From the moment it was rumored, people said that a bout between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao
was the type of showcase that could be considered a crossover fight,
one that would attract all kinds of mainstream attention. That theory
has proved to be true as the American Mayweather and Filipino Pacquiao
have captured the public’s attention and put boxing back into the
spotlight in a way that hasn’t been seen for years.

When
trying to get a feel for what a group of people, or even a nation
itself, is feeling about a certain topic there are many ways to go
about it. One of the best examples I have found is to simply go online
and search the internet for forums and message boards alike. If one is
to take this step and do some digging they will often find a community
of voices, opinions, and varying personalities intertwined together,
all leading to one collective voice.

About four years ago my
passion for NBA basketball had taken me to the point where I found
myself searching for a forum where I could reside and gather feedback
from fellow fans across the globe. To this day I can’t recall how
I found it, but somehow I stumbled upon the website Inside Hoops (www.InsideHoops.com)
and became hooked. The main page featured news and rumors about each
and every team in the league that was extremely beneficial but it was
the website’s forum that really stood out.

I registered on
the forums and spent most of my time in two designated boards, the
‘NBA Forum’ and ‘Off the Court Lounge’. While
not one to always post at a frequent rate I always checked up on what
everyone else was saying. I noticed instantly that the board was full
of members from all walks of life, which can be expected, and that
there was no stone unturned whether the topics were concerning the NBA
or other aspects of life.

The ‘Off the Court Lounge’
has a different feel than the regular forum and it’s a good place
to talk about anything in life, from women, personal issues,
entertainment, and other news across the globe. I was always under the
assumption to expect the unexpected when dealing with my fellow ISH
cohorts but recently was taken back by just much passion and attention
the members have given to the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather showdown.

A
thread titled ‘Pacquiao-Mayweather Set for March 2010’ was
started on December 1st and has since gone on to be one of the most
hotly debated topics on the board, with 359 comments and 6,653 page
views as this goes to print. Nestled between such threads as
‘Post a pic of yourself 6’ and ‘Why are the rich
getting richer and the poor getting poorer?’, the Pacquiao-Mayweather debate found inside the ISH forums has been noteworthy.

From
the minute that rumors began surfacing that the fight looked to be a go
for March, members starting weighing in with their opinions. This is
how some of the early feeback looked…

(SoCalMike)…
“I
hope this happens, but I just don’t think Mayweather is in his prime
anymore, so I think Pacquiao will win since he’s at the top of his
game!”

(RedBlackAttack)…
“As
much as Floyd’s team and Arum despise each other, this fight is far too
big not to happen. Now, maybe we can actually focus on the matchup and
not the purse and how it should be divided.

I’m a big fan of both fighters. That said…

Give him a boxing lesson, Floyd.”

(Zan Tabak)…
“The last big fight left in boxing…I’m looking forward to it.”

(halffttime)…
“I
got Pacquiao by decision or tko via stoppage.. trust me I understand
how styles make fights and Mayweather’s style is perfect for going up
against Pacquiao.. but I just have this gut feeling Pacquiao’s gonna
pull it out.”

(Lebron23)…
“Fight of the century.

Pacquiao
and Roach should hire Timothy Bradley and Joan Guzman as his sparring
partners because they can mimic Mayweather’s style.


Amir
Khan, Jorge Linares, Rashad Holloway, Showtime Shawn Porter, Jose Luis
Castillo, and Urbano Antillon were his sparring partners in the De La
Hoya/Hatton/Cotto Fight.


But next year I think
Freddie Roach is going to hire a slick, fast, athletic, and a
Defensive-Minded boxer in preparation for the Mayweather-Pacquiao
fight.”

(DonDadda59)…
“I
love how everyone is focused on how problematic Floyd’s style is for
Pac but few consider that fact that Money has never faced a fighter
like Pac. His southpaw stance alone presents a challenge, May struggled
with Zab in the early going and like RBA said Corley (not even half the
fighter Pac is) hurt him. Add his odd rhythm- moving in and out, side
to side, and his head movement has increased tenfold. He throws
multiple punches from weird angles and many of his opponents say they
can’t see the punches coming because he’s so blindingly fast.”

