One of the biggest fights in recent boxing history is set to take place on May 2. Floyd Mayweather, the undefeated boxer who is arguably the best fighter in the sport right now will take on Manny Pacquiao, another highly skilled boxer who is also in the conversation as the best current boxer.

The fight has been discussed for years now, with Pacquiao constantly asking Mayweather to fight him. As such, Mayweather finally acquiescing comes as a bit of a surprise. ESPN Analyst Skip Bayless is of the opinion that Mayweather was shamed into accepting Pacquiao’s challenge since refusing to fight him for so long made him seem cowardly.

“Finally, after Manny Pacquiao campaigned for this fight for five long years. After Manny offered every compromise on Earth for five long years. After Manny publicly dared and dared and dared Floyd may or may not weather to take this fight. Floyd Mayweather, Jr. finally quit running because he was shamed into taking this fight,” Bayless said on ESPN First Take.

Though shame may not necessarily be the cause of Mayweather accepting the challenge, it is still strange that he held out for so long, only to give in. Perhaps, as ESPN’s Dan Rafael opines, the real reason that Mayweather decided to fight is for the large sum of money he will make. According to Rafael, the bout “will see Mayweather receive the lion’s share of a 60-40 money split in a fight that could gross around $400 million.”

While it may seem laughable that such highly-paid athletes will still try to command as much money as they can, regardless of their current riches, the money did get the job done, so boxing fans should not care. As long as the fight lives up to the hype, who cares why Mayweather finally gave in?

Speaking of hype, those behind the fight are desperately hoping that this matchup will actually live up to expectations, unlike some overhyped matches in the past. ESPN’s Nigel Collins discussed this in one of his articles, reminiscing about the match between Felix Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya and how it wasn’t up to par.

“The so-called Fight of the Millennium between Felix Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya turned out to be a dud. Trinidad won a controversial majority decision in a tedious, tactical match best remembered for what it wasn’t,” Collins said.

Will this match be a repeat performance of the Trinidad-De La Hoya flop? Will one of the fighters totally dominate the other, or will both not try their hardest? Both of these eventualities seem unlikely, but anything can happen.

However the match turns out, it should be one for the record books. You’d better start saving up now if you want to watch it, however, as it has been reported to cost $89 for standard definition viewing, and $99 for high definition viewing.

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