Texas, specifically Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, continues to hear itself bandied about as potential host for a Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight. That’s because Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter, single-handedly is keeping the issue alive.
Here are three reasons it almost certainly won’t happen, and why the fight will head to MGM Grand in Las Vegas on March 13.
1. Texas officiatingThe state commission in Texas e-mailed both camps last week in an effort to soothe any fears about the quality of officiating and the input both sides would have in selection of officials if the fight is conducted in that state.
Oh, boy. That should fix things.
The Texas commission is the same one that earlier this year listened to Paulie Malignaggi -- before the fight, mind you -- accuse in-state judge Gale Van Hoy of bias for house fighters (that is, the fighter in whom the promoter-of-record has a contractual interest), and Raul Caiz Jr. of being a “go-fer” judge who Golden Boy Promotions routinely seeks to have assigned to bouts involving its fighters.
Sure enough, Malignaggi lost a unanimous decision to Houston’s Juan Diaz in a fight that could have gone either way, and Van Hoy’s ridiculous 118-110 scorecard -- that is, 10-2 in rounds -- virtually mandated a rematch.
When they fought again Saturday in Chicago, Malignaggi dominated and won a clean, unanimous decision, all by 116-111 scores.
Van Hoy and Caiz also were two of the three officials involved in another recent fight in Texas, in which Houston’s Rocky Juarez got the benefit of a spurious draw in a featherweight fight against undefeated Chris John. That result also forced a rematch, in Las Vegas, on the Mayweather-Juan Manuel Marquez undercard. John dominated and won a clear decision.
The questions about judging in big fights in Texas goes way back. Does anyone remember how Julio Cesar Chavez got outboxed by Pernell Whitaker in 1993, only to get the benefit of a draw at the Alamodome in San Antonio, which preserved his undefeated record for a few more months?
Oh, and there is always the potential perception of conflict of interest whenever Laurence Cole, a well-known Texas referee, works a bout in which his insurance company also has sold the bout policy to the promoter. Cole isn’t a bad referee and I seriously doubt he ever stopped a fight prematurely to ensure he didn’t have to pay a premium, but the perception that it could happen remains, and the state commission condones it.
There’s a lot of boxing in Texas, so there also are many opportunities to come up with strange examples of real or perceived impropriety.
Problem is, on those occasions when the state has hosted big fights, and those real or perceived improprieties have come to light -- sometimes even before the fight occurs -- Texas has proven incapable of dismissing them to everyone’s satisfaction.
The Mayweather camp wants some assurance of fairness in this fight. Facing the promoter’s fighter, Pacquiao, in a state notorious for giving the promoter’s fighter preferred treatment, is not exactly the Mayweather side’s idea of fair.
2. Arum wants it thereArum has a fiduciary responsibility to his fighter, Pacquiao, to get the most money he can out of the venue. Cowboys Stadium has a $25 million offer on the table. It also offers the opportunity for an enormous crowd and record live gate receipts.
From a promotional perspective, Arum might be absolutely correct. Dallas might be the right place.
Bob ArumFrom Mayweather’s perspective, Arum isn’t going to get everything Arum wants.
That thing where Richard Schaefer pulled out of a scheduled site visit to Dallas last week?
Don’t think for one second that Schaefer did that on his own, without marching orders from Mayweather’s advisers. Schaefer is CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. Mayweather does not have a contract with Golden Boy and Schaefer is not empowered to act unilaterally on his behalf.
Schaefer is involved in this fight only to the extent that he has been retained as a representative liaison, for the specific purpose of helping Arum and Mayweather avoid talking directly.
If there were direct negotiations between Arum and Mayweather -- or anyone directly associated with Mayweather’s camp -- this fight would have been off the table within a matter of minutes, and everyone would have stormed out of the room, cursing each other.
So Schaefer -- clearly on orders from Mayweather’s advisers -- withdrew from the scheduled Dallas site study, made it clear the fight isn’t going to Texas, and within a matter of days, Arum made public declarations that Texas is still in the running and he has a responsibility to investigate it.
Arum knows more about boxing that just about anyone alive.
He also knows it takes two to make a fight.
Now, from a promotional perspective, it makes all kinds of sense to leave Cowboys Stadium on the table. With offers of $20 million from Staples Center in Los Angeles, and $25 million from Cowboys Stadium, the casino bosses must consider how many chips they have to toss into the pot in order to secure the richest fight in history for the world’s boxing capital.
Securing a substantial site fee from MGM Grand becomes a lot easier if it appears other bids are under serious consideration.
Nevertheless, Mayweather’s side has made it clear their man isn’t going to Texas. As anyone in Texas knows, you don’t try to pull a mule to do something it doesn’t want to do, because it only makes the animal more stubborn. You try to coax it.
Until and unless Mayweather’s side alters its position -- which isn’t likely -- Arum’s declarations that Texas is still a candidate constitutes mule-pulling.
AP PhotoFloyd Mayweather, who took in a New Jersey Nets game last week, has had his last five fights in Las Vegas. 3. Comfort in NevadaPacquiao’s side rejected Los Angeles’ bid because of taxation issues.
Mayweather’s side rejected Dallas’ bid for any number of reasons, although the only one anyone actually has heard is Arum’s recounting of a conversation in which Schaefer supposedly told him it doesn’t want the fight in an outdoor stadium, even though Cowboys Stadium has a retractable roof.
If anyone believes the latter, re-read issues No. 1 and No. 2 about why Mayweather really rejected Dallas.
That leaves Nevada, and the regularity with which both Mayweather and Pacquiao fight there, their familiarity with the lodging, the gyms, the personnel, the logistics, the treatment -- from A to Z, the handling of fights and fighters.
Pacquiao, a superstitious sort, always stays in the same suite at Mandalay Bay. He trains at the same IBA Gym, at the same time, on the same days. He has a routine. His last six fights, and 11 overall, have been in Las Vegas.
Mayweather, who isn’t fond of traveling for fights, and who resides in Las Vegas, hasn’t left that city for a bout in more than four years. His last five fights, and 16 overall, have been there.
Both sides know how the commission works. Yes, there have been judging errors in Nevada, of course. But there still isn’t a more efficient and transparent boxing commission in the world.
When it comes down to the richest fight in history, and one for pound-for-pound supremacy, don’t underestimate how much that means.
.jpg)
.jpg)
While the world awaits an official announcement making a Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight official, there is much speculation surrounding the venue choice in regards to which facility will play host to the potential dream fight. While the financial safe haven of Las Vegas is the front runner for obvious reasons, I remain intrigued at the choice of the premiere NFL “Cowboys Stadium” in Texas as a potential site for this historic showdown. 
Posts
