A boxer who has an unbeaten record in his pro career could languish in his corner if not given the opportunity to share the spotlight with the reigning WBO welterweight champion.
A case in point is former undefeated American boxer Timothy Bradley. Despite his unblemished record, he was making less than $1 million in a championship fight, but suddenly found himself an instant millionaire the moment he signed his life-changing contract to face Pacquiao in the ring.
Former WBO light welterweight champion Chris Algieri was just making over $100,000 before he signed the contract to fight Pacquiao but became an overnight millionaire by simply associating his name with the Filipino star.
The same scenario is evident in the case of Floyd Mayweather, Jr., who claims that he is one fighter who belongs to the “A-Side,” being the reigning multiple weight champion and unbeaten in his 47 pro fights.
In the seemingly endless negotiations between the camps of Pacquiao and Mayweather, a couple of aspirants who possess the right credentials to challenge Pacquiao have emerged.
One of the challengers is Amir Khan, who is on his way to winning his fifth straight fight since losing twice in succession to Lamont Peterson and Danny Garcia.
Khan has been courting Mayweather for a purse-changing fight but the unbeaten American downplayed his credentials, saying Khan is still unknown in the U.S. market.
Now the former Olympic silver medalist is trying to convince Pacquiao to sign him up with the promise that a fight between them could generate huge revenue that can be added to their already bulging money bags.
Another boxer who is falling in line is Jessie Vargas, who made the the Bob Arum shortlist of Pacquiao’s next set of possible opponents. But the young Mexican-American, who is Arum’s fellow Las Vegas resident, seems still unpopular in the pay-per-view (PPV) market.
Although he remains unbeaten in 26 pro fights, Arum could find Vargas a bit difficult to promote because of his lack of exposure in the PPV audience despite him being the reigning WBA light welterweight titlist.
Former Mayweather foe Marcos Maidana has given notice to the Pacquiao camp that he is available on a short notice in case the long-delayed Mayweather-Pacquiao fight fight negotiation falls apart for the last time.
Maidana, who lost twice to Mayweather, claimed he won the first fight but his claim did not show in the final and official scorecard.
Meanwhile, there are unconfirmed reports that the ongoing Mayweather-Pacquiao negotiations are progressing well and in the right direction.
Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach said the fight is getting closer than ever. More on this from Digital Journal’s Marcus Hondro here.
