Pacquiao's next move: Floyd Mayweather or welterweight unification?

[TheBranMan]

Pac needs to fight Floyd. If he ever wants his name mentioned among the greats he just needs to. Simple and plain. (and vice versa for Floyd, I believe he'll finally get the respect he deserves if he beats Pac)

[The Boxer]

Pac needs to fight Floyd. If he ever wants his name mentioned among the greats he just needs to. Simple and plain. (and vice versa for Floyd, I believe he'll finally get the respect he deserves if he beats Pac)

At this stage in boxing right now. I think PBF needs to fight PAC more than PAC needs to fight PBF. PBF is losing a lot of credability, so he needs to make this fight happen. He's taking a lot of heat for fighting JMM. A PAC fight could silence a few critics.

[fan johnny]

I used to be excited for a MP/FM fight without putting much thought into it. But now I think it's not the best fight. Mayweather will run for 80% of the fight after tasting a few hit from Pacquiao making the fight somewhat anticlimactic. I think Mosley makes a fight with Pacquiao.

I also don't think there will ever be a fight that will break 2 million ppv buys. The problem with ppv has is the internet. In just 1 hour after the Pac/Cotto fight it was all over youtube and within 2 hours you could download the fight in HD. There is no way today with the alternative media available that ppv is going to break the old ppv record numbers. Put the fight on podcast, hulu and other web based media, reduce the fight price to $10 bucks and watch the sales skyrocket out of orbit.

[Youngblood]

I used to be excited for a MP/FM fight without putting much thought into it. But now I think it's not the best fight. Mayweather will run for 80% of the fight after tasting a few hit from Pacquiao making the fight somewhat anticlimactic. I think Mosley makes a fight with Pacquiao.

I also don't think there will ever be a fight that will break 2 million ppv buys. The problem with ppv has is the internet. In just 1 hour after the Pac/Cotto fight it was all over youtube and within 2 hours you could download the fight in HD. There is no way today with the alternative media available that ppv is going to break the old ppv record numbers. Put the fight on podcast, hulu and other web based media, reduce the fight price to $10 bucks and watch the sales skyrocket out of orbit.

I couldn 't disagree more. The fight needs to happen and all indications have it leading to a record breaker. People who have never purchased anything before, are all already saying they'd buy this fight. You have guys like Bert Sugar out there now calling it the fight of the century as far as mass appeal goes. It will be monumental.

The web-based idea also is wrong. While it would be nice to watch for $10, it is getting pirated up the ass by the internet and people creating free links on the backs of one paid subsription now. The pirating would be about 100x worse in the format you recommend, and easily exploitable.

[Zylaoker]

I think like some said that Floyd needs Pacman, Pacman doesn't need Floyd at all. Floyd is a pretty good fighter but I don't see him doing anything except committing seppukku to save his long-lost image. Arum has sold the world the idea that the fight needs to happen but only to make Floyd finally fight, and he has succeeded. Floyd won't give Pac any legacy, except another Hatton-like fight except that Floyd will run away instead of coming in so Pac will have to corner him.

Also, you are right on the internet. I wouldn't pay the 50 bucks to get cable, 200 for the box and 55 more to get the fight. The cheapest option is to go to a sports bar. Economy has been real bad. More reasonable prices would skyrocket sales.

[Dizaster]

I think like some said that Floyd needs Pacman, Pacman doesn't need Floyd at all. Floyd is a pretty good fighter but I don't see him doing anything except committing seppukku to save his long-lost image. Arum has sold the world the idea that the fight needs to happen but only to make Floyd finally fight, and he has succeeded. Floyd won't give Pac any legacy, except another Hatton-like fight except that Floyd will run away instead of coming in so Pac will have to corner him.

Also, you are right on the internet. I wouldn't pay the 50 bucks to get cable, 200 for the box and 55 more to get the fight. The cheapest option is to go to a sports bar. Economy has been real bad. More reasonable prices would skyrocket sales.

Please explain...? It's just I must be missing something because I personally think a win against Floyd is an un-replicable diamond on the legacy of ANY fighter under 160 pounds... He was undisputed P4P number one in the world, and many experts said believed the best P4P of the last decade... He is still unbeaten, has not shown any diminishing of his skills since his P4P number one ranking.....

Floyd IS the biggest name that Pac can add to his legacy under 160 pounds....

