Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Pacquiao-Mayweather Mediator Has a Tough Job Ahead: Too Much Hate in the Atmosphere

The Pacquiao-Mayweather mess that has stemmed from steroid accusations to a defamation lawsuit and allegations of character assassination, there is still hope that these two boxers, arguably the best in what they do, will meet and square off inside the squared circle. A retired federal judge will step in between these two boxers and try to get them all chummy to make the fight happen.

Daniel Weinstein, who will act as the mediator for both sides, has a history with settling arguments between Top Rank and Golden Boy to seal fights and let them come into fruition. But before you celebrate and rejoice for what is still a small glimmering hope for 2010’s biggest showdown, know that the animosity and hate between the two warring camps are real and authentic.

To start off, Floyd Mayweather Jr. really dislikes Top Rank’s Bob Arum and vice versa. Pretty Boy used to fight for Arum until they had a falling off and Mayweather started his own boxing promotions agency. The same can be said with Oscar de la Hoya, who was once a Top Rank fighter before he left Arum and founded his own company, GBP.

Then of course you have de la Hoya and Manny Pacquiao. Golden Boy signed him up to be part of the GBP stable but Arum made a better offer, which prompted Pacquiao to leave GBP. Golden Boy went after Pacquiao in the court but was forced to settle with a stake in the Filipino’s earnings. Of course, everyone remember the Dream Match that turned into a nightmare where Oscar challenged Pacquiao and predicted an ass whooping.

True to the word, it was an ass whooping indeed. But it was the other way around. Mayweather may have also claimed victory over Oscar, but the Pacquiao beatdown was so humiliating that Golden Boy was forced to retire a few months later. With the steroid issue breaking the surface, Oscar, who once said that Pacquiao’s punches did not hurt him, suddenly contradicted himself and made a vivid comparison on how Manny’s punches felt like the shots he took from Fernando Vargas and Shane Mosley, who are both found to be on the juice when they fought Golden Boy.

Oscar’s fighters, from Oscar Larios to Juan Manuel Marquez to Marco Antonio Barrera to Ricky Hatton, were also whooped by Pacquiao.

Then there is also the rift between two of the world’s best boxing trainers, Freddie Roach and Floyd Joy Mayweather. Floyd Joy was initially tapped to train Golden Boy for his megafight against the former’s son. But with a US$2,000,000.00 training fee, Oscar decided to go economical and hired Roach instead.

The two trainers would collide again when Pacquiao and Hatton clashed. Mayweather was calling Roach, who is very calm by nature, cockroach and the Joke Coach and even predicted a knockout win by his ward over the Filipino. Roach had the last laugh when Pacquiao dismantled the Brit within six minutes.

With the defamation suit filed by Pacquiao against Mayweathers and their associates, one might think this is the last nail to the coffin, and it might be. There’s too much hate involved, although no one can say Pacquiao really hates the Mayweathers or Oscar.

Now the table has been set and the mediator is waiting, do not think just because money talks (and it certainly will during the mediation process), these two fighters will agree almost immediately. If there is chance that this fight will go on as planned, expect some people to eat large servings of humble pie and release some letters of apology. Bu then again, there’s too much hate involved.

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