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29 March 2024

Manny Pacquaio vs Floyd Mayweather latest: Pacman says 2015

Floyd Mayweather (right) Manny Pacquiao (AP/AFP)

Published
By Sports Correspondent with Agencies

Even as Manny Pacquaio prepares for undefeated junior welterweight champion Chris Algieri, the name Floyd Mayweather is never far away.

Pacquiao will defend his WBO welterweight crown on No. 22 in Macau, the 64th bout of a career that includes titles in eight divisions. None of those fights has been against the undefeated Mayweather.

Pacquiao told The Associated Press on Friday that a matchup with Mayweather "is the fight fans want in their hearts" and that he is always ready to step into the ring with Mayweather.

Speaking on his press tour Pacquiao said: "There are serious negotiations with the Mayweather camp and my promoter."

When asked if the fight would take place in May, he added: "Probably for next year."

The Filipino star and congressman could be closer to such a fight because promoter Bob Arum says the two cable TV networks involved, HBO and Showtime, have reached an agreement to make it happen.

Now it's up to Mayweather to agree, Arum says.

Arum drums up support

The world wants it, Manny Pacquiao wants it and, according to Bob Arum, HBO and Showtime want it. The lucrative pay-day would dwarf anything the sport has seen before.

The Daily Mail, quoting PacMan’s promoter Bob Arum, believes it will happen - Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao.

Not only does he see it happening, he sees it as early as 2015 In terms of the network deals, the report quotes Arum as saying, “Networks want this to happen. All signs seem to point to a first fight early next year.”

In true promoter fashion Arum also believes a re-match will be likely.

Manny Pacquiao and Chris Algieri are in the middle of a two-week, globe-trotting tour to promote their welterweight title fight in November, but the match the world truly wants to see looks further away than ever.

When Pacquiao met the press in Macau recently, questions about his elusive megafight with the undefeated American Floyd Mayweather met with a sharp response.

"Who's that?" Pacquiao joked, when Mayweather was mentioned by reporters.

Pacquiao's hall-of-fame trainer Freddie Roach was less jovial, conceding bluntly that the two boxing legends, both in the twilight of their glittering careers, may never be seen in the same ring.

"We can't waste our time waiting for him," Roach told AFP. "We've done everything we could to make that fight happen. It's like, we're available if he's interested in it, but again we can't sit around waiting for him."

Eight-division world champion Pacquiao's next date is a World Boxing Organisation welterweight title defence against the undefeated WBO junior welterweight title-holder Algieri on November 23 in Macau's Cotai Arena.

In 2010, Pacquiao and Mayweather were close to agreeing a fight between the two greatest boxers of their generation, which could potentially have generated a record $300 million dollars in pay-per-view revenue.

But it fell through because Mayweather was unhappy with Pacquiao's drug-testing procedures in training.

That issue receded after Pacquiao agreed to Olympic-style testing, and the Filipino icon expressed his frustration that a Mayweather clash has still moved no closer after getting his career back on track with comprehensive victories in the past nine months over Brandon Rios and Timothy Bradley.

"The possibility to fight with him, you know, the question is not for us," Pacquiao said. "It's for them because any time we are willing to fight, any time. I think that question belongs to them, their camp."

The biggest hurdle that remains -- and it is a huge one -- is the animosity between Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank and Mayweather's Golden Boy promotions, who have deals with rival pay-per-view networks HBO and Showtime, respectively.

Pacquiao is due to retire at the end of his current deal with Top Rank in 2016, when the congressman from Sarangani will be 37.

Mayweather, who is already 37, has a perfect 46-0 record. Assuming Mayweather, who is also tipped to fight Britain's Amir Khan early next year, remains unbeaten, he is unlikely to want to risk his dream of equalling Rocky Marciano's career mark of 49-0 against 'Pacman' this time next year.

That just leaves one, extremely remote, possibility for the two to appear in the same ring. Should both remain unbeaten until the end of 2015, they could provide a fitting end to their careers in early 2016 by settling the argument once and for all.

A victory for Mayweather would take him to the magical 50-0 mark, a win for Pacquiao would cement his place as one of the greatest boxers not just of his own generation, but of all time.