DEAD IN THE WATER

Manny Pacquiao pretty much put the last nail in the coffin of any hope for a possible fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr by finally making good of a threat to signing a contract extension with his current promoter Top Rank helmed by octogenarian Bob Arum.  It was announced earlier this week that Pacquiao will fight until the end of 2016 under the banner of Top Rank.  Mayweather Jr’s last reason for not jumping into the ring with the Filipino superstar was the fact that Pacquiao is still with Bob Arum.  Mayweather Jr, who was employed by Top Rank in the past, has vowed no allow Arum to profit from any of his fights since he feels that Top Rank never promoted him properly while under contract with the Las Vegas company.

Surprisingly, Mayweather Jr’s demand was almost met.

According to Ronnie Nathanielz of the Manila Standard, Pacquiao together with long-time advisor Michael Koncz entertained an offer by hip hop recording company Cash Money Records led by brothers Brian “Birdman” & Donald “Slim” Williams.  The company handles the careers of Lil’ Wayne and Mystical among others.  Nathanielz reported that an agreement was being discussed between Cash Money and MP Promotions for quite some time.  If the deal had come to fruition, the door to a Mayweather Jr vs. Pacquiao showdown would have been cracked open.

At the end the smarter and more fiscally sound choice prevailed and that was Top Rank.

It is no secret that Manny Pacquiao is an important cog in the emerging market that is China.   With the Macau Venetian vying for top gambling dollar and boxing entwined with the city of sin, Las Vegas, since a mobster got the bright idea to start a casino in the desert way back when, the Asians are competing with Nevada for top boxing events.

Pacquiao counts as one of them.

With the potential of Pay-Per-View opening up in China and Top Rank being at the moment the only gateway for that revenue, the amount that Pacquiao can generate in his next fight fights, even if not all in China, could be understood at being much more than a fight with Mayweather Jr.  The fact that China’s tax laws are not as stringent as the United States’ also helps to make a case for fighting there, especially for the “Pac Man” with his ongoing financial problems.  Sure, merging with Cash Money would have made the Mayweather Jr a much easier reality but then what?  Would it have opened up potential more opponents under the Al Haymon banner?  If so, who could generate the purses Pacquiao has enjoyed since becoming a worldwide star.

The only across the aisle would be one freckled-face redheaded twenty-year old by the name of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.  By the looks of things, you don’t have to burn the bridge with Top Rank to get that fight.  All you have to do pray to the boxing gods                 that Oscar De La Hoya doesn’t fall off the wagon.