(Tarik One)…
“Wow
you guys haven’t watched Floyd at all, he always backs up southpaws
with both hands up high (except maybe Judah). I thought Manny should
have used a lot more movement against Cotto, but he wanted to prove a
point, but regardless Pacquiao can be backed up relatively easily
because he moves in and out, he isn’t a guy who just comes forward, but
if you can get him consistently moving back thats where he isn’t as
good. The fight against Hatton doesn’t count because obviously a heavy
hitter with speed would pick Hatton apart because he’s so open when he
comes in.

The problem is when you watch the Marquez
fight Manny wasn’t the offensively killer he was in later fights, and
thats because Marquez didn’t let him. Marquez was able to control the
ring and even was more success leading in with the cross than Pacquiao
was. Now put Mayweather in Marquez’s shoes, a guy who blatantly showed
he’s bigger, faster, and stronger and better than Marquez, and Manny
won’t be able to get started.

The best way to beat a
Ferrari in a race is to never let the key go into the ignition, and
Mayweather wouldn’t let Manny find his rhythm. Floyd will come forward
behind a high guard, and he will land right hand after right hand, and
Manny will occasionally flurry, but Mayweather will either stand there
and block the majority of them or move back quickly and stay out of
Manny’s range, then he will go right back to walking Manny down.”

Later word hit regarding the now infamous Olympic style drug testing fiasco
and that only further built up the reaction and opinion expressed by
the ISH community. This is what everyone was initially saying…


(DonDadda59)…
“And
the funny thing is, Pacquiao’s side agreed to blood tests at the time
of the press conference (2 months before the fight) and right after the
fight as well as urine samples at any time they are requested. They
just don’t want blood drawn during training, just before a megafight
which makes perfect sense.

First it was complaints
about weight and glove size, then Schaefer cancels the trip to Dallas
hours before they were set to go, few days ago Zab Judah says Floyd is
complaining about money and walking away (after a $25 mil guarantee
before extras), now this. Seems like they’re trying REAL hard to avoid
this from happening.”

(sunsfan1357)…
“Blame has to go on Pac’s camp too.

Quote:
Two weeks ago, Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, told ESPN.com that their side had no problem with Olympic style testing.

“I
have no problem with the testing whatsoever,” Roach said then. “They
can do whatever kind of drug testing they want. They’re scared of Manny
and scared of his power. He’ll pass any test in the world.”

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/box…ory?id=4766171

Can’t blame the Mayweather camp for insisting on testing that Pac’s trainer said they would have no problem doing.”

(RedBlackAttack)…
“It’s called head games… Gamesmanship.

It appears to be working. They’ve got Freddie Roach responding to the inquiries.

Floyd
is not walking away from this fight. That may be what his handlers are
saying, but I’ve been telling you from the very start that this fight
is happening. You didn’t believe that it would ever be this close to
being done. Now, you believe it is going to fall through at the last
possible minute.

Listen to me for once on this
matter… The fight is happening. There is still a little posturing
going on, which happens when you have massive egos butting heads, but
there is way too much money on the line to derail this matchup. The
money is agreed to (and generous to Pac, imo). The gloves are agreed to
(again… Pac won that side of it). The weight is agreed to (Pac’s
request to be at 147).

So, basically, Floyd has
conceded every other issue. The only thing that he is asking is that
Pac take a blood test the day of the fight. I don’t think it is a
ridiculous request, especially considering every other contingency has
gone the way of Pac.

I’m just saying… The suspicion is
out there. Why not kill all of it by just agreeing to the simple blood
test that BOTH men would be taking? Why not at least TRY to negotiate,
instead of saying that you will only take a test A MONTH before the
fight? The amount of blood that he would lose during testing would be
regenerated in a few hours.

I don’t think Pac is juicing, but he is making himself look suspicious, here.”

(raiderfan19)…
“This
is hilarious. If Manny refuses to agree to this, then yes it is purely
on him and to be honest there’s not really a way to argue its
not. If Floyd was asking for Manny and only Manny to be tested, Manny’s
team would have a point, but Floyd would be subject to the same test.
There are so many ways to beat urine tests its just unreal, and there
are really easy ways to beat tests when you know they are coming which
is the entire point of doing this kind of testing.

