated that they have conceded the notion of a 60/40 split, and Team Pacquiao has never OFFICIALLY stated that they would be willing to go along with it. Team Mayweather has never OFFICIALLY stated that they would be willing to sidestep the issue of who gets more PPV dollars. Team Pacquaio has never OFFICIALLY stated that they would be willing to concede in this department either.
So, despite the world being told that the fight has been collectively agreed to, there’s been no true movement or sacrifice by either party to truly bring this fight closer to reality. When you consider that basketball is a team sport, it makes sense that the biggest names in the circuit would be willing to sacrifice a few dollars, because there’s far more to go around. Unfortunately for fight fans, in the world of boxing, an individual sport, what you don’t have the courage to ‘take’, you simply won’t make. So, as we wait, we do so knowing in the back of our minds that these two colossal egos will continue to struggle over things ego and money related – and this reality presents the fact that no sacrifice (between the two parties) will ultimately mean no fight. What was supposed to be a happy night for boxing will continue to be overshadowed by many more sad days of waiting……that is until these men break their split decision, and rise above their money driven ego’s to establish ultimate supremacy. Stay tuned.
(Vivek Wallace can be reached at vivexemail@yahoo.com, 954-292-7346, Youtube (VIVEK1251), Twitter (VIVEK747), Facebook, and Myspace).