With Floyd Mayweather Jr. calling Manny Pacquiao a punk on Twitter and challenging him to a showdown on May 5 it looks like a bout between the two is as close as ever. However, there are many skeptical fans who feel Mayweather’s challenge has been issued because he knows there’s no way a fight can be arranged for that date.

The 34-year-old Mayweather (42-0, 26 Kos) conveniently waited until Pacquiao and his promoter Bob Arum had announced that the WBO welterweight champion’s next bout would be on June 9 or 16 against either Lamont Peterson, Juan Manuel Marquez, Timothy Bradley or Miguel Cotto. Mayweather, the WBC welterweight king, also knows the MGM Garden in Las Vegas, where he’s scheduled to fight in May, is too small a venue to hold a fight between the top two pound-for-pound boxers in the world. This is a fight that could easily sell 50,000 tickets or more.

However, the 33-year-old Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 Kos) called his bluff by accepting the challenge, but there are many obstacles that need to be worked out for the fight to take place. One of the major issues of course is money. Arum will guarantee Pacquiao’s purse, but Mayweather needs somebody to guarantee his. It’s expected that both men will be looking for paydays of between $50 and $60 million and will share broadcasting revenue 50-50. Also, Arum said he’d want the fight to be held in late May at a temporary venue to be built in Las Vegas.

Mayweather had his jail sentence postponed by a judge in early January though, based in the fact he was fighting on May 5. He’s now scheduled to show up to jail on June 1 to serve his 90-day sentence. Constructing a venue in Vegas will also cost millions and doesn’t make sense when you consider the fight could be held at an existing arena anywhere in the U.S. or the world for that matter.

It seems that Mayweather may have known there are too many issues to hold the fight, but he may have put his foot in his mouth if all of the logistics can be worked out. It’d be hard for him to back out in that case. There’s no need to back out though anyway as he’d probably go into a fight with Pacquiao as the slight favorite.

Arum said if the fight with Mayweather doesn’t come off then Pacquiao will go ahead with his previous plans, which would likely be a June 9 date. However, you can probably strike Lamont Peterson’s name off of the list of potential opponents since the WBA has ordered a rematch between him and Amir Khan after several irregularities during their fight in December, which Peterson won by controversial split decision.

A mega fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather could still take place in May, but don’t count on it until a few more details have been ironed out. On the bright side, this is as close as the two have ever come to an agreement on a potential bout.

While the average Joe might be serving 34-years in prison right now, boxer Floyd Mayweather can count himself lucky that he copped a plea deal for a 90-day sentence. He then got lucky again when a judge delayed it so he can fight on May 5. Mayweather was facing 34 years in the slammer when he went to court near the end of 2011 on a host of domestic battery charges and made a deal that saw him walk away with just 90 days.

The WBC World Welterweight Champion was supposed to start serving his three months on Jan. 6, but Judge Melissa Saragosa ruled in Las Vegas that he will be free until June so he can fulfill his contractual obligations to fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The Clark County District Attorney’s Office opposed the request of the postponement from Mayweather’s lawyers, but to no avail.

The 34-year-old has the date for his next fight scheduled, but doesn’t even have an opponent lined up yet. A showdown with WBO welterweight king Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines is the fight the world wants to see to answer the question of who’s the best pound-for-pound fighter out there. However, that’s very unlikely to be the scenario in May since Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum has mentioned Timothy Bradley, Lamont Peterson, Juan Manuel Marquez, and Miguel Cotto.

Also, Pacquiao’s next fight will probably be on June 9^th or 16^th and the MGM Grand, where Mayweather’s going to be fighting, is too small for a showdown between the two. If and when Mayweather and Pacquiao do ever meet, it’s likely the fight will be held in a much bigger venue to maximize ticket sales and profits.

Mayweather was sentenced after pleading guilty in December to a charge of felony battery and no contest regarding two charges of harassment concerning an attack on Josie Harris, the mother of three of his children and threatening two of the kids. The original sentence was six months, but half of the sentence was then suspended by the judge.

The judge said one of the reasons that Mayweather’s jail sentence was postponed was because the city of Las Vegas benefits greatly when he fights there. She said that local businesses and hotels typically make a profit whenever major fights take place in the city as the events can often generate between $10 million and $15 million, not including any revenue from gambling.

But before anybody in Vegas can start counting their chickens before they hatch, Mayweather has to be granted a boxing license first since he doesn’t have one at the moment. Nevada officials want to speak to him before a license is issued because of his recent conviction. It may end up being nothing more than just a formality, but there’s still a chance that the Nevada State Athletic Commission could turn him down. The commission reportedly looks at a boxer’s character, integrity, experience, and skill when deciding whether or not to grant a license.

