Hill Harper: I'm Really Sad That Floyd Mayweather Isn't Fighting Manny Pacquiao: Love Of The Game

In our weekly "Love Of The Game" series, HuffPost Black Voices talks sports with a person of note. This week New York Times best-selling author and 'CSI: NY' star Hill Harper shares his thoughts on Floyd Mayweather’s upcoming fight against Miguel Cotto.

"I’m watching my man Floyd Mayweather coming up to fight on May 5th and I’m really sad that he’s not fighting Manny Pacquiao. That’s a fight that should’ve been made, but instead he’s fighting somebody else. And also, he’s fighting a fight before he’s about to go serve some time, and I wonder how’s that wearing on his mind. He’s been a mentally strong fighter, and I think that has led to his success. So you have to be very mentally strong to know that you’re fighting a fight and then soon there afterwards you’re going away to serve some time. So I’m going to be interested to see if that emboldens him or if that wears on him mentally."

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Comments

[ennui the third]

10:17 AM on 05/19/2012

Mayweather is going to find that his obsessive need to protect his perfect record by not fighting Manny, will simply lead to his perfect record to seem not so "perfect" at all.

[eays steve]

01:28 PM on 05/01/2012

May 5th, easy work for money may. The fight everyone want's to see will happen in due time.
Money talks & bs walks. pac-man will take the money and the fight will be made in 2013.
Mayweather vs Pacquiao and the winner will be Mayweather by 9th round KO.

[ennui the third]

10:21 AM on 05/19/2012

Mayeather has chosen opponents lately who lack speed.
Manny has it in spades.
Floyd loses.
Big time.

[aralpharetta]

08:05 PM on 04/30/2012

MAYWEATHER!! ( TEAM MONEY )

[Onyxist]

12:51 PM on 04/30/2012

pacquiao is on steroids...

[LookatTheBigBrainOnBrad]

02:12 PM on 04/30/2012

Your ignorance is above average.

[ReddKatt]

10:44 AM on 04/30/2012

Anyone who has followed boxing in the last 40 years knows it's not just a sport. There are a lot of factors that go into making a mega prize fight like Maywearther v. Pacquiao. It has very little to do with two guy who want to fight each other. The first thing to note is Floyd is unique among fighters because he owns his own promotion company, so there is no middleman. Pacquiao is owned and controlled by Bob Arum and his company Top Rank. When the negotiations for the fight take place Pacquiao isn't even in the room his promoter Bob Arum is, however, Mayweather IS there because he is his own promoter. Initially, Mayweather told Arum he wanted $100 million dollars to fight Pacquiao and Arum said no. The biggest problem right now is HOW the fight is going to be promoted. Arum wants to promote the fight and present Mayweather as the underdog which would entitle Mayweather to a lesser piece of the pie. Mayweather is now asking for 70/30 split guaranteed, his argument is that this is Pacquiao's biggest fight and he's never made this kind of money on a championship fight the fight is as big as it is because he's fighting Floyd Mayweather Jr a proven undefeated champion. If they're not willing to pay him for the fight it's not worth it to him. He has nothing to prove.

[Onyxist]

12:50 PM on 04/30/2012

true in deed...

[ennui the third]

10:23 AM on 05/19/2012

He has everything to prove.
All great champions fight the best out there.
Until he does, and stops trying to protect his unbeaten record, he will find that unbeaten record of his as phony as loaded gloves.

[Thigpen3]

10:27 AM on 04/30/2012

I am a boxing fan, first. I made a promise to myself that I would not buy another PPV from either of the two. I will watch them fight other people at someone else's house or at sports bar. Will not pay for it until they fight each other. My two cents, Mayweather is waiting until Pac-man slows down. Historically, Pac-man throws an average of 1000 punches per fight. The last fight, Pac-man threw around 600 punches. Another two fights and Pac-man will average 450 punches per fight. That is when Mayweather will fight him, when he slows down. I am a fan of both fighters. Pac-man is not focused on boxing, he seems focused on politics.

[DakotaWilliams]

09:05 AM on 04/30/2012

Boxing is a sport that should go a-waayyy.

[Lechiffre]

09:52 AM on 04/30/2012

Uh.. no Its here to stay. I'm finna grab a beer now.

[ReddKatt]

10:24 AM on 04/30/2012

You have the power to make it go a-waayy, just don't watch.

[aralpharetta]

08:06 PM on 04/30/2012

Say What???

[valeball]

05:29 AM on 04/30/2012

He would be finished serving his time if had went in January...may as well get it over with.

[thegriffinite]

04:50 AM on 04/30/2012

He keeps dodging this fight for some odd reason almost like he is scared.

[TerrillCharming]

03:13 AM on 04/30/2012

Floyd is scared.

[davelopez]

10:08 PM on 04/29/2012

Pacquiao should have accepted the $40mi offer. He won't get that kind of money fighting somebody else. Mayweather is the best. His fights sell. Besides Pacquiao is third world country he should give in to an American who knows how to sell fights.

[Onyxist]

12:47 PM on 04/30/2012

true in deed...

[ennui the third]

10:25 AM on 05/19/2012

You have been hit in the head too much.

[ricflair]

06:16 PM on 04/29/2012

Assuming away the issues between Money May and Pac Man's promoter, Bob Arum, if FBJ would agree to a straight 50/50 $ split, this fight would happen. Unfortunately, FBJ's ego (or, more likely, his fear of losing) is gonna prevent the fight from happening before it loses its relevancy.

[theseandman67]

09:42 AM on 04/30/2012

50-50 is unrealistic on a so many levels. Pacquio will NEVER make even the $40 million for ANY of his fights. Floyd makes that plus some in every one of his recent fights. That number has been on the table forever! If it was about losing, Floyd wouldn't even bring up the issue and brush it off. NOT call the guy personally. some may call it a publicity stunt but it's also why Floyd deserves the lion's share of the purse, Floyd sells his own fights! Just wait and see the numbers from both of their upcoming fights, I'll bet a dime to a dollar that floyd outsells Manny .... Proof is in the numbers.

[ennui the third]

10:27 AM on 05/19/2012

Oh please...Mayweather's excuses are pathetic.
The Cotto fight proved to me that someone with speed will destroy him.
Mayweather has chosen fighters who come at him, without much movement.
Manny would be quite the opposite.

[theseandman67]

05:37 PM on 05/20/2012

And the Marquez fights shows that Pacqauio can be beaten... THREE TIMES! I'd love to see the fight and once you crunch the numbers from their PPV fights, you'll see who the draw for the ticket really is. Both would be looking to make their biggest pay days BUT Manny will probably double, if not triple, his biggest paycheck.

[aralpharetta]

08:07 PM on 04/30/2012

INTERESTING

[JohnnyAce Okeke]

03:51 PM on 04/29/2012

In the words of Keith Olbermann:
Heeeeeeeeeeeeeere, kitty kitty kitty! {{^_^}}

[aralpharetta]

08:07 PM on 04/30/2012

MY BLACK CATS!!

[Kiss Me Muffin]

02:02 PM on 04/29/2012

That's what happen when you beat your baby mama.

[ImBradPitt]

03:12 PM on 04/29/2012

Don't let the fact get in the way of a good story huh? You should be ashamed of yourself.

[BUCK4749]

01:25 PM on 04/29/2012

HE S A PUNK.

[Joe Bethea]

01:28 PM on 04/30/2012

I( wanted to use the B word all he got is mouth and he knows he might loose thus killing his boxing life and make him irrelevant like it should be if he boxed as much as he runs his mouth he might be one of the greatest

[aralpharetta]

08:08 PM on 04/30/2012

Is He I wasnt Aware