Richard Schaefer

What would appear to be a natural -- a Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. super fight -- might not be. Egos, greed and grudges could get in the way. "It's a simple negotiation," Ross Greenburg, HBO Sports president, said minutes after Pacquiao knocked down welterweight world champion Miguel Cotto twice en route to a 12th-round technical knockout Saturday. "There's so much money to be made. If it doesn't happen, there'll be a revolt. Nothing else is acceptable, and I'm speaking on behalf of the American public and the sport itself."

The gloves are off, and this isn't even hockey. Manny Pacquiao will fight Joshua Clottey on Saturday night in an airplane construction hangar known as Cowboys Stadium. Think of two Staples Centers, placed side by side, with a retractable roof, and you've got it. The people at Boeing are green with envy. If Texas truly wants us to believe everything is bigger here, then with this, it wins. Such is the backdrop for the match. But this is boxing, and a bigger fight is going on outside the ring.

What would appear to be a natural -- a Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. super fight -- might not be. Egos, greed and grudges could get in the way. "It's a simple negotiation," Ross Greenburg, HBO Sports president, said minutes after Pacquiao knocked down welterweight world champion Miguel Cotto twice en route to a 12th-round technical knockout Saturday. "There's so much money to be made. If it doesn't happen, there'll be a revolt. Nothing else is acceptable, and I'm speaking on behalf of the American public and the sport itself."

Minutes before Manny Pacquiao decked Ricky Hatton in May, Pacquiao's business manager grabbed a ringside chair. The small talk was that morning's surprise comeback announcement by Floyd Mayweather Jr., who had "retired" a year earlier while atop the pound-for-pound rankings with a 39-0 record -- perfection enhanced in 2007 by a victory over Oscar De La Hoya in boxing's most lucrative event ever. "Mayweather just shot himself in the head," Pacquiao's business manager, Michael Koncz, assessed.

LAS VEGAS - A boxer needs an edge, contentment is the enemy. Consider the case of Floyd Mayweather Jr. The unbeaten world welterweight champion used to argue with any doubters that he was superior to Manny Pacquiao in the debate over who was the best pound-for-pound fighter. That's no longer an issue after Pacquiao was knocked out by a man Mayweather previously dominated, Juan Manuel Marquez. Mayweather has also longed to boast about his riches. Then, earlier this year, he signed a 30-month, multi-fight deal with Showtime/CBS that is valued at potentially $200 million, considered the most lucrative deal for any athlete in any sport.

LAS VEGAS - On a big fight night in the biggest fight city, Mexican star Saul "Canelo" Alvarez will get a portion of the spotlight Saturday when he takes on newcomer Josesito Lopez of Riverside. They will fight for a title belt at 154 pounds in the main event at the MGM Grand Garden. A mile or so down the road, at Thomas & Mack Center, another major fight card will take place and be headlined by Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. against Sergio Martinez, fighting for a middleweight title belt.

Manny Pacquiao won't fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. until November at the earliest, Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum said Monday. Arum said Mayweather is trying to stage his next fight May 5 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas without promising Pacquiao a 50-50 split of fight revenue. As a result, Mayweather "isn't in the picture" as Arum plans Pacquiao's next fight for June 9. "They don't want to fight in late May," Arum said of the Mayweather camp. "It's dead for May, so we should … let Mayweather fight someone else May 5 and we'll fight someone else June 9, and then let's get a signed contract for [Mayweather-Pacquiao]

The promoter for unbeaten boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr . told The Times on Saturday that he'd be willing to compromise on U.S. Anti-Doping Agency policy that would leave Mayweather and his tentatively scheduled March 13 opponent, Manny Pacquiao , subject to a blood test on the eve of their mega-fight. "As long as there's a blood test, as long as there's a urine test and as long as it's random, a [specified] cutoff date is agreeable to us," Mayweather promoter Richard Schaefer said.

LAS VEGAS - As a youngster, Santos Saul Alvarez began fighting on the streets of Guadalajara for reasons different from the other kids. He wasn't little and a great target for bullies. Nor was he so poor that he needed his fists for food or money. He fought because he was taunted and teased, given nasty nicknames because, of all things, he is redheaded and freckle-faced. He would have been the toast of the town in Dublin, but redheads are about as common as albinos in Guadalajara.

Steroid and other performance-enhancing drug tests given to Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao were declared negative Friday by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Marquez, 39, became noticeably more muscular before avenging two close losses by decisions and a draw by knocking out Pacquiao in the sixth round of their Saturday welterweight fight at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. In a Monday telephone conversation with The Times, Marquez expressed full confidence that his drug tests would be negative.