Floyd not as quick on draw?

MANILA, Philippines - Unbeaten WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. turns 37 on Feb. 24 and the speculation is he won’t be as quick on the draw when “Money” finally faces Manny Pacquiao whenever, wherever it happens. It appears inevitable that the showdown will take place only because there’s too much money to be made in the fight and nobody except Pacquiao has the capacity to pose a serious challenge to Mayweather.

Perhaps, it’s Pacquiao’s potential to beat Mayweather that’s stalling the finalization of the bout that every boxing fan is waiting for. Mayweather is dragging his feet, waiting for Pacquiao to get slower with age. The problem is Mayweather’s not getting any younger himself. The difference between the two fighters is activity. Since 2007, Pacquiao has logged 14 fights, compiling a record of 12-2, with 5 KOs, compared to Mayweather’s eight with a record of 8-0, including 2 KOs. Mayweather didn’t bother to fight in 2008.

If wear and tear is a gauge, Mayweather has the edge over Pacquiao. The Filipino has figured in 62 fights since turning pro in January 1995 while Mayweather has fought in 45 since his debut in October 1996. Pacquiao, however, is younger at 35.

Former Ring Magazine editor Nigel Collins said both fighters have made adjustments in their style to prolong their careers. “Mayweather has transformed himself as he’s aged and moved up in weight,” wrote Collins in Boxing News (Nov. 28, 2013). “The fearsome fighter who ravaged Diego Corrales in 2001 is long gone, replaced by today’s technically brilliant but tame version. Pacquiao’s no longer the ferocious assassin of old. Just like other great fighters who found ways to win after their physical primes had passed. Change is as inevitable as the march of time. No fighter can go on forever. Those who last the longest, however, are generally those who compensate by fine-tuning their craft to take full advantage of who they are in the present, not who they were in the past.”

Pacquiao hasn’t scored an abbreviated win since halting Miguel Cotto in 2009 as his last five wins were on points. Mayweather has notched a single knockout in his last six bouts and that came on a sucker punch that bamboozled Victor Ortiz.

Celebrated trainer Freddie Roach told The Star in Los Angeles recently that Mayweather’s legs “aren’t the same anymore.” From what Pacquiao displayed in trouncing Brandon Rios in Macau last November, Roach said in contrast, the Filipino still has his legs.

Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said there’s no doubt in his mind who’ll win the fight. “What Mayweather hates is Manny’s right hand,” said Arum quoted by Norm Frauenheim in The Ring Magazine (January 2012). “Mayweather has no chin and Manny will knock him out. Pacquiao and Mayweather is a three or four-round fight. Period. And who knows what best? Mayweather. If Manny agreed just to jab with the right hand, the fight would be made in 30 seconds.”

Arum said Mayweather and Pacquiao owe it to the sport to make their fight happen. “If people stop posturing, absolutely, it can happen,” he told Bob Velin of USA Today. “It’s stupid if it doesn’t happen. Is Mayweather going to fight Amir Khan? Who gives a (expletive)? We’ve announced we’re willing to make anything happen. I’ve said unequivocally, we’re ready to sit down and see if a deal can be reached.”

Arum denied that he’s the stumbling block to the deal. “This idea that Floyd hates me or I hate Floyd is poppycock,” he continued. “These so-called writers are saying ‘Well, it can’t happen because Floyd hates Bob Arum.’ Floyd doesn’t hate me like I don’t hate him.”

In early 2012, it appeared that Mayweather and Pacquiao were close to coming to terms. They spoke on the phone with Mayweather dangling a $40 Million guaranteed purse with no share of the pay-per-view stakes. Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz later said Arum countered with a guarantee of $50 Million for Mayweather and a 55-45 split in the pay-per-view and other income with the winner claiming the bigger share. The deal never got to first base.

The equation has dramatically changed since that phone conversation. Boxing News editor Tris Dixon said Koncz intimated to him that Pacquiao is now agreeable to a 60-40 split in Mayweather’s favor. And whatever drug tests Mayweather wants Pacquiao to undergo would be no problem.