Top Rank – Manny Pacquiao has agreed to terms for a long-awaited super-fight with Floyd Mayweather on May 2 in MGM Grand, Las Vegas Nevada. But nobody from Mayweather’s camp could be reached for comment. Yahoo! Sports initially reported the development.
Bob Arum disclosed the details to Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole, asserting that Mayweather’s representatives have likewise given a thumbs up to the deal but have not been able to get boxing’s pound-for-pound king’s approval as of the moment.
“I think Manny has been very reasonable and demonstrated that he wants the fight to happen. Now, we’re waiting on Floyd Mayweather. That’s not to say that Floyd has been obstinate, that Floyd won’t do it, but we’re waiting on him,” Arum said.
“I’m not trying to force anybody’s hand. I’m just saying, ‘Hey, we’ve agreed to everything, period. The people we have talked to on Mayweather’s side have agreed to everything. Now, we need Mayweather to step up and say, ‘Yeah, I’m on board. I agree,’” Arum cleared..
“The point is that I don’t want what happened the other times to happen again,” Arum assured. “I want this fight to actually happen. I want everybody to make a lot of money on the fight. I want the public to be satisfied. And I think it will be a terrific event. That’s what I want, and I’ve done everything in my power to make that happen.”
Pacquiao readily agreed to drug testing protocol, something that became a point of contention between the two sides during negotiations in 2009 and he also agreed to a 40 percent cut of the revenue, leaving Mayweather with the remaining 60 percent of a fight most believe will shatter every boxing box office record, including the all-time pay-per-view buy record of 2.4 million (Mayweather-Oscar De La Hoya), the pay-per-view revenue record of $150 million (Mayweather-Canelo Alvarez) and the all-time gate record of $20 million (Mayweather-Alvarez). This is according to a source involved in the negotiations.
Top Rank chairman Bob Arum has been negotiating the bout for the past couple of months through Leslie Moonves, the president and CEO of CBS, which has two fights left on a six-fight contract CBS and subsidiary network Showtime signed Mayweather to in early 2013. Moonves, according to Arum, has been acting as a go-between in trying to hammer out Mayweather’s end of the deal with adviser Al Haymon.
