Could Floyd Mayweather Jr. have played his cards better with Manny Pacquiao than he seems to have right at this very moment? I doubt it.
What were we talking about him making for this fight last time? $50 million was it? That's out the window. Now it's anybody's guess as to how much money is out there for him to reap.
Oh yeah, and to earn it, Mayweather's fighting a Pacquiao that looks more vulnerable after Saturday's fiasco of a performance than ever.
And is Juan Manuel Marquez essentially Mayweather's Rosetta Stone into how to employ his superior skills to completely dominate Pacquiao? Possibly.
At the very least, Marquez's three fights dismantling the usual Pacquiao onslaught don't hurt to have as pointers in terms of an effectively utilized strategy and tactical approach.
Mayweather fought Marquez back in May of 2009 after a 21-month retirement. Did you remember back then that Marquez, The Ring lightweight champion, was rated No. 2 pound-for-pound in the world? That fact escaped me.
The fight had been postponed after a Mayweather rib injury (people forget with Mayweather's coyness in fact how injury prone his career has actually been) and was scheduled at the same catchweight as the one negotiated between Pacquiao and Marquez last Saturday: 144 pounds (funny that little coincidence, huh?).
Mayweather went on to show up a little heavy at the weigh-in, two pounds to be exact, and was fined for the infraction. So you can bet Pacquiao and Mayweather ever happening can be expected to take place at as heavy a weight as possible thus suiting Mayweather's advantage.
Whatever weight Mayweather entered the ring at that night (for the first time in boxing history that I'm aware of, Mayweather refused to disclose the figure), he fought supremely well and dismantled Marquez with far too much room to spare.
He routed the Mexican after one of the most lopsided (statistically speaking) beatings doled out when you take into consideration the class of the participants squaring off. Given Pacquiao's enormous troubles getting a handle on Marquez, nobody saw Mayweather having such ease in taking him apart.
After Pacquiao's performance against Marquez, arguably the third straight fight he's dumped to him (albeit narrowly), even Freddie Roach acknowledged the final fight (hopefully) in the trilogy could have been scored "either way."
Given how Roach saw the previous two fights (clear, close victories for Pacquiao), this is an interesting feature in terms of what Roach saw in his fighter and where he might land in terms of appraisal about Pacquiao contending with a far more able fighter in Mayweather.
One major advantage in the mega-fight taking place is this: Pacquiao shouldn't take any further tuneup fights prior to doing everything possible to make Mayweather vs. Pacquiao happen.
And Mayweather should do everything possible not to allow Pacquiao from steering his ship (and that massive payday) away from that mega-fight.
For better or worse, everything points to this fight happening as soon as possible (if it's ever going to happen). Which, frankly, it might not.
But we've never seen a more advantageous opportunity for Mayweather to step forward and counter-punch against this chance not just defining his legacy with a dominant victory over Pacquiao, but also gaining that victory with the maximum amount of financial incentive and minimum amount of risk.
Nobody was singing the praises of Pacquiao's possible links to PEDs after his showing Saturday night.
Yet again, Mayweather played his cards beautifully to line up the biggest fight in the sport at the most beneficial time (for him). Will that fight take place on Cinco de Mayo? Perhaps.
But you can bet it has to happen at the soonest possible time. Everyone, at this point, knows that. The ship is sailing. Everyone better cash in before it's too late.
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