Pacman-Floyd Jr. bout can still happen -- Arum

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, and yes, even Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s own trainer, aren’t about to allow themselves be caught in this latest antic pulled off by the loud mouth boxing champion.

Arum and Roger Mayweather, the uncle and trainer of Floyd Jr., both believe that the unbeaten fighter from Grand Rapid, Michigan is not true to his words.

“You’ll never know with Floyd," said Arum, reacting to widespread reports about Floyd Jr’s indiscreet disclosure that he’s ready to take a `year or a couple of years off boxing.’

“Sometimes, he (Mayweather) just talks for the sake of talking. If Floyd plans to take a year or two off, we should be seeing a formal press release soon."

And proof that he doesn’t believe Mayweather will be standing by his threat, Arum said negotiations are still ongoing about a November 13 showdown pitting Floyd Jr. and reigning pound-for-pound champion Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines.

The Top Rank big boss is constantly in touch with Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer as they silently try to work out a deal regarding the fight the world wants to see.

Schaefer is negotiating in behalf of Mayweather.

The controversial statement was made by Mayweather over the weekend when he told reporters present during an appearance at the Make A Wish charity affair that he’s taking a year or a couple of years off boxing.

The response was in reaction to a question regarding a possible ring encounter with Pacquiao before the year ends.

The former Olympian attended the event to grant the wish of a young fan named Amando to see his favorite boxer in the flesh. Amando is suffering from Hodgins disease.

Unless, the unbeaten fighter corroborates his earlier announcement, his trainer is dismissing the reports as nothing but a joke.

Money, and lots of them, according to Roger Mayweather will dictate Floyd Jr. to take the Pacquiao fight.

“What makes money makes sense," said his long-time trainer. “I’m sure there are other fights out there, but since that’s the biggest fight for Floyd, the biggest fight out there is Pacquiao."

The 31-year old newly-elected Congressman of Sarangani has kept mum about the latest development in the race to make the fight projected to be the biggest and richest in prizefighting history.

On Saturday, Pacquiao attended the banquet dinner of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City and personally received the 2009 Boxer of the Year award and Fighter of the Decade honor bestowed on him by the biggest boxing writers’ group in the world.

He was also at ringside and watched the Miguel Cotto-Yuri Foreman World Boxing Association (WBA) super-welterweight fight at the new Yankee Stadium.

Pacquiao is now bound for Los Angeles together with wife Jinkee and their kids for a well deserved, one-week vacation.

Arum said there are several options left for Pacquiao in case the fight with Mayweather doesn’t push through, given the new twist that unfolded in the recent days.

But in the end, the Top Rank big boss believes the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight will be made.

“I’m optimistic," said Arum as quoted in PhilBoxing. “I am sure that will come clear this coming week." - RCJ, GMANews.TV

Floyd Mayweather backs out of Pacquiao fight, taking a year or two off

The proposed showdown between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao seems to have been called of again permanently.

Speaking to reporters during an charity appearance with the make a wish foundation, Mayweather stated that he would be taking 'a year or two' off from the sport of boxing.

Mayweather granted the wish of a young man by the name of Armando suffering from Hodgkins disease, who wanted to meet his favorite fighter. During the course of the event, a reporter joked that Armando wanted to see Mayweather take on Manny Pacquiao the most, to which Mayweather revealed that he was taking another leave of absence.

Whether he will return to the ring at some point is not clear, and he says that he doesn't know what the future holds.

According to all other sources, a fight between the two pound for pound stalwarts was nearly made, and the two opposing camps were negotiating behind closed doors. Whether Mayweather has made this news clear to his promoting representatives at Golden Boy isn't clear, and if not than he will have been wasting their time in having them engage in talks with Top Rank all this time.

Without stating any particular reason for not wanting to fight again for an extended period, it will no doubt appear that Floyd is merely sidestepping Pacquiao, a fighter many believe would hand him his first career loss. Certainly this news will dampen the last days of Pacquiao's career as well, and his next opponent will now probably either be Antonio Margarito or Miguel Cotto.



This latest revelation will no doubt further damage Mayweather's public persona, which had already taken a battering when he accused Pacquiao of being a drug user without evidence. Not only this, but Mayweather's legacy will no doubt be tarnished as well, and even if he remains undefeated if he does fight again, there will always be a question mark as to whether Pacquiao would have beaten him.

Chris Allen, Pittsburgh: "I knew Mayweather would pull out. The fight will never happen now because in two years time Pacquiao will be retired and Mayweather will be too old"

James Stone, Philly: "If he planned on taking a couple of years off why didn't he just say so after he beat Mosley? Its obvious hes only fighting to line his own pockets and that he doesn't give a damn about the fans"

Source: examiner.com

Arum Hit With Huge Qatar Offer For Mayweather-Pacquiao

By Rick Reeno

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao is without question the biggest fight in boxing. Because there is so much money to be made, investors from all over the world are trying to get involved. Top Rank CEO Bob Arum confirmed to BoxingScene.com that he was approached by parties in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, who are interested in staging the Mayweather-Pacquiao event.

