Although both Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather are preoccupied with other fights for the rest of the year, all the signs are once again pointing to an eventual bout between the two.
Sure, this isn’t the first time, or even the second, although there is one fairly significant difference this time around.
The big stumbling block during their previous negotiations was the issue of Olympic style random blood testing, which for the most part now seems to have been solved.
According to Nick Giongco of the Manilla Bulletin, Pacquiao told a Filipino T.V boxing analyst recently that the mega fight will happen in May of next year.
Mayweather similarly said during an appearance with September opponent Victor Ortiz that Pacquiao would be next.
Top Rank boss Bob Arum, in an interview with Michael Marley said yesterday:
“Because USADA can only handle drug testing in the United States. The USADA can’t go there (The Philippines)–and that’s where Manny will do the first part of his training–and that is that.”
From the sounds of things, Arum is proposing to use WADA while Pacquiao is in the Philippines, and the USADA when he begins training at the Wild Card in Los Angeles.
In Arum’s mind at least then, the testing debate is all but settled, and since the WADA and USADA are essentially identical, there doesn’t seem to be any obvious reason why team Mayweather wouldn’t accept.
Having said that, logic and reason have seldom seemed to play a large role in negotiations between the two sides, and Pacquiao being tested in the Philippines isn’t guaranteed to be something Mayweather will accept easily.
There are however two remaining potential problems, one of which is Pacquiao’s ongoing lawsuit against Mayweather for falsely accusing him of steroid use.
After a failed court appearance from Mayweather and Pacquiao’s lawyers now having filed for a default ruling in his favor, this could soon be resolved.
The second potential problem is none other than Pacquiao’s most famous Wild Card stablemate.