Also
to whomever mentioned Phil and Lebron, Lebron has already been
subjected to this kind of testing(as has Kobe) when they were on team
USA.”

(jaydacris)…
“doesn’t
sound too outrageous to me…for 25 million, I think one can subject
himself to a needle which would take a miniscule amount of blood

the
Nevada athletic commission is very lax already, they only care about
hep b/c and hiv, and a blood test for these things are done once a year
(license lasts a year), also they do random testing only if they think necessary (defeats the purpose of random)

A great fighter like Manny’s Achilles is a simple needle shot? damn…”

(GOBB)…
“Either
Pacman has something to hide which could tarnish his legacy or his team
feels this is just ridiculous and insulting. How many boxers in the
history of the sport have given blood 48hrs before a bout? Floyd’s camp
is playing it smart by now having this shadow of doubt/suspicion if a
showdown doesn’t go…down. Even outside the ring Floyd is
tactical.”

(SCREWstonRockets)…
“Sounds
like mind games to throw Pac off his game. I don’t think they are
scared, but I think they feel the need to get any extra advantage
against Pacman. They seem very surprised at what Pac did to Cotto. I’d
understand if the state boxing commission requested this, but this is
all from Team Money. Since when did they start running things? The
Nevada State Boxing Commission feels insulted as they have stated their
testing is state of the art.”

(plowking)…
“Manny should man up and take the blood test. It’s hardly a ridiculous request.”

(johndeeregreen)…
“I
just want to know what performance enhancing drug can be detected a
week before the fight but not immediately afterwards.

As
for the blood test thing, all of you are overlooking the point.
Physically it will do nothing to either man, of that I’m sure. By the
accounts of those in Pacquiao’s camp, however, it is a mental obstacle.
I’ve never boxed before, but I can tell you in any sport you’re
playing, if you THINK you’re weaker – you are. Don’t sleep on the
mental aspect of anything. Your mind is a powerful thing. If Pacquiao
genuinely believes that having blood drawn the day of the fight will
affect his performance, rest assured, it will.”

(imagine)…
“Is
there really an illegal substance that can be taken in training so
close to the fight that will not show up in any urine or blood test
right after the fight? If there is, why don’t all boxers use it?”

(RandomBalla55)…
“I
would completely agree that this would be ludicrous if it was only
Manny who would be subjected to these Olympic-style drug tests.

However,
if Floyd is undergoing the same tests as well, then nobody is
benefiting. All it is to make sure that, in an event of this magnitude,
that there’s no reasonable doubt that everyone is clean.

I’m
not saying that Pac is guilty, but it does look bad. Floyd undergoes
the exact same tests and there’s no advantage to anyone. If you’ve got
nothing to hide, why not?”

(bdreason)…
“I
assume everyone is on PED’s unless proven otherwise. Every athlete, in
every major sport should be required to take random drug tests year
around.


Even after drug tests I’m skeptical…
because many of the tests don’t include screening for HGH, the most
popular PED in the world right now.


I personally
know amateur athletes (MMA) who use HGH, and love it. It truly is an
amazing drug. I’ve actually considered using it myself, even though I’m
not an amateur or professional athlete. Many non-athletes who take HGH
call it “the fountain of youth”.


Anyway, I’m off
topic. This sounds more like hype for the fight than a legit problem.
Manny will take the tests, and the fight will happen. My money is on
PBF by decision.”

(The GM)…
“Pacquiao
has a “pre-game” ritual why change it for some punk that is obviously
scared that he’s gonna get knocked out and doesn’t want that 1 L on his
record. This is obviously mind games by Mayweather, he’s such a bia and
deserves no respect. Pac said he would take blood test just not when
Floyd wants them, how convenient how Floyd just brings this up right b4
everything is gonna get finalized, smells like ***** to me. Pac has a
phobia to needles, everyone has a phobia to something so i don’t know
why people on here make such a big deal of it. He has a routine and he
wants to stick to it, should he change it to bow down to Floyd like he
wants? no. Floyd is scared cause he saw what Pac did to Cotto and if
this fight doesn’t happened it will only further damage Mayweather’s
legacy, period.”

(Undisputed)…
“There’s a lot of PED’s that are undetectable.

Pac
needs to take the tests. I can understand the concern of Mayweather and
his camp, I know I would be concerned also. I have a feeling Pacquiao
will be busted for using PED’s. I don’t care how many arguments from
fanboys that I hear, I just see it coming.”

(Lebron23)…
“Pacquiao should take the blood test after the fight

Mayweather wants to see a physically and mentally weak Manny Pacquiao inside the boxing ring.

If he is found to be on steroids Pacman doesn’t get the money and the recognition of beating Mayweather.

The Nevada State Commission should suspend him.

Why did Money May not ask the same thing for his 40 other opponents?

Pac
should only accept an Olympic Style drug testing after their bout. I
want to see both boxers at full strength on March 13, 2009.”

(oh the horror)…
“This
is all very annoying. Whatever happened to the day when a boxer wanted
to whip anyone’s ass that was willing to fight him? Was there ever an
era like that? When the best fighters always fought the other best
fighters without all of these politics being involved? This sh*t here
is just tiresome.”

Tiresome indeed, but such is
often the case in the world of boxing. What we want or expect
doesn’t always come to fruition and the Pacquiao-Mayweather saga
has been excruciating and frustrating on many accounts. In closing the
forum members voiced their opinions just recently as to whether or not
the bout would eventually come off…

(jaydacris)…
“I’m getting kinda worried… this really needs to be inked up by years end

its
almost like they’re both accepting the fight wont happen, and both
camps are trying to save face for reasons why the fight didn’t
happen

boxing needs a governing body, an overseeing eye does nothing (athletic commissions)
when u leave decisions up to egomaniac greedy promoters/fighters this is the **** u end up with

both
fighters need this fight, if it doesn’t happen, their next fights
wont matter cuz it’ll just be overshadowed by why THIS fight
didn’t happen”

(DeuceWallaces)…
“Good
to see Pac get called out. Shouldn’t be any reason he wouldn’t agree to
any drug testing no matter how strict. You’d want to clear your name
right? Been THE topic of talk radio here all week.

Pac
is hiding something. Scared of getting caught. He just needs to agree
to Olympic testing and everything is cool. They’re not defaming him,
they’re asking for intense testing, because the guy got dropped by two
chumps and now he takes a pounding like Rocky while laughing it off and
climbing weight classes like no one we’ve seen before.”

(DonDadda59)…
“Thing
is though, Pac already agreed to do blood tests- 3 of them in 2 months
w/ unlimited urine tests, went as far as to allow testing 5 days before
the fight (in addition to immediately after the fight), AND is willing
to throw $10 million at Money if he fails any sort of test… but the
Mayweather’s don’t think that’s enough… what does that tell you? It’d
be one thing if he said ‘No tests period’, he just doesn’t feel
comfortable getting blood drawn the day before the fight, and the USADA
won’t guarantee that won’t happen since they want random testing and
have no cap on time/amounts of tests, so Arum suggested they use the
same agencies that test NFL and NBA players, you know pro athletes.
Still not good enough. Because obviously, Dr. Mayweather Sr. knows Pac
is on that new ‘subblamence’ that only stays in your system 4 days or
less than a month and can’t be detected the night of the fight when
it’s supposed to be taking effect.

Anyway, Mayweathers
got their wish- they used this ‘negotiation period’ for the free
publicity for their ‘World Tour’ plan and the fight that was never
going to happen is off. Arum is starting negotiations with Paulie
Malignaggi (ironic  ) to fight Pac in March to fill the void.

I
wonder how the Mayweather brigade will respond once the Matthew Hatton
fight is announced. ‘Oh, it’s just a tuneup… he’ll fight a real
welter soon, just wait and see’. Dude has been playing you guys like a
harp for years”

(krazy19)…
“Forcing
Pacquiao to have to undergo random tests like these are absolutely
insulting to him and the sport of boxing. In this country, the burden
of proof is on the prosecutor and not on the defendant. Pacquiao has
passed every test he’s taken in his life and Arum has said Pac would
take the same tests that NBA and MLB players undergo.

