LAS VEGAS -- For more than five years, boxing fans clamored for one fight -- a showdown between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, the two best fighters of their time -- that seemed like it would never happen.
At long last, after excruciating will-they-or-won't-they negotiations spread out over years and a chance meeting between the fighters at a Miami Heat basketball game in January that helped grease the wheels toward finalizing a deal in late February, the fight the world has waited for is finally at hand.
It is one of the most anticipated fights in history, and it will be the biggest economic event boxing has ever known, worth an estimated $400 million in expected revenue.
"One thing is clear -- it's the biggest fight of this century," said Top Rank's Bob Arum, Pacquiao's promoter, who promoted Mayweather for the first 10 years of his career before a falling-out that was one of the reasons the fight was so difficult to make. "It was probably the most difficult fight to make that I've been a part of. It took five years to make."
Many have called the fight the Super Bowl of boxing, but the Super Bowl happens every year. Mayweather-Pacquiao might happen only once, so the eyes of the sports world will be on a 20-foot-by-20-foot boxing ring inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday night (Showtime PPV/HBO PPV, 9 ET) as they finally meet in the latest so-called "fight of the century."
"Everything takes time, it's all about timing," Mayweather said this week. "I'm glad that we had patience and didn't rush. The time is now. This is the right time for this fight."
Said Pacquiao, "I believe this is the right time for us to be fighting. More people are informed for this fight than ever before. People who aren't even boxing fans are interested in this fight."
Some have suggested that the bout is happening five years too late, because Mayweather, 38, of Las Vegas, and the 36-year-old Filipino icon Pacquiao would have been closer to their primes had the showdown taken place when it was initially being planned for in March 2010. But then negotiation breakdowns over how drug testing would be conducted caused the fight to be scrapped, setting off years of back-and-forth, lots of hard feelings, and fan and media frustration.
Yet, here they are five years later -- with a lot of water under the bridge -- and the fight is every bit as significant as it would have been back then, if not more so.
Mayweather and Pacquiao are still fighting to unify welterweight world titles; Mayweather owns two and Pacquiao one.
They are also fighting for pound-for-pound supremacy. Mayweather (47-0, 26 KOs), who has won world titles in five weight classes, is universally considered the No. 1 fighter in the world pound-for-pound. Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KOs), the only fighter in boxing history to win world titles in eight divisions, is right behind him at No. 2, having overcome a scandalous decision loss to Timothy Bradley Jr. and a one-punch knockout to Juan Manuel Marquez since the first negotiation cratered five years ago.
Even more significantly, Mayweather and Pacquiao will be fighting to be known as the king of their era, having beaten all the other stars of their time in and around their weight class, including common opponents Oscar De La Hoya, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley, Ricky Hatton and Marquez (against whom Pacquiao is 2-1-1).
"We've faced all the top guys," Mayweather said. "I believe in my skills, I believe in myself and I believe I'm going to be victorious. Manny is a very interesting fighter. To get where he's gotten to, it's obvious he's had to do something right."
And then there is all that money. Mayweather, who will receive the lion's share of the 60-40 split between the sides, believes he could earn as much as $200 million. Earning well over $150 million is a lock. Pacquiao also is likely to earn nine figures. Both will earn far more on Saturday than they would have if they had met in 2010.
"Five years ago, this was a $50 million fight for me," Mayweather said. "I want you [media] guys to say Floyd is the smart one [for waiting]."
Pacquiao said the five-year wait was worth it.
"I have not changed in my body in the last five years. I think the changes are that I have more experience now, better strategy and smarter movement," he said. "The speed and power has not changed."
It's hard to view the fight as being five years too late when both combatants, while having perhaps lost a step, remain the best in the business. Both are clear-cut first-ballot Hall of Famers and will go down in history as among the best to lace on gloves. But make no mistake -- this is the legacy fight by which they will be most remembered.
Pacquiao gets that.
"This is one of the most important fights for my boxing legacy," he said. "I want to make this fight a good result for my legacy. I want to win; that is my goal."
Mayweather, at least publicly, rejects that. In one breath he has said he wants to win this fight more than any other he has had. But he has more often said, "I don't think one fight defines my career. I think all 47 fights played a major key. The bar is always set high for Floyd Mayweather. I think if we turn the table and if I had gotten knocked out by Marquez, this fight would have never happened."
Pacquiao said his losses did not get him down; rather, they made him work harder.
"I don't get discouraged anymore with a loss in boxing," Pacquiao said. "It is a part of the game, and I have taken the losses and have made myself a better fighter. It's about building yourself up and turning yourself into a better fighter."
Both men have come off this week as supremely confident and loose.
"My confidence right now is different than any other fight I've had. I feel excited, and I have to prove something," Pacquiao said. "I like being the underdog because my killer instinct and my focus are there."
Indeed, Pacquiao was sure to offer this reminder: When he has been the underdog, he has come out on top.
"[Oscar] De La Hoya, [Marco Antonio] Barrera and [Lehlo] Ledwaba were all favored to destroy me," Pacquiao said. "Being the underdog inspired me in training. Winning those fights gave hope and inspiration to those who needed it. It gave proof that someone like me, born in poverty, who came from the dirt, can achieve success against all odds with hard work and prayer. Being an underdog has always spurred me on to greater heights."
Pacquiao, who felt robbed by the judges in Las Vegas in the first Bradley fight, said he has no concerns about fighting in Mayweather's hometown. He believes the judges will be fair and that he can win a decision if the bout goes the distance.
"I'm different than the first 47 [opponents] he fought. I'm faster than them, and I'm very confident for the fight," Pacquiao said. "This is the moment that I believe he will experience a loss. I think we can win a decision. I always trust the commission, the judges and the officials. Our focus is not just on looking for a knockout but throwing a lot of punches in case it comes to a decision."
Everybody's plan is to pressure him and throw a lot of punches, Mayweather said. It hasn't worked so far, and he said it won't work this time.
"They think it works, but it hasn't worked out of 19 years, 47 fights. But if that's the game plan, we'll have to see how everything plays out," Mayweather said. "I'm more calculated. I truly believe I'm the smarter fighter."
For five years, the fight has been dissected and debated by fans and media around the world. It is now finally here. So what will happen? "I don't have a prediction, but I'm excited," Pacquiao said. "I'm confident and I feel for the first time that I'm ready for the fight."
Said Mayweather, "This fight is about one fighter who is at the top fighting another fighter who is at the top. It's about giving you guys excitement. We don't know how this fight is going to play out, but I believe in my skills. I believe I am going to be victorious."