boxing Mayweather vs Pacquiao: Fight is officially on for May 2

[Damo R. Veteran]

After five-plus years, many stops and starts, failed negotiations, and too much he-said, she-said to bother remembering, The Fight is finally here.

Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao will finally square off with one another on May 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, with HBO and Showtime working together to present the fight on pay-per-view. Mayweather gave an official announcement Friday on Shots. An embed of that post is below.

Mayweather (47-0, 26 KO) and Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KO) have been dancing around this fight since 2009, with only one other instance that the fight actually came close to being made, in early 2010. Instead, the fight fell apart that time over drug testing. That is no longer an issue, and after weeks of the fight supposedly being very close to a done deal, everything is now in place, with all lingering issues ironed out.

"I am very happy that Floyd Mayweather and I can give the fans the fight they have wanted for so many years," said Pacquiao, who signed the contract for the bout Thursday per Kevin Iole. "They have waited long enough and they deserve it. It is an honor to be part of this historic event. I dedicate this fight to all the fans who willed this fight to happen and, as always, to bring glory to the Philippines and my fellow Filipinos around the world."

Though the fight is probably happening later than anyone would have hoped, and sees the two men arguably past their peak years, it remains easily the biggest possible event in boxing, and will most likely break all PPV sales and revenue records, as well as Nevada gate records. Though it may not be what it would have been in 2010, this is still a massive event, something that no other possible pay-per-view can truly match, be it in boxing, UFC, pro wrestling, or anything else.

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[ctebah]

Finally!  Been waiting on this for a while now.  Too bad it will cost $100 for the HD fight but I'm still willing to pay.

[+E.Worm Jimmy Subscriber¹]

Finally!  Been waiting on this for a while now.  Too bad it will cost $100 for the HD fight but I'm still willing to pay.

 

 

i will wait and watch it for free later... but it is going to be very hard to avoid spoilers    might have to skip visiting any forums, news sites, facebook, or watch tv, until i watch the fight.

if i find a sports bar that is showing it and my friends will come, i will much rather watch it there.

 

 

i am not even a fan, and i only watch an occasional match (very rarely)      but even i know both of this guys and i want to see it.

[MightyJordan]

~3 years too late (at least), but hell, at least it's finally happening. Still hoping for a Pacquiao win, even though the chances of that have dropped over the past few years.

[Chaltalian]

Mayweather has had trouble with southpaws. See: First 6 rounds with Zab Judah. That's why I think this is going to be a close one when you put him with arguably the best southpaw in the world.

 

I love Mayweather as a fighter in the ring. His defensive skills are borderline genius. His counterpunching is ridiculously accurate. I love boxing it's a shame this thread isn't more active lol

[123456789A]

I hope they script in some WWF nonsense where Hulk Hogan and Robocop step into the ring and smash Mayweather and Pacquiao with chairs so neither is declared the winner.

[123456789A]

It's finally on now.

[D. S. Veteran]

Well, that sucked.

[MightyJordan]

Well, that sucked.

Yep, what a letdown. Pacquiao did nowhere near enough to eek out a draw, let alone win; I think the two judges who had it 116-112 were being a bit generous. Also...

 

 

Isn't Kenny Bayless supposed to be one of the great refs nowadays? He was way too lenient with Mayweather's clinching - just like Joe Cortez was when he fought Ricky Hatton. Is it too much to ask for a ref who'd actually tell Mayweather to quit his ######? To paraphrase a comment I've seen a few times on Facebook already: Floyd should be taught to hug his wife and to punch his opponent, not the other way around.

[Damo R. Veteran]

Genius, that's all I have to say

[123456789A]

Yeah that was a very boring fight. Probably the final nail in the coffin for boxing.

 

They need to get rid of the 12 round system and just have the two fight until someone goes down.

[vcfan]

it was a boring one sided fight that's 5 years too late.

[fusi0n]

[MightyJordan]

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Thoughts?

[123456789A]

Thoughts?

