Mayweather V Pacquiao 2: 2019 A.B.

“He drinks Hennessy, he promotes Hennessy… He f*cked his money up, his taxes… If you ask me, he’s a black fighter.”

—Adrien Broner aka AB (which will soon stand for “After Broner”), going all hood on Manny Pacquiao in the premier episode of All Access: Pacquiao Vs Broner

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If he was out for victory, “The Problem” has already picked out an A.D. date (Pacquiao V Broner, @MGM Grand 1/19 in Las Vegas on SHOWTIME PPV $75) because he’s history in 10 days.

In the more traditional sense, he’s now forever connected to the saga of what can be called “Mayweather V Pacquiao Too”, which seems to be an appendage attached to this promotion. Give new Al Haymon Sports Advisory Board lead consultant and CEO of Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment extraordinaire Brett Yormark credit for a strong opening to 2019, for his impact in rebranding Premiere Boxing Champions is already yielding results.

The PBC will own January, due in part to the return of the Filipino icon against the colorful and loquacious 4-division world champion, the return of Keith “One-Time” Thurman and the genesis of Errol Spence Jr V Mikey Garcia. But of course, the biggest boost of all came in the form of a court side rematch of sorts between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao at Tuesday night’s L.A. Clippers game at Staples Center.

The clip automatically recalls the now infamous Miami Heat courtside set-up from four years ago, one that sent fight fans into a PPV frenzy before May and Pac essentially stole a Brinks truck full of our #$%&! “Money”. Not only did we not get a refund for their execrable nonsense on a May 2, 2015 date only the Illuminati could love, but they’re testing the limits of your spending habits again. First, we saw Floyd dig deep on the low by not taking the high road against MMA southpaw boxing novice Tenshin Nasukawa.

If this is all preparation for selling you a rematch between Floyd and Manny, perhaps we should turn to the infinite wisdom of how to get a “W” over con artists.

“There’s an old saying in Tennessee — I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.”

― George W. Bush

May/Pac 2: The Walking Dead

For many of us, the question is– who cares? I highly doubt this fight takes place anytime soon for reasons I’ll explain, but the scar tissue around so many eyes from that farce of a first fight is still difficult to reconcile. From Pacquiao’s bum right shoulder to Mayweather’s duplicitous need for a massive infusion of IV’s to [level the playing field], the entire event was racketeering with free lollipops for suckers. All of that non-withstanding, the rematch would be much more appealing this time than appalling. Not necessarily the promotion (though that’s likely to be better as well), but the fight itself.

For starters, “Money” was nearing elite level obscelescence in September 2015 against what was to be Thurman’s WBA “regular” championship defense against Andre Berto. That, in and of itself, is clear evidence of Floyd (then the WBA “Super” champion, who would have had to face Thurman) being protected by the powers that be in boxing. It says here in the year 2014, that Mikey Garcia (who was butchering Marcos Maidana in prep for Floyd) would’ve stopped Floyd on a [level playing field]. In December 2015, NYF’s editor-in-chief Michael Woods wrote a column asking “Did Floyd Test Positive Three Times? IT MATTERS!” It still does, providing perhaps the only tangible reason for us to see this fight again.

But Floyd, the ultimate narcissist in capitalistic boxing terms, has to be sure the deck is stacked in his favor or he’ll leave the table. Your most recent example of this, is his handling of the New Year’s Eve ridiculousness with Tenshin. He wasn’t concerned about finance– just the competitive structure of a bout designed to increase the popularity of the Japanese MMA star internationally. He wasn’t concerned about ‘The Notorious McGregor’ either, knowing the apex sweet science gatekeepers still had use for him. In 2019, he’ll receive no such concessions, as he is no longer playing with house money. He would have to hope the memory of “TBE” could make us forget what the last life of “Pac-Man” did to AB.

And then there’s something else to consider.

Remember, this is a narcissist, calcified in his belief in entitlement. This hypothesis posits that Mayweather would only fight Pacquiao for the most prestigious title of them all, which is the WBC welterweight championship worn by Shawn Porter. Floyd would NEVER fight Porter, who would turn such a fight into Ali Vs Spinks I. What could happen, however, is a Pacquiao challenge of Porter if he stops Broner, in which case would favor Pacquiao. And because it feels like a trilogy considering all they’ve put us through, that would set the table for a “Thrilla in Manila” type of affair, which would end up being far more one-sided than the uninitiated could ever imagine.

Pacquiao is not the same subdued man who sheepishly shook hands with Mayweather at that Miami Heat game in January 2015 simply playing the role of a politician to American eyes. This is now a seasoned man of purpose and authority, firmly backed by an authoritarian world leader out for blood, as he will demonstrate on the 19th. On the other side, if it’s possible to look bad in a 1st round KO victory, look no further than Mayweather’s exhibition with Tenshin, where the best defensive fighter I’ve ever seen in my life was clipped a few times by a rank amateur full of anxiety.

Floyd has lost an alarming amount of sharpness, definition and physicality; with ring rigor mortis gradually coursing through his hips, shoulders and overall athleticism while facing inferior competition and inactivity. None of this bodes well for his chances against a vengeful (and younger) Pacquiao still fighting at a level just outside of elite. We would see Floyd get spun like laundry and hung out to dry until the bloody towels start flying from the corner somewhere near the 10th round.

Hell, it might even make him start drinking Hennessey.