A lot of the details aren?t yet resolved, said Showtime sports chief Stephen Espinoza, who said such details will be revealed soon.
But this was the official confirmation that the welterweight title fight is a go.
Presumably the unresolved details don’t include the purses. It?s highly unlikely, reports have indicated, that Mayweather is getting less than a 60-40 split.
The televising won?t be under the auspices of HBO pay per view or its Showtime counterpart. HBO Sports chief Ken Hershman characterized the enterprise as a one-time joint venture.
The choices of commentators apparently will be ?a combination of talent from both networks.?
It?s a fight that?s been in the offing since Pacquiao ascended to welterweight significance with his 2008 upset of Oscar De La Hoya. But apparently it was in danger of slipping away before the two contestants met face to face at a Miami Heat basketball game last month.
?It?s one of those lucky coincidences we could never have planned,? Espinoza said.
As for ongoing talk about Mayweather ducking Pacquiao, ?he was fixated on that fight,? Espinoza said. Without the Miami meeting, he said, the fight ?possibly wouldn?t have happened at all.?
Still, it took a while to seal the deal.
?We got the deal done,? Hershman said. ?That?s the important thing.?
