(Mayweather, left, Pacquiao, right; via)
I’m a sucker.
I’m a sucker because when I read this story from the Los Angeles Times this week asserting that “The Pacquiao-Mayweather buzz has been heating up since September” I forget all about when people were saying this the last time (August), and the time before that, and, well, all the other times before that and that the “buzz” never amounted to anything. Instead I parse the quotes from Floyd Mayweather and promoter Bob Arum and the carefully crafted non-answers from network executives and I begin to convince myself that this time it’s different.
I’m a sucker because even though there’s really no chance this is anything more than a public relations move timed to prop up the pay-per-view buys on this weekend’s Manny Pacquiao-Chris Algieri fight — a nice companion to this Foot Locker commercial which was pretty funny and coincidentally debuted a few days ago. I want to believe it’s all part of a grand scheme which leads to the big reveal — an actual meeting between two of the greatest fighters of my lifetime.
I’m a sucker because even though I know we’re at least three years past the point where a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight would have been a match between two fighters at the height of their powers, I still want to see this fight made.
I’m a sucker because I’m absolutely certain that this initial story will be followed by hopeful reporting from all of the usual suspects. They will flirt with me just like that girl in my high school math class and then, come time to secure a prom date, I’ll be left hanging. The cause will be network politics, or drug testing, or a Yeti sighting, or whatever. It doesn’t matter. These two all time great fighters will never get in the ring together. I know that, and still…
I’m a sucker. I’m THE sucker. The casual boxing fan who watches some, but not all, of the big PPVs. Who tunes in to HBO or Showtime for some, but not all, of their big Saturday night fight cards and wishes the two big promotional parties could just come together and give us the fights we want. I know they won’t but still I hope.
I’m THE sucker who would gladly pay $100 or more for a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight even though I know it will disappoint me and won’t answer any of the questions I had years ago because they aren’t the fighters they were then and never will be again.
Hell, I’m THE sucker who has other plans on Saturday night and had no intention of buying the Pacquiao-Algieri fight who is actually thinking of changing his mind because it will be important for me to have seen his latest work just in case the Mayweather fight happens so I can weigh in with a more intelligent prediction.
I’m THE sucker who will get more and more excited with each public pronouncement that the fight is getting just a little bit closer and the one who’ll be disappointed when the whole house of cards collapses because of some as yet unknown but completely predictable slight.
I still want the “buzz” to be true. I’m a sucker and I hate myself for it.