The party from Qatar is not looking to stage the fight overseas. They want to stage the fight in the United States.

"I got a call from Qatar, where they offered a number that was so crazy..... not to do the fight over there, [but] to do the fight here in the United States," Arum said.

How crazy was the number?

Last December, when Mayweather-Pacquiao was being negotiated for a failed March date, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones offered a guarantee of $25 million to host the event at Cowboys Stadium in Texas. Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated was the only other reporter involved in the conversation, and he asked Arum directly if the offer from Qatar was bigger than the offer presented by Jones in December. Arum replied "way bigger."

Because the party from Qatar is interested in hosting the event in the United States, Arum is somewhat puzzled as to their monetary motives to recoup their sizable investment. He believes their interests lie with the gate.

"I have no idea. I said 'look, what are you interested in?' Sponsorships? [They said] no. Pay-Per-View? [They said] no. They are interested in the gate. The thing is with Mayweather and Pacquiao, is that Pacquiao is gold for the casinos because virtually every Asian gambler, high roller, wants to be at a Pacquiao fight and wants to come to Las Vegas - and that then translates into multi-million dollars. More than the pay-per-view [revenue]. Whoever gets those good seats, gets players who play $250,000 a hand and you got those sons of bitches all weekend," Arum said.

"They don't want the fight in Qatar. They want the fight presumably in Vegas or some state. But yes I did get the call, a letter from Abu Dhabi offering me gazillions [and] my own camel. And I got this call Saturday from Qatar."

It’s looking like Mayweather will retire undefeated

By Dave Lahr: With an impressive 41-0 record and with little competitive to speak of in the junior welterweight, welterweight and light middleweight divisions, it’s looking a lot like Floyd Mayweather Jr. will retire undefeated and a very rich man. Whether Mayweather fights Manny Pacquiao or not, I still think Mayweather has no competition and will retire unbeaten. Pacquiao, if he accepts the blood testing and the purse split that Mayweather asks of him, is going to be really over his head against Mayweather.

We saw already how easily Mayweather beat the number #3 welterweight in the division Shane Mosley, the fighter that Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach didn’t want to fight Pacquiao. And we’ve also recently seen how easily Mayweather beat Juan Manuel Marquez, the same fighter that Pacquiao had huge headaches against in his two fights. You can’t just explain that away by saying Marquez was bloated or that he was all of a sudden old.

We already heard that excuse for why Mayweather dominated Mosley. Neither of those two fighters was old at the time that Mayweather fought them. Its Mayweather’s incredible talent that made them look that way. Pacquiao, if he does give in to what Mayweather is asking of him in the negotiations, will experience the beating of his life.

It’s just good that it will be Pacquiao’s last fight of his career so he doesn’t have to try carry on afterward, and possibly end up half a fighter. Mayweather is going to beat Pacquiao every which way but Tuesday when and if he fights him. Mayweather is just too deadly accurate with his punches, too fast and much too talented for the defensively limited Pacquiao. Mayweather is just going to have way too many targets to aim his punches at when he fights Pacquiao and he’s going to be like a kid in a candy store. He won’t know what to tag first because there will be so many openings to choose from for Pacquiao.

Other than Pacquiao, the rest of the division won’t be any problems for Mayweather. I expect Amir Khan to be almost immediately pushed into a fight with Mayweather, whether Khan is ready for the fight or not. They’re not taking any chances with Khan and matching him very lightly to keep him moving forward towards a mega fight in the future against Mayweather.

It’s kind of sad, really, because by putting Khan against guys they know he can beat, he’s going to be hopelessly out of his class by multiple levels when he’s finally put in with Mayweather. I see that fight as an early knockout for Mayweather unless he wants to toy with Khan like a cat with a mouse. It’ll too easy for Mayweather to destroy Khan, but that’s probably a fight that will happen soon after Mayweather destroys Pacquiao.

Maybe Saul Alvarez will be soon pushed into a fight with Mayweather as well. With both Khan and Pacquiao annihilated, they’ll probably look to put the young Alvarez in with Mayweather to get the young Mexican a shot at a huge payday before Mayweather hangs up the gloves for good. This fight will be even easier than Khan, because Alvarez is slower and has no defense whatsoever. That might end in a 1st round knockout win for Mayweather. Alvarez was stunned in the 1st round in his last fight by the small lightweight Jose Cotto. I can’t see Alvarez doing much other than getting taken out quickly by Mayweather.

Merchant hints megafight will happen

HBO boxing guru Larry Merchant knows something most people don’t.

“Yes, I do believe it is going to happen in November,” the inquisitive boxing commentator told The Boxing Truth Radio over the weekend.

Of course, he was referring to the superfight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., which to many observers is still far from happening.

There’s the continuing argument on the blood-testing procedure, and the perceived disagreement on the purse split, as the reasons why the fight is far off.