Pacquiao’s
camp had already agreed to the Olympic style of testing but the fight
only became in jeopardy when Floyd’s camp asked for RANDOM testing
throughout training. It’s understandable that Pacquiao wouldn’t subject
himself to that kind of treatment.”

(Undisputed)…
“I’m pretty confident Pacquiao-Mayweather will happen. It makes too much sense for both sides.

I
would love to see Mayweather fight Mosley, but I don’t see Floyd doing
that until he gets beat. I’m not even interested in seeing Pacquiao
destroy Foreman, Malignaggi, or even Bradley. He will dismantle those
guys just as easily as he dismantled Cotto and pretty much everyone
else. If Cotto couldn’t hurt him, don’t try to tell me watching him
fight any of those guys would be entertaining. Fighting Berto or Mosley
would have my attention, but those guys aren’t at the top.

Same
with Mayweather, there’s no one out there that would make him more
money than this fight. This is the guy who calls himself “Money” after
all. This is just both sides playing some serious hardball. It has to
happen.”

(Eldrunk247)…
“I’m
a Pac fan but the man punches people in the face for a living. He lives
in a place where you need 60 armed bodyguards. What’s a little blood?
He should have nothing to hide and nothing to fear. Nobody likes
needles but if he really wanted to fight Mayweather he should step up
to the plate and make it happen.”

(Halffttime)…
“not
surprised at all. I was actually expecting something like this to
happen.. any excuse to keep the fight from happening. I am surprised
though that RBP is still defending Mayweather. you can’t put this one
on Pacquiao. the man agreed to the random drug testing you guys asked
for, there is no way you can blame him for refusing to take blood tests
five days prior to the fight. do they really think shooting up roids
days within the fight would make that much of a difference? I THINK
IT’S CLEAR BY NOW MAYWEATHER IS TRYING TO AVOID PACQUIAO. a month ago
Mayweather was calling out Pacquiao and saying if Pacquiao did want to
fight him, he would say so himself and not leave the decision up to his
handlers. so what does Pacquiao do? he agrees to the fight.. and guess
what!?!? Mayweather’s in the same predicament now Pacquiao was in
before. if he does truly want to step into the ring with the champ, all
he has to do is disregard these silly nonsense BS his people are trying
to push, and sign the fukking contract.

Will he do it? “money” will decide. it’s all about money with Mayweather.”

(D-nugz)…
“It’s
not about taking the same test, it’s the fact that you have Olympic
testing and it’s been stated that 7 tests will be done. The problem is
the fact that it is so close to fight night 48hrs.

I’m
no Pac fan but a boxing fan. I knew this was going to happen PBF was
always going to duck the fight and make some excuse or ridiculous
request.
The fact that the Mayweathers are making accusations
based on no evidence is absolutely ridiculous. Pacman has past all
tests from his career what does Mayweather have to change the rules on
how testing is done.

He knew Pacman wouldn’t agree to
the testing and it was a reason for him not to fight Pacman. Everything
was set all agreements had been met until this. Disappointing for
boxing.

But you never know this could be all part of the hype.”

(RedBlackAttack)…
“You
are wrong. I am a fan of Mayweather, but not an unreasonable one. I’ve
criticized him in the past, although it is difficult on this forum
being that 99-percent of posters despise him and, anytime he does
something questionable, it will be echoed from the high mountains. I
didn’t think it was right that he came in over the catch-weight limit
against Marquez (although I am vehemently against catch-weights).

I
also know that Mayweather and his team can be excessive and often
ridiculous in negotiating a fight. The funny thing, is I have been
saying that throughout this thread. I’ve also been saying that, if the
fight doesn’t come off, I will put blame on both parties, because I
don’t believe this is a valid excuse for either Pac or PBF to call it
off.”

I must say, pretty impressive stuff coming
from an NBA forum. I understand that several members are also probably
fans of other sports besides professional basketball but I never
expected this kind of reaction from the ISH community regarding the
fight. Whether Pacquiao-Mayweather does transpire or whether it becomes
just a footnote in both men’s careers under the heading
‘What could have been’, this specific thread showcases the
exact magnitude of the bout. This isn’t just a ‘classic
boxing match’ or a ‘super fight’, this is the fight
of all fights as far as everyone is concerned.

Mainstream mania indeed.