I don't see how anyone could claim any different? If someone can though, please explain incase i'm missing something... But as I see it right now, an unbeaten P4P best fighter of the last decade not being any sort of notable addition to someone's legacy is just crazy talk...

-- Regardless of how they fight (eg running), if Pac is good enough he will win, and just because Floyd is said to run, doesn't take anything away from anyone who can beat him..


You have to realise that you can take ANY fighters connect percentage for their career, and pretty much divide that by 1/3 against Floyd... Possibly more.... Can Pac connect enough on Floyd to cause him trouble? No other fighter ever has... That is why is will be a gigantic credit to Manny to beat Floyd.. And i'm going insane hearing people discount what a win against Floyd would mean to ANNNNNNYYYYY fighter... Let alone Pac who is on the top of the world at the moment, and a win of Floyd will put him into inhuman class... It is the ONLY fight that will put him in that class....

Don't doubt,, no matter who Pac fights next, if it's not Floyd, people will still be staying that Floyd is the fight he needs to take.. Because it is. For every reason there is in boxing. Money, Challenge, Legacy, Respect, everything...

[Master]

I would not mind seeing Pac v Shane.

[Zylaoker]

I think like some said that Floyd needs Pacman, Pacman doesn't need Floyd at all. Floyd is a pretty good fighter but I don't see him doing anything except committing seppukku to save his long-lost image. Arum has sold the world the idea that the fight needs to happen but only to make Floyd finally fight, and he has succeeded. Floyd won't give Pac any legacy, except another Hatton-like fight except that Floyd will run away instead of coming in so Pac will have to corner him.

Also, you are right on the internet. I wouldn't pay the 50 bucks to get cable, 200 for the box and 55 more to get the fight. The cheapest option is to go to a sports bar. Economy has been real bad. More reasonable prices would skyrocket sales.

Please explain...? It's just I must be missing something because I personally think a win against Floyd is an un-replicable diamond on the legacy of ANY fighter under 160 pounds... He was undisputed P4P number one in the world, and many experts said believed the best P4P of the last decade... He is still unbeaten, has not shown any diminishing of his skills since his P4P number one ranking.....

Floyd IS the biggest name that Pac can add to his legacy under 160 pounds....

I don't see how anyone could claim any different? If someone can though, please explain incase i'm missing something... But as I see it right now, an unbeaten P4P best fighter of the last decade not being any sort of notable addition to someone's legacy is just crazy talk...

-- Regardless of how they fight (eg running), if Pac is good enough he will win, and just because Floyd is said to run, doesn't take anything away from anyone who can beat him..


You have to realise that you can take ANY fighters connect percentage for their career, and pretty much divide that by 1/3 against Floyd... Possibly more.... Can Pac connect enough on Floyd to cause him trouble? No other fighter ever has... That is why is will be a gigantic credit to Manny to beat Floyd.. And i'm going insane hearing people discount what a win against Floyd would mean to ANNNNNNYYYYY fighter... Let alone Pac who is on the top of the world at the moment, and a win of Floyd will put him into inhuman class... It is the ONLY fight that will put him in that class....

Don't doubt,, no matter who Pac fights next, if it's not Floyd, people will still be staying that Floyd is the fight he needs to take.. Because it is. For every reason there is in boxing. Money, Challenge, Legacy, Respect, everything...

Quality opponents is what makes a true boxer stand out. Floyd vs. Pac will be a huge sell-out because people want to see Floyd lose. He knows this, he said something like "they are trying to create a fighter that can beat me". His record is as good as Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. undefeated, lot of fights but not worth a real lot.

Floyd has a good defense. But will that be enough against Pac's accurate and quick punches? I seriously doubt it. Floyd doesn't have the power to beat him. Cotto didn't have it and Cotto is stronger and he did hit Pacman some solid blows and he just shrug them off. By points this will be a harder match for Floyd. He will have to convince the judges that he is better than Pacman while running away as Pacman will be more convincing by throwing flurries. Floyd has said it best: "I'm in a no win situation."

As for disappointment, I want to stress out: is this a fight you want to see? or a fight Bob Arum wants you to believe you want to see? I'd rather see Pacman beat wars that can go either way than more one sided battles.

Becoming the undisputed WW champion would bring Pac more legacy than defeating Floyd which is what the world expects to happen.