But Merchant, a former sportswriter whose thoughts have become the most respected in boxing, gave a hint of something he must have seen or heard.

That the fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather, one that could earn around $40 million for each boxer, may just take place on Nov. 13, as planned, as scheduled.

But he won’t let it all out.

“What exclusively I have heard, I cannot reveal entirely, but I think most of the issues have been resolved. It does not mean they won’t find something else,” he was quoted by The Examiner as saying.

That’s good enough to hear when almost everything that’s being printed and aired are about the difficulties of making the fight that the whole planet wants to see happens.

Bob Arum of Top Rank is trying his darn best to make it happen, and is on a silent mode as he tries to break the ice with the Mayweather people and get the talks going.

Not even Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s chief trainer, knows what’s going on.

“I don’t know what’s going on. I’m staying out of it. I just know Manny will be fighting someone in November. We hope the opponent is Mayweather. If not, we’ll find someone else and we’ll be ready,” he said.

Roach told boxingscene.com that if the Mayweather fight happens, it’s when the whole world will see who the best fighter is. He doesn’t have any doubt that it’s Pacquiao.

“You can see in the (Shane) Mosley fight that his (Mayweather) legs are not there. He’s (Mayweather) a very good fighter, but my guy is better and I know my guy can beat him,” Roach vowed.

Mayweather-Pacquiao: A 52-48 Purse Split in Favor of Floyd Might Get It Done

By Giancarlo Malinconico: It has leaked from several sources that Floyd Mayweather is now demanding a bigger share of the revenue split if a bout is to emerge with Manny Pacquiao. A 52-48 split in favor of Mayweather seems to be the perfect resolution to the purse-split dispute between “Money” and Pacquiao for a mega showdown later this year. Although both parties must still agree on a cutoff date for random blood testing, 52-48 might work because Floyd would be receiving the bigger revenue share while Pacquiao would still earn much more money than he would in a bout with Antonio Margarito, or any other fighter for that matter.

Bob Arum deserves much of the blame for the failed negotiations earlier this year, and for the selection of the lackluster Joshua Clottey as Pacquiao’s opponent, while gaining a promoter’s fee from both fighters rather than having Manny face a bigger name. A Pacquiao-Margarito bout would do nothing for Manny’s legacy, and Floyd knows it.

A 52-48 split is the best way to get the bout signed. There are some ways in which Arum could make up some of the 2%: Arum could take a pay cut. A 52-48 purse split works because it allows Floyd to brag about receiving the bigger purse, and it allows Pacquiao to end his career with the biggest bout in boxing history, solidifying his legacy, if he is victorious, as one the greatest of all time if not the greatest.

Arum has set aside November 6th and 13th for Mayweather-Pacquiao clash

By Dave Lahr: Top Rank promoter Bob Arum has set aside November 6th and November 13th for a mega fight between WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. for a fight that will be held in either Las Vegas or at the Cowboy Stadium, in Texas.

Arum is hoping to be able to put together the mega fight in the next few months, if possible. However, he might be jumping way ahead of himself in setting dates without Mayweather’s involvement. Pacquiao recently agreed to allow for blood tests to be taken from him until 14 days before a fight against Mayweather.

Arum is now putting it on Mayweather if he doesn’t accept this date it means that it’s essentially his fault that the fight doesn’t take place. However, that’s not really negotiating by Pacquiao agreeing to what Mayweather wanted during their previous negotiations. That time is past. Pacquiao moved on to fight Joshua Clottey rather than give into the 14 day request by Mayweather. At the time, Pacquiao would only agree to 24 days, a lengthy cutoff period.

But things aren’t that simple now. You can hardly put the blame on Mayweather if he doesn’t see the 14 day cut off as good enough anymore. Mayweather defeated Shane Mosley on May 1st, and got really good pay-per-view numbers in that fight. In fact, Mayweather’s 1.4 million buys was double the number of buys that Pacquiao’s fight against Clottey received. Why then would Mayweather be willing to accept the same negations as last time when he’s riding high right now from his win over Mosley.

You can’t blame Mayweather if he’s changed his mind about what he had asked for earlier in terms of blood testing, just as you can’t blame Mayweather if he asks for a better split than the 50-50 deal last time out. In American, you’re paid better based on your accomplishment. That’s how things are. And Mayweather just accomplished something truly special by dominating Shane Mosley with ease and showing how great he is. Pacquiao, for his part, didn’t look so hot in beating Clottey.

Pacquiao threw over 1000 punches in that fight, but missed a massive amount of his shots and was hit with big shots from Clottey all night long. Pacquiao was really tagged by Clottey in that fight. I don’t care if Manny won, he was getting clobbered with some clean hooks and uppercuts from Clottey throughout the fight.

