Done deal: Floyd Mayweather will fight Manny Pacquiao on May 2

yahoo.....!? ^ | "13 hours ago" | Kevin Iole Yahoo Sports

[9thLife]

LAS VEGAS – After years of frustration and disappointment, following many starts and stops, perhaps the most talked about boxing match in history is finally a reality.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. announced Friday that he's agreed to fight Manny Pacquiao in a welterweight bout May 2 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas. It's a bout the public has been calling for since late 2009 and pits the two finest boxers of their generation in a historic event.

[9thLife]

Mayweather if he's anywhere being near in shape.

[Puppage]

Yeah, he’ll definately put the hurt on him. This fight should have happened five years ago.

[Beagle8U]

Mayweather had to wait for Pac-man to get well past his prime before he would agree to fight him.

[ClearCase_guy]

When I was young (1970s) there were frequent discussions about professional wrestling -- was it a real sport? was it faked?
People really disagreed on this, and a lot of people thought that it was a totally serious sport, and there was nothing fake about the Good Guy/Bad Guy design, and that there was always real suspense about who would come out on top.

I think that, today, everyone knows professional wrestling is 100% showmanship.

I was surprised lately to find myself in a discussion with half a dozen people who seriously thought of professional boxing in exactly the same way. I was the only one who considered it a sport. I actually thought the outcome was determined by the ability of the athletes. Everyone else in the room considered to be basically a fake sport, with the winner decided well in advance.

I really can't say either way, I guess, but Boy, this country sure has changed since my youth.

[9thLife]

I think its a sport with a ton of showmanship and cahoots thrown in for good measure.

But assuming those guys enter the ring planning to win, it's sportsmanship.

[spetznaz]

Mayweather had to wait for Pac-man to get well past his prime before he would agree to fight him.

How does that make sense when Mayweather is 37 and Pac-man is 36? Manny is younger than Mayweather.

[Puppage]

Agreed

[Beagle8U]

Mayweather has had fewer fights and won most of them by tying up his opponent and running around the ring. He hasn’t taken the punishment over the years that Pacquiao has.

A win is a win I guess, But I don’t think Mayweather could have beat Pac-man 5 years ago.

[Impy]

Unrelated but interesting

JFK’s 1958 Senate opponent, Vincent J. Celeste died a few days ago, RIP.

http://www.newsmax.com/JohnGizzi/vincent-celeste-obituary-john-kennedy-opponent/2015/02/17/id/625359/

This obit of him mentions he was friends with boxing great Rocky Marciano.

<<<<<< Celeste also launched a thriving law practice, its best-known client being heavyweight boxing champion Rocky Marciano.

Well aware that Marciano was Celeste’s client and friend, Kennedy nonetheless asked the “Brockton Bomber” to march with him in Boston’s Columbus Day parade as he sought re-election in 1958. As Celeste recalled to this reporter, “Rocky called and told me he was getting subtle threats that some of his business and promotional deals were not going to come through if he didn’t march with Jack. I told him I would never come between something that would provide for his wife and little girl and to do what he had to do. He said he’d think it over for a few days.”

He did. A few days later, Celeste recalled, Marciano told Celeste that “Jack’s people had called and asked if he was going to march with the senator. Marciano told them, ‘I’d die first.’”

“Good old Rocky!,” beamed Celeste. <<<<<<<<<

[Impy]

By “a few days ago” of course I mean last month. ;d

[PUGACHEV]

Although it is a place where bizarre thing happen all the time, the boxing world nevertheless has several has some few guiding principles which are rigidly adhered to. First, it is all about the money. It is not fixed or scripted the way professional wrestling is, but at local bouts the red corner always wins, unless the out of towner is a ranked fighter brought in to test the local boy's mettle. Second, it is all abut the money. In the larger bouts you see on TV, the refs and the judges are paid by the sanctioning body, and get all of there expenses paid as well, but they are generally chosen by the promoters. They know where the money is, and if there is any way they can possibly accommodate that money, they do.

Professional boxing is THE ONLY activity I believe could benefit from regulation by the Federal government. Think about that for a minute.

[fieldmarshaldj]

As was pretty obvious, the better candidate lost.

[BBell]

Wrestling’s not fake. The fighting is real, we just always know whose going to win.

[Impy]

I’m very impressed that Marciano told Kennedy’s thugs to go F themselves.

[eclecticEel]

If the decision goes to the judges, then yes, boxing is completely fixed.

[StoneWall Brigade]

Wow that is interesting.

[GOPsterinMA]

The paisanos here that are GOP tend to be 100% GOP.

In this last governor’s election, the Baker-Polito ticket had huge support in the Italian section of Boston, for example. The huge “Congratulations to Charlie & Karen” banner was still hanging (until the weather pretty much brought it down) in the Italian section.

[GOPsterinMA]

Oh, and...FRANK RIZZO!!!