If that’s the case, then Mayweather could be in trouble when his character and integrity are looked at. Mike Tyson was denied a license back in 2002 following a brawl during a New York press conference, so there is a precedent. Perhaps the judge should have waited until Mayweather received a license to fight before she postponed his sentence?

Considering he could have been sent to prison for up to 34 years if found guilty by trial, Floyd Mayweather Jr. can count his lucky stars for the generous plea bargain deal given to him in Las Vegas. Mayweather came to an agreement on Dec. 21 that will see him serve 90 days in jail, perform 100 hours of community service and pay a paltry $2,500 fine.

Mayweather was facing felony charges, including robbery, grand larceny, and coercion concerning an incident in September 2010 involving two of his three children and Josie Harris, their mother. Mayweather was charged with assaulting Harris when she informed him she was dating somebody else. Police said Koraun Mayweather, the couple’s son, saw her mother being assaulted by Mayweather as he was kicking and hitting her.

Harris suffered some minor injuries to her arms and face during the attack and said Mayweather threatened the children if they called police. Koraun said his father took the children’s cell phones, but he escaped from the house through a back door and contacted security. The boxer pleaded guilty to the battery charge and no contest to two harassment charges. He was also charged with misdemeanor battery for an incident in which he allegedly poked and verbally abused a security guard in November 2010. He’ll plead no contest to that charge in the near future.

Mayweather went to court in October and was found not guilty to two counts of misdemeanor harassment for another incident involving security guards. In addition, he’s also been convicted in the past and put on probation regarding situations of violence toward women. However, he was found not guilty relating to a domestic violence charge in 2005 that also involved Harris. She admitted to the jury that she lied during that case concerning an incident that took place in 2003.

In addition, one of Mayweather’s bodyguards Ocie Harris is facing six felony charges including attempted murder and use of a deadly weapon for a shooting incident which Mayweather has been linked to, but not charged for. Harris goes to court on Feb. 6. Mayweather has had a civil lawsuit filed against him in that case. Records also show there are more civil lawsuits against Mayweather in connection with assaults by his bodyguards on patrons at Las Vegas nightclubs and casinos.

While Mayweather has lost some court battles, the WBC Welterweight Champion’s still undefeated in the ring with a 42-0 record. He’s scheduled to fight again on May 5 against an unknown opponent, but it’s unclear if that date will now be in jeopardy since his sentence gets underway on Jan. 6, 2012. The boxing world is hoping for a Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao super fight, but that’s also on the back burner because of legal issues. There’s a defamation lawsuit against Mayweather pending because he accused Pacquiao of taking illegal performance-enhancing drugs.

The 34-year-old Mayweather will serve his sentence in the Clark County jail. The original sentence was for six months, but the judge suspended half of it. He also has to complete a year-long counseling program dealing with domestic violence. The next time Mayweather plans to fight, he’ll have to reapply for his boxing license since it expires at the end of the year. It’s unlikely, but the conviction could see him denied a license.

When it comes to boxing, you can’t realistically argue that Floyd Mayweather Jr. isn’t one of the sport’s best pound-for-pound fighters. In fact, with a record of 42-0 with 26 Kos, many believe he’s one of the best in history. But when it comes to Mayweather as a person there are all types of opinions. And after his cheap-shot knockout win over WBC Welterweight Champion Victor Ortiz (29-3-2, 22 Kos) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Sept. 17, the majority of fans feel he’s nothing more than a street punk.

After watching Mayweather’s act for the past few years it’s not a bad conclusion to come to. His infamous battles with the law and his own family on the HBO show 24/7 give evidence to the type of person he is and now his win over Ortiz and argument in the ring afterwards with ancient announcer Larry Merchant definitely haven’t made him any new fans.

But Mayweather’s not concerned about that. What the public thinks about him is one of the last things on his mind, and sad to say, his bad publicity may just be the shot in the arm that boxing needs these days. You can bet there will be millions of people around the world talking about the Ortiz fight and the Merchant rant days and even weeks after the incidents. Like they say, any publicity is good publicity.

While Mayweather’s actions in the Ortiz fight were unquestionably unsportsmanlike, they weren’t against the rules. Ultimately, Ortiz has nobody to blame but himself for getting knocked out. It was obvious Mayweather didn’t take too kindly to the head butt his opponent launched at him earlier in the fourth round and he made him pay for it by nailing him when he wasn’t expecting it.

Other than another win on his record, Mayweather didn’t gain anything in the fight and could have even lost a good number of fans. With Ortiz’s arms at his side and in a relaxed stance after touching gloves with and apologizing to the new champion for the head butt, he was nothing more than a sitting duck. It didn’t take any bravery, skill or talent to knock him out at that point. Anybody could have decked him if they had landed a clean shot, even Larry Merchant.

Referee Joe Cortez said the shots were legal and according to the laws of the sport, there’s no arguing that point. Even Ortiz seemed to realize this when being interviewed in the ring after the fight. Ortiz didn’t protect himself and paid for it dearly with his title when Mayweather landed a vicious look hook and straight right hand to his head, putting an end to the fight with just one second to go in the fourth round.