If you look at Pacquiao’s fight with Clottey and then compare it to Mayweather’s brilliant work of art against Mosley, there are really no comparisons. Mayweather was far superior. This is why the 14 day cut off, as well as the purse split, probably won’t be the same in the next round of negotiations. I think Arum would have been off speaking to Mayweather first before wasting his time booking dates or locations for the fight. That’s getting ahead of things.

Pacquiao giving Mayweather a take it or leave it offer with blood testing?

By Chris Williams: Manny Pacquiao has been saying recently that he’s willing to accept the blood testing request of 14 days from Floyd Mayweather Jr. for the last negotiations between the two fighters in February of this year. Mayweather hasn’t said a word about whether Pacquiao’s new concession will be acceptable or not and has kept his silence. This in turn has caused Pacquiao to remark to ABS-CBN “I already agreed to 14 days and as long as they don’t draw too much blood but only what is needed for the tests. Fourteen days before the fight.” Unfortunately, Pacquiao’s 14 days might not be good enough for Mayweather this time.

Pacquiao needs to be patient about this if he wants to fight the unbeaten Mayweather. The last thing we need in this process is an ultimatum. It isn’t helped that Pacquiao is suing Mayweather. What is that? You want to fight him, yet you’re suing him? It might be wise to drop the lawsuit. That would be the first step in trying to put the fight together.

During his previous negotiations with Mayweather, Pacquiao stood firm on a 24 day cut off period and then ended negotiations when Mayweather asked for 14 days. It would be sad if Pacquiao digs his heels in the sand and makes 14 days his initial and final offer to Mayweather. Pacquiao and his team need to use more finesse with Mayweather if they want this fight. You have to yourself in his shoes to deal with him. I don’t see that happening here.They need to coax Mayweather’s ego, tell him what he wants to hear and be a chameleon about this. That’s how you’ll get a fight with Floyd, not by pressure.

Given that Mayweather hasn’t said a word about Pacquiao’s 14 day concession, there’s a good chance that he wants more than that before he’ll fight Manny. So instead of complaining about it or blaming Mayweather if the fight doesn’t get made, Pacquiao and his promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank need to decide if they want to go lower than 14 days for the blood testing. If not, then they should move on and fight their back up plan fighter Antonio Margarito or the winner of the June 5th clash between Yuri Foreman and Miguel Cotto.

None of those fights appeal to me in the slightest, but then again their all Top Rank fighters, so I can see the attraction for Arum to match Pacquiao against one of them. Cotto already got stomped by Pacquiao last year in November. It would be sad to see Pacquiao ending his career facing him again, even if Cotto beats the little known Foreman and take his WBA title. There’s got to be better options out there for Pacquiao’s final fight, don’t you think? I’d rather see Pacquiao fight Sergio Martinez or Amir Khan rather than fight Margarito in Mexico or go over old ground and fight Cotto.

I don’t know how on earth they could sell a second fight between Cotto and Pacquiao. With only fight in between his 12th round knockout loss to Pacquiao, Cotto wouldn’t have done much to rebuild himself with the boxing fans. Beating Foreman seems like a careful matchmaking move because Foreman can’t punch. Ideally, I think Arum and Pacquiao need to get together and agree to whatever blood testing that Mayweather wants. He’s not going to give in this and complaining about it and trying to get the boxing public to support him on the 14 stance won’t likely work for Pacquiao.

Mayweather can’t be pressured at this point, because he just showed the world how good he is by dominating Shane Mosley in a 12 round decision. Right now, Mayweather is immune from pressure and ultimatums. This is why it’s up to Pacquiao to either agree to the further testing that Mayweather likely wants or just move on. If it was me, I’d make up my mind whether I wanted to be tested all the way up until the fight. If I couldn’t, I’d move on and fight someone else. I wouldn’t complain about it, because I would know that it wouldn’t make a difference anyway. But I would also look to fight some other guys rather than the ones that have been offered up to me by my promoter. Like I said, I’d rather see Pacquiao fight Khan or Sergio Martinez rather than watching a second fight between Cotto or watching Pacquiao fight Margarito.

Floyd Jr continues to dodge fight with Pacquiao

It seems that Floyd Mayweather Jr. continues to dodge a megafight with Manny Pacquiao.

The virtual chess match between both fighters continued after Mayweather’s camp announced a new demand regarding his rival’s drug testing, preventing him from squaring off with Pacquiao inside the ring.

On Thursday, Pacquiao called Mayweather’s bluff, agreeing to take a blood test 14 days before their proposed November 13 battle.

No deal has been finalized in the much-awaited duel between two of boxing’s most celebrated fighters as Top Rank’s Bob Arum and Golden Boy’s Richard Schaefer are still on the negotiating table to make the fight of the year take place.

Mayweather, in an interview by boxing writer Michael Marley, had a quick answer to Pacquiao’s turnaround, saying that from the start, he has demanded the seven world division champion to take test 14 days before the fight.

Now Mayweather, according to Marley, wants to do testing closer to the fight.

This new demand may not sit well with Team Pacquiao.

