Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. — The Fight of the Century — finally gets here on Saturday, May 2. Of course this century is only 15 years old, so take that for what it’s worth. This may easily be, however, the most hyped boxing match of all time. Here are the top 10 moments of ridiculous news or hype. Enjoy, because after Saturday we’ll never hear from either of these guys again.
1. Stephen A. Smith Discusses The Fight While Riding A Roller Coaster. If any one moment perfectly defines the absurdity of this circus, this is it. For some reason ESPN thought it would be fun to have Stephen A. and correspondent Lindsay Czarniak ride a roller coaster together in Las Vegas, talking about the fight during the ride. The thing sounds scripted and Stephen A. is not much of an actor, but he does generally look frightened. That doesn’t stop the half-baked fight analysis, however. “Manny is a southpaw, and …” (car plunges down tracks). With this, ESPN has sunk to a new low, then risen again, then sunk again, then done a couple of loops, then risen, sunk, and stopped.
Mayweather-Pacquiao is not as big as what I just did! http://t.co/Fii27uHXke
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) April 29, 2015
2. The Most Interesting Man In The World Weighs In. Dos Equis beer jumps on the Mayweather-Pacquiao money train with this commercial spot, in which The Most Interesting Man (played by actor Jonathan Goldsmith) reminds the boxers that “Throwing in the towel is only acceptable if done by a woman, who is wearing a towel.” Not only medically imprudent, but sexist! Good job, Most Interesting Man. 3. Manny’s Foot Locker Commercial. More complicated than the movie “Inception”, Pacquiao’s recent commercial for Foot Locker references a previous commercial, in which he’s tricked into thinking Mayweather will fight him. Now, the fight is on for real. Manny: “I’m confused.” Me too. 4. Pacquiao-Mayweather Inner Monologue. Wat if we could hear what each fighter was thinking during their staredown at the first press conference? It would probably sound like this. 5. Keith Olbermann Is Boycotting The Fight. Telling his ESPN audience that America needs to pay attention to the issue of domestic abuse, Olbermann said that he will not report on the fight, and urges you not to watch it. Excerpt: “The choices are about where we as sports fans, where we as human beings, draw the line about domestic violence in this country. … The juries have already ruled on Floyd Mayweather, five times. In a report this afternoon on Outside the Lines John Barr told of Floyd Mayweather’s record of criminal violence against women, which cascades down upon you like an avalanche…. You will support this excuse for a man? You will help him continue to behave as if his conduct is acceptable in the 21st century, or the 20th, or the 19th? I won’t. I regret this deeply. I met Manny Pacquiao last year, and a quieter, more respectful, more dignified boxer I’ve never encountered. May he make millions more, but I will not give Floyd Mayweather a dime.”
6. Mike Tyson Weighs In.
Mike Tyson on Mayweather: ‘I try to stay as far away from dirt as possible’ http://t.co/ffoz2XuNxo
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) April 30, 2015
7. An Early Pacquiao KO Could Bankrupt Nevada. Kevin Bradley, sports book manager for Bovada.lv, says that certain scenarios in the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight could cause Nevada bookmakers to take a torpedo to midships. Bradley, via email:
“We have been holding Mayweather -210 and Pacquiao +170 for over three weeks now and we feel it is quite solid with almost even action on both sides. With Manny paying almost 2/1, our risk on him has been steadily growing and there is no question we will need Floyd to win on May 2nd. The props we offer such as method of victory or exact round take such a significant amount of money that it will definitely account for a good chunk of the overall action and play a role in how the book does. Ideally, a Mayweather win by decision, which is currently at 5/7, would be the ideal situation, while a situation such as an early Pacquiao KO would be a disaster for the book.”
8. You Can Watch The Fight For Free In The Philippines. That’s because Solar Sports paid $10 million for the broadcast rights, and then made a deal with the big Philippines networks GMA-7, TV5 and ABS-CBN to show the fight on free TV. As a result the fight is expected to be the most-watched TV program there, ever — perhaps even bigger than when The Pope visited in January. Because the Pope is crafty, but can’t take a punch and tends to tire in the later rounds.
It’s a gamble, but the networks hope to recoup the investment by charging up to $790,000 for a 30-second commercial spot during the fight. If any country wants to invade during those hours, there will absolutely no one not watching TV.
9. Yes, Manny Has A Speed Bag With Mayweather’s Picture On It. It was given to him by Robert Shapiro — the same Robert Shapiro who was on O.J. Simpson’s defense team during his murder trial in 1995. Someone could make a lot of money by selling an MLB version. Choices would be A-Rod, Barry Bonds, Bud Selig or Brian Wilson.
A new gift is hanging in Manny Pacquiao’s gym: A speedbag with Floyd Mayweather’s face on it. http://t.co/JEaqERLxXa pic.twitter.com/wne7W9HoCA
— Complex Sports (@Complex_Sports) April 15, 2015
10. I Always Cry At These Things.
“I now pronounce you…” http://t.co/UhO8rn0FSF #MayweatherPacquiao pic.twitter.com/Q7xpkP2c2J
— SportsGrid (@SportsGrid) April 29, 2015
