Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather are no closer to fighting each other today than they were four years ago. But even if this clash of titans has become all but a pipe dream for boxing fans, the two are still engaged in some other kind of fight, one where Pacman scored a unanimous decision victory.
No, it’s not in the ring; it’s in the courts.
If you recall, the Filipino boxing icon slapped his American counterpart with a defamation suit over the latter’s incessant claims and allegations that Pacquiao’s increased body mass over the past few years wasn’t the result of “hard work! dedication!” but of performance enhancing drugs. Not one to take allegations as serious as this lightly, Pacquiao took the fight to the courts, suing Mayweather for recklessly throwing his name in the mud.
Ever the man of clarvoyance, Floyd dismissed the charges, even failing to show up for his deposition in Las Vegas, opting instead to spend that time lighting up Benjamins in an Atlanta night club. Unfortunately, that didn’t sit too well with federal Judge Larry R. Hicks who recently ordered Mayweather to pay for Manny’s attorney’s fees – an amount that was set at $113,518.50 – in addition to covering court costs amounting to $774.10.
For a man who bets on sports with six figure amounts as if they were loose change, $113,518.50 is a college football wager for Floyd Mayweather. That amount is chump change for him.
But for all of us starving for what could very well be the most lucrative fight in the history of the sport, it’s things like this that make us cling to the sliver of hope that Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. will finally step between the ropes and beat the living shit out of each other. The possibility of that happening is still slim to none – Pacquiao’s next fight will be against Juan Manuel Marquez for the 4th time! Enough already, you two! – because nobody seems willing to actually make the fight happen.
So if the fight never does happen, Pacquiao fans can take comfort knowing that their beloved hero scored a win over Floyd Mayweather Jr. Even if it’s the kind that didn’t involve fists being thrown in the other man’s face.