“(Mayweather) should be blamed if the fight doesn’t push through because Pacquiao has already agreed to take the test," said Arum.

Pacquiao believes getting blood sample closer to fight day could have an affect on his performance the same thing that happened when he lost to Erik Morales in 2005.

The US Anti Doping Agency is expected to facilitate the testing. – JVP, GMANews.TV

ESPN.com: Arum eyes Pacquiao-Mayweather fightcom

ESPN's Dan Rafael writes...

Newly elected Filipino congressman Manny Pacquiao, who will be sworn in on June 30 after his resounding victory this week, will fight Nov. 13, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said on Wednesday. And if Arum and Pacquiao have their way, the fight will be against Floyd Mayweather Jr.

"Manny is definitely going to fight in November," Arum said during a teleconference in which he addressed a handful of media members upon his return from the Philippines, where he had spent the past week supporting Pacquiao in the final days on the campaign trail and also talking a little business.

"The fight we want to do is the Mayweather fight," Arum said. "There is no question that is the fight the public wants. I'm very optimistic once we start we will conclude this time [but] you never know."

Mayweather-Pacquiao could take place in New York

By Alexander Fugate: The world wants to see a Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao fight. As everyone who hasn’t been living in a cave knows by now, negotiations for this super fight fell apart over stringent drug testing that Mayweather wanted and Pacquiao refused. Since the Mayweather negotiations, Pacquiao, his trainer Freddie Roach, and his promoter Bob Arum have all repeatedly said they will not agree to the Olympic style drug testing that Mayweather wants all of his future opponents to undergo- UNLESS it is ordered so by the state athletic commission, of the state they would fight in.

There could be a breakthrough, as Leonard Ellerbe of Mayweather Promotions and Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions announced in a recent conference call that Melvina Lathan of the New York State Athletic Commission has expressed that that commission is interested in that form of testing and is considering implementing these tests for future boxing matches in New York state. When asked about this revelation, Mr. Ellerbe responded, “…this is something that they’re considering and my interpretation from this; I think eventually all the commissions across the United States will eventually adopt it.” In the future all states may adopt similar testing, but as of now and the very near future, the New York commission is the only one considering such testing for PEDs.

If Olympic style drug testing becomes mandatory for all fights in the state of New York, then why not have Mayweather-Pacquiao in Madison Square Garden or outdoors at Yankee Stadium? After all Madison Square Garden has been home to literally thousands of boxing matches and some very memorable ones. Sugar Ray Robinson, Henry Armstrong, Joe Louis, Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard, Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali, including their first fight against each other, are just a few of the many legends who have battled in Madison Square Garden.

This would allow Pacquiao to save face by not giving in to Mayweather and Mayweather would feel comfortable that his opponent is clean. It really would be a win-win, and there would be no excuse for either fighter not agreeing to it. If Mayweather refused everyone would view him as being afraid of Pacquiao, and if Pacquiao refused he would be seen as either a cheat or being scared of facing Mayweather. There have been many big fights and PPV boxing events in New York before and a fight at either Madison Square Garden or Yankee Stadium would almost certainly sell out well before fight night, regardless of how many seats are available. Hopefully, the New York State Athletic Commission is serious about this; if they are, they could bring their state many millions of dollars, through taxes, hotels, restaurants, and all the other revenue a city gains from hosting any mega-event that attracts people from all over the country. If they do adopt this form of testing for PEDs, the fight that would likely break records for revenue and PPV buys for boxing, and focus the limelight of professional sports on boxing for a positive reason (for a change), could very well take place in the not-too-distant future.

Pacquiao on why the Mayweather fight didn't happen

Manny Pacquiao gives some pretty strong opinions on Floyd Mayweather.



SOURCE: YAHOO! SPORTS

Pacquiao, Floyd Jr. both negative for drug use

FROM GMANEWS.TV

Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., came out negative during the random-style urine testing procedure conducted on them, before negotiations for their projected 12-round mega-bout fell apart two weeks ago.

Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) executive director Keith Kizer announced that the urine samples taken from the two boxing icons “came back negative for all prohibited substances."

Pacquiao and Mayweather were ordered to undergo the procedure as part of a random out-of-competition drug-testing practice of the commission, since both fighters are licensed in Nevada.

The two provided samples last Dec. 28.

Pacquiao was tested in his hometown in General Santos City, the sample of which was taken in Malaysia, while Mayweather underwent the same process in his hometown in Las Vegas.

A disagreement in the drug-testing procedure to be conducted on Pacquiao and Mayweather Jr. hindered what many believe could have been the richest and biggest fight ever in the history of boxing.

That gave way to a Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey 12-round showdown on March 13 at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, where the Filipino’s World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight belt will be at stake. – GMANews.TV

The Mayweather-Pacquiao Fight is Still On!

By Kirk Jackson: I have been informed from a few reliable sources, the much anticipated mega boxing show down between Pound for Pound Kings Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. is still on.