The controversy will drag on for months to come and thousands of fans will be hoping Mayweather gets his someday. But that means people have become interested in boxing again, even though it might be for all; the wrong reasons. As for the rest of the fight, the 34-year old Mayweather look like he hasn’t lost a beat in the 16 months he was out of the ring.

Ortiz had some good moments, especially in the fourth round when he had Mayweather pinned in the corner, but then blew whatever momentum he had gained by trying to butt his opponent. A rematch could prove to be interesting. However, Ortiz if they do fight again, Ortiz may want to watch the 24/7 show a lot more closely to realize just what type of person Mayweather really is.

I’m not sure undefeated Floyd Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOS) will meet his match when he takes on WBC Welterweight Champion Victor Ortiz (29-2-1, 22 KOs) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Sept. 17, but Ortiz has as much chance as anybody at handing Mayweather his first loss.

It’ll be Mayweather’s first fight since beating Shane Mosley by a one-sided unanimous decision last year and Ortiz’s second as a welterweight after beating Andre Berto for the title by a close unanimous decision in April. With an endless string of court dates coming up, the 34-year-old Mayweather may be more interested in the money he’ll make in the pay-per-view fight than he is in keeping his record intact.

But most boxing experts figure he shouldn’t have a problem with Ortiz and might endear himself to boxing fans around the world by taking on a young, tough slugger. Ortiz doesn’t have anything to lose really. If he enters the ring with the right attitude and lets his fists fly from the opening bell we could be in for a decent fight.

Ortiz has been involved in some exciting slugfests over the past few years and that means he isn’t the hardest target to hit. He’s shown a lot of determination and heart in most of his bouts, but has been sent to the canvas on several occasions. He’s going to have to absorb some punishment against Mayweather and if he can stay on his feet he has a puncher’s chance of winning. He’s not going to outbox Mayweather and would have to drop him a few times if he has any hope of taking a points decision.

This more or less leaves one option for the 24-year-old, which is to knock Mayweather out. He should take some confidence into the ring with him considering that Mosley rocked Mayweather in the second round of their fight last year and had him hurt. Ortiz is probably a harder puncher than Mosley and he won’t let him off the hook if he hurts him. But the problem for Ortiz could be landing a clean, solid blow.

Ortiz will go into the fight as the underdog, but it won’t bother him considering he’s had a pretty tough life so far after being abandoned years ago by his parents. However, he did disappoint many fans in 2009 in his loss to Marcos Maidana when he seemingly gave up in the ring. Ortiz and Maidana traded knockdowns in that fight and it looked like it was going to be the fight of the year until Ortiz quit after suffering another knockdown.

He showed a lot of heart and determination when beating Berto for the title in his first bout as a welterweight and picked himself up from the canvas twice to do so. He also dropped Berto a few times along the way and that’s what makes Ortiz so exciting. He’s always in every fight because he has the power to turn them around with a single shot.

Mayweather has a lot more experience in big fights and he’s a natural welterweight, but once the bell rings those advantages should be thrown out the window unless Ortiz freezes like a deer in the headlights. Ortiz’s southpaw stance could give Mayweather some trouble and he’s young, fast, and strong. But his chin is still pretty questionable. If Mayweather catches him with one of his powerful left hooks it could be lights out.

As much as I’d love to see Ortiz hand Mayweather his first loss, I think he’s going to eventually get caught and will be stopped in the second half of the fight.

Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao will be entering the ring later in 2011, but it won’t be against each other. The undefeated Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs) recently announced on Twitter that he’s going to be taking on  WBC Welterweight Champion Victor Ortiz (29-2-2, 22 KOs) on Sept. 17, which is Mexican Independence Day weekend.

Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs) on the other hand, will be taking on Juan Manuel Marquez (52-5-1, 38 KOs) for the third time when they meet Nov. 12 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. They fought to a 12-round draw back in 2008 with Pacquiao winning the rematch by split decision.

The fight everybody wants to see of course is Mayweather vs Pacquiao, but while it’s not happening this year, Mayweather’s bout against Ortiz could be a stepping stone to a bout against the Filipino in the near future. Before Mayweather fights anybody though, he needs to get a license and make sure he stays out of trouble with the law between now and September.

Ortiz poses a threat to Mayweather because of his never-say-die attitude, which he’s shown in fights against Marcos Maidana and his recent victory over Andre Berto, when he hit the deck and got back to his feet in both battles. Ortiz is young and strong and has a good mental outlook on the fight game. Mayweather will be entering the ring after sitting out for about a year and a half.

It’s a competitive fight that features one of boxing’s veteran stars taking on a rising star. Mayweather complimented Ortiz in the press by saying he has a lot of talent, skills, and heart and that’s what he’s looking for in an opponent to challenge himself.

