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Eric Jamison/Associated Press

Probability of Realization: 20-30 percent

Weight Class: Up for grabs

PPV Projection: Mind-blowing; 3 millions buys or more (biggest PPV ever)

Why It Hasn't Been Made Yet: Neither fighter wants the bragging rights bad enough to meet in the middle, which is the true shame and the one point that the world of MMA needs to learn from.

When Juan Manuel Marquez landed that counter right hand that sent Manny Pacquiao crashing face-first to the canvas, it instantly went down as one of the best one-punch rallies the sport of boxing had ever seen.

It also sent shock waves through the MMA community, as evidenced by the tweet from Lorenzo Fertitta—the boss of the big boss of MMA, Dana White.

Like it or not, boxing and MMA will always be linked; they are the only two true combative sports out there that are clearly established as legitimate and potentially lucrative professions for such athletes.

And in terms of superfights, none would be bigger than Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. You could put any two MMA superfights on the same card, and they would still not generate the pay-per-view buys that a boxing card with Mayweather vs. Pacquiao would generate.

It’s the current gold standard for the term, and everyone in the world of MMA would be watching, which is why we are talking about it now.

Mayweather vs. Pacquiao would be the ultimate clash of styles if it happened today or tomorrow; the rub is that it would not answer the question of which fighter was truly the best since it is happening four years past the prime of both fighters.

If Mayweather and Pacquiao had been born in the early 1930s and became professionals in a natural progression, they would have been fighting in the late '50s and would have already battled three or four times by now.

Back then, the sport of boxing demanded more of its fighters. The only real bragging rights worth a damn were found in the ring—a lesson the sport of MMA, which is still young and in its '50s era could learn from.

Sadly, if both met today, it would be a degradation of the pure signal—a hollow semblance of the great fight we could have seen in 2009 or 2010, had they been willing to make a fight for the sake of boxing instead of themselves.

As usual, styles make fights.

As hated as Mayweather is, he is the purest personification of an incredibly talented fighter focusing his skills and talents via technique, which is why he wins this fight time and again.

Pacquiao is a very fast, aggressive and technical fighter who has true power in his punches; he would land more blows than anyone else ever has, and he would do damage.

But for his fans, the sad fact is that Mayweather, a devout student of the game (and a lover of the game, to be sure) would be expecting this. He is the personification of skill, talent, poise and dedication all used as fuel for a near-perfect technique.

And as a counterpuncher, he has no peer in the sport today.

Like Marcos Maidana, Pacquiao would win some rounds by crowding Floyd against the ropes and throwing punches in bunches, outworking his opponent. Also like Maidana, Pacquiao would be missing far more punches than he landed, and in transition Mayweather would be landing his blows with shocking speed and accuracy.

That last point is one to remember; as fast as Pacquiao is, Mayweather is faster and honestly far more accurate.

One judge would favor the aggression of Pacquiao, giving him credit for blows he did not honestly land, but the other two would get it right.

Sadly, it still wouldn’t answer the question of who is best, because it is just too damn late.

But sometimes it really is a case of “better late than never.” This fight is suddenly back in consideration given that Oscar De La Hoya, a true boxing fan, seems committed to working with former promoter Bob Arum to make the bout happen for the good of boxing. This is terribly rare considering all parties involved, but the “Golden Boy” has the clout and checkbook to make things happen.

Hopefully, the world of MMA does better than waiting on promissory notes and instead banks on the authority the tweet of Fertitta seemed to imply.

Prediction: Mayweather by split decision.