It seems like there have been recent developments everyday, going into a range from drug testing disputes, to whatever else the two camps choose to disagree on, and deadlines to come to an agreement have been tossed everywhere.

The main problem with the recent disputes between the two camps, have been trying to come up with an agreement in regards to the random urine and blood testing for performance enhancing drugs. The camp of Floyd Mayweather wants a 14 day cut off, while the camp of Manny Pacquiao wants a longer extended period. From what I have been informed, both camps have scheduled yet another meeting to salvage this fight.

The meeting for the final arrangements are to talk place this Sunday, with the fight still being scheduled for the tentative date of March 13 of this year. It looks like both sides will compromise and agree to a cut off period of 14 – 20 days for the random drug testing.

This will leave them with an opportunity to get off quick press tour before their historic show down in March.

Pacquiao vs. Clottey/Mayweather vs. Malignaggi = A Disappointment

By Shaun Campbell: Boxingnews24 today reported that Manny Pacquiao is likely defend his WBO welterweight title against Ghanaian Joshua Clottey. The former International Boxing Federation champion Clottey will no doubt be thrilled with the announcement that Pacquiao’s proposed “super fight” with Floyd Mayweather fell through. For boxing fans though it’s a totally different story. A disappointment, a letdown, a disgrace. Why pick an opponent who, while putting in a good effort again Miguel Cotto was eventually beaten. And the world saw what happened when Cotto faced the “Pac-man”.

Is Pacquiao vs Clottey the most attractive fight Bob Arum could find? They may as well have staged a 3rd contest between Pacquiao and Marquez, which would have probably been a more competitive fight than this one. This bout looks set to be happening on March 13th. With no disrespect to Clottey, what chance does he have to beat a man who so convincingly outclassed Miguel Cotto? It seems as if the bout will have to happen in March, which rules out the chance of Pacquiao facing the winner of Mosley vs Berto, which is a shame but the winner of that fight surely has to fight Floyd Mayweather.

Speaking of Mayweather, it is possible he will be fighting either Paulie Malignaggi or Britain’s Matthew Hatton. Both fighters a genuinely nice guys and no disrespect to them, but the difference in class is staggering. Malignaggi and Mayweather and two defensively minded fighters would like to hit and move, therefore their styles probably wont result in an exciting fight. Mayweather is a master of making exciting fighters, fight an ordinary fight. People will eventually lose interest in the dream match Pacquiao/Mayweather and focus on other fights which could possibly be made. Every day that passes where Pacquiao and Mayweather don’t fight, they’ll be losing money.

Clottey and Malignaggi are decent fighters, but they aren’t in the class of Pacquiao or Mayweather. So whether this is promotional hype or genuine problems that can not be settled, it is a disgrace.

Mayweather vs Pacquiao: It’s Still Not Over

By Frank Car: Contrary to news circulating that the Floyd Maywather vs. Manny Pacquiao bout is off once again. I still believe it’s not over. “It’s off” is something we have heard, what, three or four times now? Although my optimism is somewhat fading, there is still time for what a source called a “business deadline” for the Mega-Fight to be made.

There is not that much to say, other than we need to wait for more official news to surface, from both camps. It has been Pacquiao’s camp to once again say it’s off. That is no surprise seemingly how it has been Pacquiao’s camp to be quick to say it’s off numerous times in the past. It could be a negotiations tactic, but how many times you cry wolf. This time though, things seem to be a bit more serious for there is not much time left to strike a deal, but there is some time left.

When Mayweather’s camp gives a official statement, we hear about the contract negotiations themselves, and find out why they were unable to come to an agreement. We can start assume this thing is officially off. And then, the finger of blame will be coming out in full force, looking for just who is at fault for botching the one of the most anticipated match-ups ever. But it may not come to that, for once again there is still time.

You know in most negotiations, either side would probably be glad to take any type of drug test if they could chose, say the glove size. Pacquiao wanted 8 ounce gloves Mayweather wanted 10, they are using 8. Or say the weight, Pacquiao wanted 147 Mayweather wanted 154, they are going at 147. Or perhaps the date, Pacquiao wanted March, Mayweather wanted May; they are doing it in March. The only real demand I have seen Mayweather make is for Pacquiao to take the random blood test, but there has been hinting of Pacquiao using PEDs which probably didn’t help that any.

In any case a Olympic-style random blood test would take 3-5 random blood tests and 4-9 random urine tests or so. And in each of those blood tests, you would probably lose more blood if you got a bloody nose then they would require. A random drug test (which is almost the only way it can be effective) to seal the deal for the fight of the century is really and truly not that big of a deal in my view.

Pacquiao has always shown class and integrity in and outside the ring. On this one though, I am not seeing eye to eye with him. However I do understand him not enjoying being bombarded with accusations of doping, but denying a state-of-the-art drug test isn’t helping it any.

For a fun fact, if you donate an entire pint of blood you get paid $0. If you donate plasma – which is a part of blood and about a 2 hour process – you get paid around 25$. But a few random drops may keep some from making millions.

