Saturday, December 20, 2014: At last the bubbling has stopped! The boxing giants Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao are about to fight next year In May.

The bout which is now scheduled on May 2, next year will obviously be in Las Vegas, at the MGM Grand.

The two boxers were earlier engaged in verbal duels that once seemed to be never ending now have called logistical shots to prepare for the bout. The five-division world champion Floyd Mayweather, Jr. was romantic, and erratic about promoters, drug testing and everything.

Mayweather is quoted to have said that “I’m not in this sport to see how hard I can get hit or to see how many big punches I can take. I am in this game to fight as long as I can. I am trying to dish a lot of punishment.”

The eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao was also no exception. “Mayweather didn’t want the fight because he didn’t want to risk a fight with the one who could beat him”, that is what he has quoted to have said during an interview. While he did balk earlier to random drug testing, the Filipino fighter has acquiesced to Mayweather’s demands wanting to establish himself as a legendry pugilist.

Pacquiao has been pining Mayweather for years but the fight did not take place.  There were differences between the two camps and the fight forever died on negotiation table as Mayweather didn’t want it on some pretext or other. But perhaps Mayweather has now realized the public sentiment and agreed for the big event.

There are fighters like Gennady Golovkin, Andre Ward etc but none of the current fighters has the Q Rating of Pacquiao or Mayweather and therefore the fight is surely going to be the final mega hit of the boxing as the best boxers rarely fight each other.

Pacquiao has flaws but his fearlessness has covered all his shortcomings. His agility, unique style, and thunderous power make every fighter extremely cautious, even one as immaculate as Mayweather.

Boxing has been shifted to the back alleys of the sports section sandwiched between horse racing and wrestling. While the realm of the heavyweights is ruled by the Russians, no Americans feel interested if they knockout their chubby challenger in a minute. The boxing fans being equally divided into pugilism and patriotism it is up to Mayweather and Pacquiao to give sport the jolt it needs to put it back on the back page.

Most of the Americans consider this Mayweather-Pacquiao bout as more than a 12 round event; because the symbolism matters. And such fights are always long discussed even after the giants are out of the ring.

Present boxing is in very bad shape as sportsmen seldom feel interested in this. The fight is definitely going to inspire the sportsmen to choose boxing instead of basketball or baseball.

The entire nation is eagerly waiting for the bout and only this fight can provide necessary oxygen to boxing that is really dying at present. People born and raised in NYC, people who still remember MSG as the main nerve of boxing is waiting to have the feeling once again in their lives.

But it can only happen when the two really meet in Las Vegas!