 

Wrestling is way more exciting than some lame, incomplete boxing match.

 

[Lingwo]

I wanted like most people to see Mayweather lose but have to give him credit. He made Pacquiao look very ordinary.

[webeagle12]

Wrestling is way more exciting than some lame, incomplete boxing match.

 

 

 

It sure is if you want to touch other guy sweaty balls.

[DeusProto]

The second boxing match I ever watched, and probably the last. 

 

I had assumed before watching any boxing that to win you must KO the opponent, or the opponent forfeits. But the unanimous decision crap really makes the sport boring as hell. 

[Krome]

Yeah those two guys didn't break a sweat during the fight.  Figuratively speaking of course.  Pacquiao's punch is too gentle.  It didn't hurt Mayweather at all.  I see Pacquiao did so much punching and landing but the score count is way way off.  So the fight is boring and rigged.

[gameboy1977]

I heard they want a rematch in September 2015.

 

I read Facebook comments and many people called Floyd Mayweather a.k.a. Gayweather the cheater!

[vanx]

I heard they want a rematch in September 2015.

 

I read Facebook comments and many people called Floyd Mayweather a.k.a. Gayweather the cheater!

 

With Manny's shoulder injury and operation to come later this week, a rematch this September is not going to happen.

[gameboy1977]

With Manny's shoulder injury and operation to come later this week, a rematch this September is not going to happen.

yes I read news recently. Mayweather's dad doesn't want him do rematch with Pacquiao.

[vanx]

yes I read news recently. Mayweather's dad doesn't want him do rematch with Pacquiao.

 

Irrespective of what Mayweather Sr. wants, a rematch with Pacman is not going to happen because of his injury. Besides, even if there was no injury, given the ease with which Money dispatched Manny, he has no reason to consent to a rematch, especially since no such clause was in the contract.

[Damo R. Veteran]

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[gameboy1977]

Mayweather Pacquiao fight: The action is finally getting started

 

(CNN)The Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight is over, but the action is finally getting started.

The two fighters look like they are headed from the ring to court, albeit for two very different issues, that may take away from the big payday.

Fans seem peeved for a slew of reasons: the fight was one-sided and kinda boring, Pacquiao had a bum shoulder and kept it a secret, and some people in the United States paid $100 to watch that thing while others paid absolutely nothing.

People also are mad because not much happened in the ring, but both fighters are getting a serious amount of coin. Some media broke it down by the second, but think of it this way; Pacquiao took in about $1.4 million per punch landed.

Or check this out, Mayweather made more ambling across the ring at the beginning of each round than most people pay for a house. After the bout, he showed two ESPN announcers an initial payment check -- and there will be another after the pay-per-view sales are figured out -- that had a 1 and eight zeroes. I thought only Mega Millions and Powerball wrote checks that big.

 

 

Fans want some money back

 

Two guys who live in Las Vegas feel ripped off, and they think there are thousands of others who feel the same way. So, Stephane Vanel and Kami Rahbaran filed a class-action suit Tuesday against Pacquaio and his promoter for at least $5 million. The plaintiffs say in the court filing that the legal action is brought on behalf of people who bought a ticket for the bout, purchased it on pay-per-view or made a (legal) bet on the match.

Pacquaio, his adviser and Top Rank Boxing should have let everyone know he had a shoulder injury, they say.

A Top Rank lawyer told ESPN the suit is hogwash.

"The allegations in this lawsuit are demonstrably false," Daniel Petrocelli told the network.

The Pacquiao team said Monday that the fighter was injured during training. His shoulder was getting better, but still needed treatment.

Nevada boxing officials denied them the chance to give Pacquiao a shot on the night of the fight. That's because on a medical questionnaire someone from Pacquiao's camp checked "No" when asked if the fighter had a shoulder injury that required evaluation.

The lawsuit alleges fraudulent concealment, consumer fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud, because the injury was not revealed until after the fight.