Each side may be waiting until the final seconds to see if the other side gives in until they themselves do. (That can make sense if you read it a few times)

If this bout doesn’t proceed, each boxer would be walking away from about $40 million each… I would think someone is going to turn around and pick it up.

Mayweather-Pacquiao: It’s Off – Breaking News!

by Jason Alcairo: According to news from Yahoo sports and as also reported in the Las Vegas Review Journal, the oft-cancelled potential mega fight between top ranked Pound for Pound fighters world Boxing Organization welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr is once again off. Mediation went on for 9 hours yesterday but no conclusion was reached and this morning, neither fighter was present at the actual mediation. A revised proposal was given to both fighters, with Mayweather being the one to disagree. The stipulations in the new proposal is at the time unknown.

The underlying issue was the drug testing demands of Floyd Mayweather Jr. The former top rated fighter in the world wanted random blood tests of the Filipino champion based pretty much entirely on the suspicions of Floyd Mayweather Sr. and despite him never failing a drug test. Though they would both be going through the same tests, Pacquiao would only agree to 3 blood tests and unlimited urine tests.

This leaves both fighters to take on 2 opponents in the meanwhile until they can decide when they finally want to get together and fight. Pacquiao is more than likely going to be taking a fight with WBA Jr Middleweight champion Yuri Foreman, with Mayweather potentially facing either Matthew Hatton of the UK (chuckle) or former IBF Jr. welterweight champ Paulie Malignaggi.

Many boxing fans feel that the blood test demand by Mayweather is unwarranted. What is also grinding the gears of the same fans is that Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer gave very vocal support to the blood tests after refusing to agree to Shane Mosley undergoing blood tests for a potential fight against Zab Judah that never materialized in 2008. According to a press release at the time, Pacquiao can be found in an interview following his 2005 loss to Erik Morales discussing the mental effects of having his blood drawn within 48 hours of the bout. According to him, he was informed that his blood documentation had been lost and he would have to give another sample.Having his blood removed in such an artificial way left him feeling weak. Even Morales had said that his punches didn’t hurt after beating Pacquiao by decision.This lead to the disagreement between the frequency and cutoff date for the blood tests.

This author’s personal opinion is riddled with frustration and a little bit of confusion. First off, if this is some sort of terribly conceived plan to keep on hyping up the fight, I’d rather they didn’t. This fight has continually demonstrated that it sells itself. If the lawsuit or PED allegations were meant to increase the drama, then I would consider it overkill. However, if this fight really, really, REALLY is off, then the lawsuit should go on as planned. Manny’s honor was besmirched by baseless accusations, and no, he doesn’t have anything to hide by refusing to take the tests no matter what the Floyd fan boys tell you. Manny’s refusal to test isn’t an attempt to hide any potential chemical transgressions so much as it’s his way of standing his ground and refusing to bend to Mayweather’s will and demands. All too often, people will throw the basic right to innocence until proven guilty out the window. The Mayweathers haven’t so much as presented a single shred of evidence to support their allegations, and the minute that the whispers of steroid use surround an athlete,the results could be costly. Pacquiao wasn’t like a baseball player who could barely hit the fence and then suddenly started crushing balls over the stadium walls left and right. He stopped shrinking himself down to make the lower weights and trained himself against pain while fully optimizing his body’s ability to produce his destruction of Ricky Hatton last May and Miguel Cotto in November. Simply put, Pacquiao is a killing machine powered by rice and fish.

Mayweather’s refusal to accept any sort of compromise leads me to believe that his 0 truly is more important to him than 40+ million dollars. To think that both sides have been capable of blowing through several months of anticipation with nothing to show for it is downright aggravating. I hope Pacquiao would pick a better opponent than Foreman,but perhaps in the future he can take on the winner of Mosley-Berto.

Mayweather may have to apologize and drop the random blood test demands if he wants negotiations to resume

By Eric Thomas: If Floyd Mayweather Jr. wants his negotiations with World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao to get back on schedule, Floyds might possibly need to issue a public apology and agree to drop the random blood testing demands for his March 13th fight with Pacquiao. Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, said he wants the random blood testing dropped and some kind of public apology from Mayweather, according to news from the Sports.inquirer.

Pacquiao filed a defamation lawsuit against Mayweather, Floyd Mayweather Sr., Roger Mayweather, Oscar De La Hoya and Richard Schaefer. However, with the defamation lawsuit in process, it’s unclear what Mayweather’s lawyer would say about him giving a public apology, if Mayweather would even consider doing this. Currently, Mayweather’s management team and Top Rank will be meeting with a mediator Daniel Weinstein tomorrow to try and solve the impasse in the negotiations.

If Mayweather drops his demand for the random blood tests and issues a public apology to Pacquiao this will likely be all that is needed to get the fight back in motion. However, if Mayweather gives in to all of these points, it would appear that he would be caving in on everything without Pacquiao’s team meeting him halfway. Would Mayweather be able to give on these issues? It would give him a shot at making between twenty five and forty million if he can somehow get past all this mess with Pacquiao.

