When Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather, Jr. prepare to fight any opponent, there's a large amount of focus shifted to the bout between the two that seems like it will never happen. Now, with Pacquiao set to face Juan Manuel Marquez for a third time talk of a bout between the two men is surfacing again.
It started when Mayweather announced that he wanted to fight again on May 5, 2012 and made it sound like he wanted a bout with Pacquiao (via ESPN):
Mayweather's opponent has not been determined but [Leonard] Ellerbe said, "We're looking to make the biggest fight possible and everyone knows what that fight is, the little fella."
... "Floyd made it very clear that he wants to give the fans the biggest fights that are out there. He wants to stay active," Ellerbe said. "We're going to do everything in our power to make the biggest fight out there for the fans and we all know what the fight is."
Pacquaio promoter Bob Arum wasted no time in shooting holes in the idea when talking to Sports Illustrated:
"They are playing games. You don't negotiate this way. This is Floyd trying to move Manny out of the spotlight. This is no way to negotiate a fight. The MGM on May 5th? Who the hell is Floyd to say that? I know they are not serious. We put Floyd in a corner when we made it crystal clear that the issue of drug testing is over. So he comes out and makes this statement? Nobody even knows if he is going to be around in May."
If that wasn't enough, Arum continued firing at Floyd yesterday in an article on the Manila Bulletin:
"You know the little fellow that they already approached? Erik Morales," declared Arum.
... "Erik will confirm it, absolutely. Erik has been approached to make the fight. He'll take it for the money. I'm sure he'll take it for the money. Why wouldn't he? But I don't know who's gonna buy it. But that's (what) the whole non-sense is all about."
There's no real long-term point to fretting over the public posturing by either party. Once the bout is signed, it'll be time to start fully embracing the idea of it actually happening. For now it's just a lot of movement to see who can get the better of the PR battle.
Floyd says he wants to make the fight so that when it doesn't happen, people remember him saying he wanted it. Arum points out that Mayweather's people have already reached out to a shot Erik Morales to make it seem like they weren't being honest. And the nonsense goes on.
Follow our coverage of Pacquiao vs. Marquez 3 here at MMA Nation and at our boxing blog Bad Left Hook.