The last time he entered the ring, which was in May 2010; Mayweather took apart Sugar Shane Mosley in a rather one-sided affair and earned a unanimous decision. However, Mosley rocked him hard in the second round, but failed to follow up on it. Ortiz has won his last six fights, with his last one being the exciting decision over Berto back in mid-April.

There are a lot of fans getting on Mayweather’s case for taking this fight, not because it’s not a good matchup, but because they say he’s ducking Pacquiao again. That may be true, but at this stage, Ortiz may actually be more dangerous than Pacquiao due to his determination and power. Considering some of the opponents that Mayweather was recently thinking about fighting, this matchup isn’t bad at all.

Mayweather getting back into the ring should also be considered good for boxing as it means one of the world’s best pound-for-pound fighters hasn’t packed it in. Ortiz is young and hungry and will go in as the underdog, but if he does get beat he’ll at least go down fighting. Mayweather could also use this as a tuneup for a possible showdown with Pacquiao as there’s no way he’s going to take him on after such a long layoff.

It’s an intriguing matchup that’s for sure. However, Ortiz’s only realistic chance of beating Mayweather is by knockout or at least dropping him a couple of times to earn some points on the scorecards. While Mayweather vs Ortiz it may not be the fight everybody was hoping for, it’s probably the next best thing.

Manny Pacquiao is not just the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world today, he’s also a massive draw with fellow pros.

But he might just lose his status as No.1 in the hearts of fellow Filipinos soon, if Nonito Donaire continues his rise to fulfill his belief that “God has a plan and I have faith in God’s plan” to see him unify the belts at bantamweight.

Donaire, the newly-crowned WBO/WBC champ, arrived in Manila yesterday morning, his flight having taken the Bohol boxer all the way from Los Angeles to the Philippines to spend three weeks observing the Pac-Man in training.

Manny, who began his high-altitude training sessions last weekend in Baguio City, has also been joined, of course, by his trainer Freddie Roach and conditioning coach Alex Ariza, while British light-welterweight star Amir Khan came in on the same flight.

Khan has been lined up to face Northern Irishman Paul McCloskey back in England on April 14 to defend his WBA crown, but, as he is training under Roach, will join Manny some time over the next few days.

Pacquiao began light training last week as he gets in shape for his bout with American Shane Mosley in Las Vegas on May 7. He has so far put in some morning roadwork, a few games of basketball, and a few sessions in the mitts with long-time trainer and friend Buboy Fernandez.

Also there are the Pac-Man’s frequent sparring partners, undefeated welterweight Shawn Porter, from Akron in Ohio, and David Rodela, who is also Khan’s sparring mate, as well as Filipina WBO bantamweight Ana Julaton – a recent winner against Francesca Alcanter.

However, although these coaches and boxers are there to work with or watch Manny, 28-year-old Donaire – who stopped Fernando Montiel in the second round to pick up the crowns on February 19 – is fast becoming a favorite with a nation now engrossed with their potent pugilists.

Donaire deserves the adulation, too, having become only the third Asian fighter – and second Filipino after the great man – to hold titles in three different divisions, with crowns also in flyweight and super-flyweight.

When Mexican Montiel landed a right to Donaire’s head in Las Vegas as month, the Filipino Flash responded with a devastating left he believes was “the hardest punch of my career” that left his opponent crumpled on the canvas. But Montiel somehow got back to his feet, only for Donaire to rush over and land a left then a right that resulted in referee Russell Mora stopping the bout just five minutes and 25 seconds in.

Now ranked No.3 in the world’s pound-for-pound ratings behind Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr, Donaire – $350,000 the richer after his latest victory – will return to the United States at the end of the month to prepare for his next fight, which he hopes will be a unification bout with WBA holder Anselmo Moreno, of Panama, at the Oakland Coliseum on May 28.

Top Rank chairman Bob Arum is attempting to set that clash up, although no contract has yet been signed, while promoter Gary Shaw wants Moreno to face Venezuelan Lorenzo Parra ahead of Donaire.

With Donaire’s contract with Top Rank up in a few months, there has been speculation that Golden Boy Promotions will sign the in-demand Filipino. But he’s just looking to get back in the ring to face whoever manager Cameron Dunkin and Arum sign up as his next opponent.

No matter who is lined up, though, three boxing legends believe Donaire is poised to become as big a star as Manny – especially after his destruction of Montiel.

Former world champion Roy Jones Jr reckons “God had blessed this kid with wonderful talent”, while Mexican legends Julio Cesar Chavez and Marco Antonio Barrera – while commentating on the fight – said Donaire gave “an amazing performance”.

The rightly confident Donaire described himself as “a monster” after the Montiel fight. Certainly, he’s set to become a monster box office star in the world of boxing very soon.