“The fight the world has been waiting to see, the fight that the world wants to see,” a statement from the WBC began. “The WBC fully supports the promotion of this fight which will certainly break all existing records in many areas. The WBC has been supportive and has provided all flexibility for the fight to take place and hereby confirms that we will continue to do so.”

“We encourage all parties to sit down and make it happen, just as the Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson fight, which seemed impossible to be put together, they all sat down and made it happen. That fight was aired PPV by all platforms from Showtime and HBO.”

In what can only be described as an injustice to the sport’s rich and sacred history, the failure by all parties involved to secure the two greatest pugilists of this era, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, to answer that opening bell in opposite corners of a ring has long drawn the ire of fans and pundits alike.

Following Manny Pacquiao’s dismantling of Chris Algieri in Macau last Saturday, Floyd Mayweather’s name was destined to be uttered throughout boxing forums as Pacquiao’s next logical choice of opponent. History finds a way of repeating itself and staying true to that theory, we find ourselves as fans positioned in the same scenario every time Pacquiao or Mayweather relinquishes another foe.

May and September 2015 are shoe’d in as Floyd Mayweather’s final two bouts of his professional career. Although Mayweather has exhibited minor signs of slowing a notch, sublime performances such as his victory over Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, left little doubt he still remains a level above the current crop of talent available presently. As the curtain closes on a hall of fame career with retirement on the horizon, there still remains one void absent from Floyd’s resume, Manny Pacquiao. Whilst ‘Money May’ has executed a successful business model selling a persona and lifestyle on HBO’s 24/7 and Showtimes ‘All Access’ show, the absence of Manny Pacquiao from a decorated career leaves a black mark on Mayweather’s resumé.

On his part, Manny Pacquiao has carved his own place in boxing folklore. An eight division world champion who arrived on American shores like a Filipino typhoon crushing Lehlo Ledwaba for the IBF world super bantamweight title, has engaged in some of this era’s most thrilling bouts. If one were to take note of various observations of both men’s peers in the sport and many pundits, it would appear the guilty verdict of this fight failing to materialize has been dealt to Floyd Mayweather for the most part, whether that accusation holds any truth or not.

Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather is a obverse mesh of styles. A technically apt slugger pitted against a defensive master craftsman. ‘Pacmans’ relentless combinations volleyed on foes such as Miguel Cotto, make for a formidable challenge beyond any caliber of opponent Floyd had faced previously. Although the decline in Manny is apparent to anyone following Pacquiao’s career, nonetheless on recent performances he has displayed a return to form winning three of his last five, one of which was a highly disputed loss to Timothy Bradley, most recently sending Chris Algieri to the canvas six times in their bout.

Following a lopsided and illustrious victory over Canelo Alvarez, Mayweather met Argentine slugger Marcos ‘El Chino’ Maidana in May of this year. Following a turbulent first couple of rounds, Mayweather made the necessary adjustments to maintain his unblemished record. Whilst a thin fog of doubt loomed after their first bout for many, Floyd cleared the air the second time around last September. Having mastered a defensive orientated style, Mayweather has prolonged his longevity at the top of the sport.

In reality both men could draw a sliver of criticism for recent opposition. One could argue Marcos Maidana and Robert Guerrero were tailor made for Floyd, whilst Brandon Rios and Chris Algieri merely managed to survive to hear the final bell against Pacquiao. At this stage of their respective careers, any bout outside of this match up will be viewed as a failure on all counts.

“A boy comes to me with a spark of interest, I feed the spark and it becomes a flame. I feed the flame and it becomes a fire. I feed the fire and it becomes a roaring blaze.” A famous quote from the late Cus D’Amato. Juggling a plethora of duties aside from boxing, it appears the flame that once roared inside Manny Pacquiao has extinguished to a degree. The relentless and brutal onslaught Pacquiao dished out on opponents has given way to a more methodical approach in parts. Suffering a monstrous one punch knockout has proven an insurmountable obstacle to overcome for many fighters in their return. Thus far, Pacquiao has shown no ill affects of being shut down by Juan Manuel Marquez two years ago in their fourth bout.

Floyd Mayweather has faced flashes of adversity against opponents fighting out of a southpaw stance. Zab Judah enjoyed much success in the first half of their clash. Although he won by a stretch on the scorecards, Shane Mosley rocked Mayweather to his foundations during their bout. To his credit, Floyd again made the necessary adjustments during the fight to emerge victorious. Manny Pacquiao presents Floyd with a unique style. The power punching Filipino punches from various and unorthodox angles. Lightening feet track opponents across to canvas to find that spot to crack through a defense with the powerful left hand. A return to the combination puncher of old would be required against a slick operator such as Mayweather.

Floyd on his part rides shots to great effect. Using his patented shoulder roll to see off the right hand and counter with his own right hand. A technique that is more effective on an orthodox fighter. Against a southpaw armed with legitimate speed and power, there lays a gap in that defensive shell to be exploited. In saying that, anytime it has been exploited Floyd tweaked his armor to adjust himself back on track.

Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather is the fight of this generation. No other fight would garner the public’s imagination to the magnitude of this bout. Regardless of why the fight fell at so many hurdles in years past, if I stand back and observe the situation from a far personally. My grandfather had Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling. My father had Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier. I hope one day I can say I witnessed a pugilistic spectacle worthy of being spoken in the same breath, Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather.