OT:Mayweather ensures Pacquiao negotiations descend into farce
VicXnews
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/chris_mannix/07/27/mayweather.pacquiao/index.html
Floyd Mayweather is a bully, one neatly wrapped in a cut 5-foot-8,
147-pound package. Like most bullies, Mayweather is intimidating. He
sends promoters, managers and networks cowering in the corner with the
mere threat of withholding his services. He holds the boxing world
hostage by saying he will take his gloves and go home unless the fight
isn't when he wants, where he wants and at what weight he wants. He
perpetuates a lie -- like the one about his advisor, Al Haymon, not
being involved in negotiations with Manny Pacquiao -- because he is
confident in the fact that no one in the industry will stand up to him.
Well, someone finally did. Late Monday night, HBO Sports president Ross
Greenburg -- the man in the middle of this mess -- issued a statement.
In the statement, Greenburg confirmed what everyone in the world already
knew. Yes, there had been negotiations. No, there will not be a fight
between the two biggest names in the sport this year. "Fights like
Mayweather vs. Pacquiao are significant because of these fighters'
ability to connect with sports fans around the world," said Greenburg.
"It's unfortunate that it won't happen in 2010. I had been negotiating
with a representative from each side since May 2, carefully trying to
put the fight together. Hopefully, someday this fight will happen.
Sports fans deserve it."
Mayweather's team issued a series of swift denials. But it is
preposterous to suggest that Haymon, Mayweather's chief negotiator and
the man Mayweather praises for his work at every ... single ... press
conference would be involved in any kind of talks for a Mayweather fight
without Mayweather's express approval. Greenburg has no reason to lie.
Haymon has a large stable of clients that include Andre Berto, Paul
Williams and Chris Arreola. But Mayweather is Haymon's golden goose. He
brings home the biggest paycheck. And to believe Haymon pretended to
speak on Mayweather's behalf for two months -- two months -- strains
credulity to Avatar-like levels.
It didn't happen. Mayweather knew exactly what Haymon was doing, just
like Leonard Ellerbe and Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer did.
Ellerbe is Mayweather's mouthpiece. He's a good man, one well-liked in
the industry. But as sycophants come, he may be the definition. He
parrots everything Floyd says -- "All roads lead to Floyd Mayweather" --
to the point where it almost doesn't matter who says it. The words are
the same; the voices are just different.
Schaefer's stance is even more baffling. Schaefer, too, is
well-respected in the industry and has advanced boxing as much as anyone
with his innovative marketing strategies. But by backing Mayweather and
denying any negotiations took place, he not only is calling his boss
Oscar De La Hoya a liar -- De La Hoya, remember, went on Univision last
month and said the Mayweather-Pacquiao negotiations were "very close" to
being completed -- but he's calling every journalist he has spoken to on
the subject a liar, too.
Sure, Schaefer has offered a firm "no comment" when asked about
negotiations, but his words have been laced with hints that there was
indeed something to comment on. Earlier this month, after Arum told
SI.com that a deal had been struck, I called Schaefer looking for
confirmation. Again, he said he had no comment. But he later announced,
somewhat triumphantly, that I should tell Arum that he had "won the
shut-up contest."
Shut up about what, exactly? Right.
The truth is Schaefer and Golden Boy have attached themselves to
Mayweather because his affiliation with the company is one of the few
assets keeping it viable. Click on the fighters page on Golden Boy's
website and check out the four faces highlighted at the top. De La Hoya
is gone, Bernard Hopkins should be and Shane Mosley and Juan Manuel
Marquez are one bad loss away from potentially following them out the
door.
They have a heavyweight champion (David Haye) who won't fight anybody.
They have a former middleweight champion (Winky Wright) who won't
either. There is talent at junior welterweight (Marcos Maidana, Victor
Ortiz, Amir Khan) but not enough to carry the company. No, Golden Boy
needs Mayweather and to cross him would burn a very lucrative bridge.
And they are not going to do it.
Meanwhile, Mayweather sits back, content to amuse himself by working
Ellerbe and Schaefer like puppets. He's comforted by the $65 million he
earned in his past two fights, the kind of cash that reinforces the
fantasy that he's the G.O.A.T ... when the reality is that he has yet to
even prove he is the greatest of this time. He had a chance to cement
that legacy this year by following up a win over Mosley with another
over Pacquiao.
He passed.
But like it was with LeBron James, it wasn't so much the decision as how
the decision was delivered. Coldly, and littered with a whole lot of
lies.
Ron
> Mayweather ensures Pacquiao negotiations descend into farce
>
http://preview.tinyurl.com/35xwlnu
Nuff said.
VicXnews
80dd5f...@m1g2000yqo.googlegroups.com:
wow...I actually agree with Wilbon on something...
poll on page...
Who was the 2009 fighter of the year?
Manny Pacquiao (91%, 16,905 Votes)
Floyd Mayweather, Jr (5%, 1,009 Votes)
Vitali Klitschko (2%, 350 Votes)
Joe Calzaghe (2%, 233 Votes)
Total Voters: 18,497
lak3rs-fan
> Ron <BigELil...@msn.com> wrote in news:41553e36-e326-43d1-8665-
> 80dd5f04b...@m1g2000yqo.googlegroups.com:
>
> > On Jul 28, 8:47 pm, VicXnews <n...@news.com> wrote:
> >> Mayweather ensures Pacquiao negotiations descend into farce
>
> >http://preview.tinyurl.com/35xwlnu
>
> > Nuff said.
>
> wow...I actually agree with Wilbon on something...
>
> poll on page...
>
> Who was the 2009 fighter of the year?
>
> Manny Pacquiao (91%, 16,905 Votes)
> Floyd Mayweather, Jr (5%, 1,009 Votes)
> Vitali Klitschko (2%, 350 Votes)
> Joe Calzaghe (2%, 233 Votes)
> Total Voters: 18,497
mayweather is afraid he's perfect record will be blemished! there's
always an excuse that mayweather is looking for. mongo-floyd should
just retire if he wants to keep his perfect record intact and stop
playing games