Pacquiao could face WBA light middleweight champion Yuri Foreman next as an alternate opponent in March if the Mayweather talks fail to move forward.

Arum: “They don’t care who Manny [Pacquiao] fights” – News

By Dave Lahr: In an article at Tempo.com.ph Manny Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum says “It’s unbelievable. They don’t care who Manny fights.” Arum is speaking about Pacquiao’s popularity with stadium owners and boxing fans around the world many of who can’t get enough news about the Filipino star. Pacquiao and unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. are currently stuck in their negotiations with the random blood testing being the sticking point in the negotiations.

On Tuesday, an outside mediator, Daniel Weinstein, will be meeting with Top Rank, Golden Boy Promotions and Mayweather Promotions to try and rectify the stalled negotiations. As for Arum’s claim that boxing fans don’t care who Pacquiao fights, that remains to be seen. Arum wants to match Pacquiao up next with World Boxing Association light middleweight champion Yuri Foreman if the mediator fails at reviving the Mayweather-Pacquiao talks.

A fight against Foreman, a fighter only known among hardcore boxing fans, would be a big test for whether casual boxing fans would be interested in paying for to see Pacquiao fight an unknown fighter. Pacquiao wants another title, and Foreman would appear to be the easiest way for Manny to accomplish that.

A much harder task, perhaps even impossible, would be for Arum to match Pacquiao up with WBC light middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, who is considered by many boxing fans to be the best fighter in the light middleweight division. That fight would be a much more interesting fight than to see Pacquiao fight Foreman, who is a fighter with weak punching power and a history of being a runner in his fights.

To be sure, it doesn’t give one a sense of well being to see Arum so upbeat about the stadium owners not caring who Pacquiao fights.

That gives me the impression that there may not be any budging in the negotiation process by Pacquiao’s management team. I hope I’m wrong about this, because I really want to see Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. But if Arum believes like he says that people don’t care who Pacquiao fights, then there is no real reason for Pacquiao’s team to give in and meet Mayweather halfway.

I think some fans would interested in seeing Pacquiao fight Foreman, but nothing like the same amount of fans that have watched Pacquiao’s recent fights against Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton and Oscar De La Hoya. It takes two good fighters to make a mega fight, and if you match Pacquiao against a fighter that many casual boxing fans have never heard of in their life, I doubt they’ll willing to pay big money to watch Pacquiao on pay-per-view no matter who is packaged together on the undercard.

Mayweather and Pacquiao camps to meet with mediator on Tuesday

By Sean McDaniel: In a last ditch effort to save the March 13th mega fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, an outside mediator, retired judge Daniel Weinstein, will meet with Top Rank, and Mayweather’s management team to try and overcome the stalemate in the negotiations for the fight. Weinstein, who previously helped work out a problem between Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions in 2007, has to find a way to solve the dispute over the drug testing.

Mayweather, 32, wants random blood tests during the training period before the fight, but Pacquiao only wants three separate blood tests – one at the kickoff for the fight this month, another 30 days before the fight and a final one after the bout.

Mayweather asked for blood testing to be done for the fight despite the Nevada Athletic Commission, who oversees the bout, only asking for urine tests. Pacquiao and Top Rank feel as if they’re being pushed around by Mayweather with the extra blood tests, and don’t want to take more than the three blood tests that Pacquiao has already agreed upon. Unfortunately, this is the sticking point.

Mayweather hasn’t shown any signs of backing down on his request for blood tests inside the 30 day window, and Pacquiao is just as firm not to take any more than those three. Both fighters agree to the random urine tests. At stake for the fight is a possible $40 million for each fighter if they can come to an agreement.

In addition to the problems with the blood testing methods, Pacquiao has filed a lawsuit filed against Floyd Mayweather Jr., Floyd Sr., Roger Mayweather, Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer for defamation. If this fight is to go forward, the mediator will likely have to work on getting this suit dropped, because it might make it difficult for the two fighters to come to an agreement if this lawsuit is still pending.

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum has a back-up plan of matching Pacquiao against World Boxing Association light middleweight champion Yuri Foreman if the mediation process fails. This obviously would be a huge letdown for boxing fans who were hoping that Pacquiao would face Mayweather or at the very least a better known fighter like Shane Mosley. However, Pacquiao wants to try and collect an 8th world title, and if he can beat Foreman, this would give Pacquiao’s his 8th title. Many boxing fans on the internet have been less than thrilled with the prospect of seeing this fight, because many of them see Foreman as the weaker of the light middleweight champions. They also wonder whether Foreman, the champion, would have to fight Pacquiao at a catch weight while still having his title on the line for the bout.

As for Mayweather, there has been talk about him facing British fringe welterweight contender Matthew Hatton, the younger brother of Ricky Hatton. That, too, hasn’t been a fight that boxing fans have been thrilled about.