Pacquaio's lawyers will be busy. There was a second suit, this one filed Tuesday in California by two people who bought the pay-per-view. Heather McDonald and Payman Shanin gave the same reason for their legal action and also seek $5 million for people like them.

"Having had knowledge of defendant Pacquiao's injury and its severity prior to the bout, plaintiffs would not have purchased the bout pay-per-view or would have paid less for it," the suit says.

Mayweather also was sued Tuesday. The suit was brought by the mother of three of his children, who alleges he lied about her during one of his interviews in the buildup to Saturday's match with Pacquiao. Mayweather told Katie Couric that Josie Harris was on drugs during an incident that led to him spending two months in jail for domestic violence.

Floyd Mayweather sued by ex-girlfriend Josie Harris for $20 million

 

Periscope gives fans new look at fights

 

In the United States, there have usually been two ways to watch the big fights the night they happen. We won't count in person, because those tickets are too expensive and too hard to get.

But there's pay-per-view -- the legal way -- and there are some dubious ways like pirating the signal or using websites -- the kind that keep your popup blocker busy -- that enable some people to watch the fight without paying.

Now there's another option, because there is an app for that.

Periscope was a big "winner" Saturday night. The Twitter-owned live-streaming app was used all over the world, according to Mashable, to show the fight as dozens of users were streaming the fight from their own TVs. One streamer was reportedly in the arena. Some of the watchers were new to Periscope.

Mayweather-Pacquaio fight made Periscope the new Napster

It wasn't just Periscope; there are other video streaming apps like Meerkat, based in Israel.

On Tuesday, a co-founder of Periscope downplayed the piracy issue, Variety reported. Kayvon Beykpour told a conference in New York the press was making a little too much of the number of violators.

"Generally there's way more media attention than there is a problem," said Beykpour, according to the entertainment publication.

Beykpour tweeted Sunday that he was one of the Periscope employees working during the fight to take down streams.

"Piracy does not excite us," he wrote.

 

This seems destined for a court fight of its own.

The Los Angeles Times talked to Todd DuBoef, the president of Top Rank, who said the company was forming its legal strategy. Top Rank will "have to pursue" the people streaming the fight and the companies that are making it possible.

CNNMoney asked HBO and Showtime, who broadcast the fight, whether they warned Twitter or Meerkat before the bout or if they're going to chase down the people who livestreamed the fight. Showtime, speaking on behalf of both companies, declined to comment. CNN, like HBO, is owned by Time Warner.

 

I'm with him

 

Not all the news from the fight was so serious. Newspapers in Great Britain discovered the story of a 24-year-old man from Hull, England, who sneaked into the VIP area by joining Leonardo DiCaprio's entourage.

Steve Carruthers made quite a night of it, snapping photos with both boxers and celebrities like Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg, Michael Keaton, Don Cheadle and Jimmy Kimmel.

Carruthers said he was waiting in a hallway when he saw his chance. DiCaprio came by with six other people

"He had a cap on and his sunglasses and head down so that nobody recognized him, but I did and followed him in," Carruthers told the Telegraph. "I just walked in with him to the ballroom."

Once in, the Englishman went to the VIP bar and then into the seating area close to the ring, where he took photos with the big shots.

He had to go to his regular seat during the bout, but that was just a minor setback.

He must have been feeling pretty confident, because he went back to the VIP area and made his way past security with a group of people who were wearing official credentials, the Daily Mail reported.

It almost ended poorly for Carruthers when he met the fighters after they came out of the locker rooms. Things with Pacquiao went smoothly but security guards seemed to catch on when he asked Mayweather for an autograph. They were ready to toss him when, Carruthers claims, Mayweather said, "I got him."

It's quite an impressive story, even if the last part is a little much to be believed. But Carruthers does have the pictures to prove he met everyone he says he met, including one with the champ.

Security guards at the movie and television studios in Hollywood should watch out. Word is Carruthers headed there after his memorable stop in Las Vegas.

 

Read more, video, and twitter post:

 

Some fans want money back from that boring boxing...