The fight-or-flight theory states that animals react to threats by either fighting or fleeing after assessing the situation presented to them.
The last time Floyd Mayweather Jr. felt like he was being bullied at the negotiating table, he walked out of boxing.
In the summer of 2008, Mayweather decided the deal proposed by Oscar De La Hoya for their fall rematch wasn’t worth it. After all, he had made all the concessions to De La Hoya for their first fight, including the weight they fought at, the size of the ring and even the size of the gloves. Floyd wasn’t about to let Oscar walk all over him again, so he took the money from 2007’s two biggest superfights and left De La Hoya without an opponent and the boxing world scratching its collective head.
Fast forward to Saturday night.
When Kenny Bayless chose to stop Manny Pacquiao from punishing then-WBO Welterweight Champion Miguel Cotto any further in the twelfth round, the last superfight of 2009 came to an abrupt end.
The sole name put forth to Pacquiao in his post-fight interview with Larry Merchant was that of Mayweather, the more or less co-holder of the mythical pound-for-pound title in boxing. Even in a sport with an abundance of champions, there can be only one king. The public demands it.
To those unacquainted with the politics of boxing, it would seem an easy fight to make. Not only is Mayweather-Pacquiao the most important fight in boxing today, it’s also the biggest attraction. No other opponent for either man could generate as much money or excitement.
In fact, there’s already been talk of staging such a fight in Dallas’ new Cowboys Stadium, which seats 80,000 people.
So what’s stopping it from happening? Why wasn’t the deal put in place even before Pacquiao took out Cotto?
Mayweather’s retirement was the first obstacle in 2008, but the fight wasn’t even under consideration at that point. It wasn’t until Pacquiao dismantled De La Hoya later that year and took over as boxing’s biggest star that the fight became a real possibility.
Coming out of retirement, Mayweather took what amounted to a tune-up fight against Juan Manuel Marquez. That bout was originally scheduled for July but postponed until September after Mayweather suffered a rib injury in training. Pacquiao couldn’t afford to sit out the rest of the year, so he took a dangerous fight with Top Rank stablemate Miguel Cotto.
Fortunately, both men won their respective bouts, and both looked impressive doing so, paving the way for a showdown between boxing’s best.
Not so fast. With pound-for-pound recognition naturally comes a great deal of self-importance, and this is the lone issue in the fight not being made. Pride so often in boxing translates to money, which is what is holding Mayweather-Pacquiao hostage.
Both men feel they are the draw and deserve the larger share of the purse. Nobody wants to take a big risk without a big reward. In the end, it may come down to who needs it the most.
That doesn’t seem to be Pacquiao, who could ride this latest victory off into the sunset – and what a way to call it a career after winning a title in a record-breaking seventh division. But then, fans would always wonder: what if?
Mayweather, on the other hand, has to fight. Despite countless attempts to state otherwise, all sources indicate that he is heavily in debt with the I.R.S. and needs to make big money fast to pay it off. Luckily for him, he’s in a profession that provides such means.
But big money requires a big name opponent, and none are bigger than Pacquiao at the moment. As far as purse splits, though, Pacquiao may just be too big of a name.
It would have been much easier for Mayweather to make a deal to meet Cotto, especially with the loss to Pacquiao. But Cotto wasn’t competitive enough to warrant making such a fight. Had he lost a close decision, fine, but Pacquiao eliminated Cotto’s potential as a Mayweather opponent by making him look helpless after two knockdowns in the first half of the fight.
Mayweather could have taken a fight with Shane Mosley, the recognized Welterweight Champion, but Mosley is almost as big a risk as Pacquiao – maybe even more so – and brings less money to the table. Mayweather ultimately passed, and Mosley scheduled another opponent – Andre Berto – for January.
Floyd’s other option would be to move up in weight and try to capture a title in another division. Again, no opponents at 154 or 160 pounds would be able to generate as many buys as a fight with Pacquiao or even Mosley.
A year ago, the answer for Floyd would have been to flee. Now, with his back against the wall, he has to fight. It has to be Pacquiao next, and, to make the fight, Mayweather must be willing to make some amends. He may not get the biggest possible payday or even the payday he deserves but it will still be more than he can get anywhere else.
Money is nice, but a win in the most significant fight in decades would be something so priceless the I.R.S. could never come claiming payments on it. When Mayweather realizes that, then boxing will have its superfight and its undisputed king.
