Ahhh, the Pac Man/Money May debate, always entertaining. First off, IMO I think both sides have done plenty to avoid this fight but I believe Mayweather truly wants to make it happen. Who he takes on as opponents shows that he wants to beat the best (after Manny, Ortiz was the best option at welterweight after coming off a huge victory over Berto) and now he's fighting Cotto who again is the best option available within Mayweathers fighting weight after Pac.
Manny would only agree to fight Cotto if he drained himself down to 147 from his usual 154 fight weight. Mayweather is moving up to 154, no catch weight at all, he is moving up to where Cotto is comfortable. Pac man does not do this for any opponents, he always has a catch weight that favors him. His last two fights have been pathetic. The Mosley fight was a joke then he wins a controversial decision over Marquez. Many thought he lost that fight. His age is now showing and I don't think there is any doubt that his decline is coming before Mayweathers. When boxers start getting past 35 they really start to fall. Mayweather knows this and I think he has avoided him in the past but now is ready to go because he sees Manny is vulnerable. So in the past, I blame both for the fight not happening but now I blame Pac man.
The other thing to look at is the handlers. Bob Arum is a POS. He is notorious for milking his best fighters for years by matching them up with inferior opponents. Look at Chavez Jr, another Arum disciple, the guy is a champ who refuses to fight anyone who is a true threat. He has over 50 fights but his top two opponents are Zbik and Rubio (who??? exactly).
Also, saying Mayweather has to fight Sergio to prove himself is unfair, Sergio fights two weight classes above Mayweather. And Mayweather is a natural welterweight, he walks around a little over 150 when not in training, most boxers walk around 15-20 lbs higher than their fighting weight. Martinez fights at 160. It sucks that no one will fight Martinez, he is a great champ and doesnt deserve the ducking so late in his career ( I believe he is 37, so the decline should be just around the corner). But if you want to call out fighters who avoid Martinez look no further than Chavez Jr.
One last thing, as far as the May/Pac matchup, no one who looks at the fight objectively will favor Pac. Not saying he doesnt have a chance, Mayweather has shown he can be vulnerable to a big punch (Hatton wobbled him in the 1st rnd of their fight) but his d is too good. He grew up a boxer where Manny grew up a puncher and has been trained to box over the last 10 years by Roach. Before Roach a combination from Manny was left left left left right left left left. When odds came out on them a year or two ago, before negotiations broke down, Mayweather was a 2 or 3-1 favorite. If and when they fight he will be favored again and it will be a huge upset (not impossible but very unlikely) is Manny were to pull it out.
All this - Mayweather fighting the best opponents availabe (after Manny), Manny showing decline, Manny habitually avoiding game fighters, Mayweather willing to move to a weight thats is more comfortable for his opponents, Mayweather the odds on favorite, all point to Manny being the one avoiding the fight. With Arum it's all business so here is how I see it shaking out: he will milk Manny for 2-3 more PPV's against inferior opponents then set up the big pay day and send Manny into retirement with a loss to Mayweather.
What to look for: The Berto/Ortiz winner will be the number one challenger for these guys, but it is reported that Mayweather agreed to fight Alvarez if he beats Mosley on the undercard May 5th. So, in a perfect world, Manny will fight the Berto/Ortiz winner and Mayweather will fight Alvarez. Then if they both win, it sets up the fight everyone has been clamoring for for years. I think the fight will happen and it will be a great fight, but its going to come too late, both will be past their prime.
And if you think boxing is dead after these two guys are gone, watch the Rios/Gamboa fight April 14th. Oh, and sorry for the winded post, I just really like boxing.
