As Manny Pacquiao promotes his upcoming November bout with Brandon Rios in Macau, China, he and his trainer Freddie Roach have artfully gone about rekindling the desire in the boxing public for a Mayweather-Pacquiao clash.
That fight was one of the most sought after matchups in boxing history, as it is rare that the sport's two top fighters resided in the same weight class. The fight never came to pass, though, as HGH testing, financial issues and promotional problems constantly got in the way.
Each fighter continued their own path, and while Mayweather dominated all his opposition and remained undefeated, Pacquiao suffered a highly questionable loss to Timothy Bradley, followed by a knockout at the hands of Juan Manuel Marquez.
His star dimmed, he's now trying to rebuild his stock with the Rios fight. In Rios, Pacquiao is going to be in the squared circle with a bull. He was chosen because of his fearlessness and attacking style; Pacman is hoping to engage in a firefight that could give him an opportunity for a knockout.
Putting down Rios in spectacular fashion could remind the sport's fan base what they loved so much about Pacquiao, and perhaps start dreaming on a mega fight once more.
Mayweather has recently stomped on any talk of facing Pacquiao again, however. Floyd is the boss these days, and he has stated on many occasions that Pacquiao is a "has-been" that has no business in the ring with him at this point in time.
When told of Mayweather's comments Pacman smiled and challenged him to prove it. Pacquiao said to Mayweather on camera, "Let's get it on then," and said if he's a "has-been" then Mayweather should want the fight since he can "easily beat him."
Before any fight can be made, though, both fighters must get past their current opponents. Mayweather is facing possibly the toughest test of his career in undefeated Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, while Rios has very good power in both hands.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.