UPDATE: In an unattributed report published by the reliable Sydney Morning Herald, Manny Pacquiao, with promoter Bob Arum at his side, said at a press conference today in the Philippines that he WOULD fight Floyd Mayweather before Mayweather reports to jail on June 1st, but under the following conditions: 1. the revenues be split 50/50 between Mayweather and Pacquiao (seems reasonable); 2. the fight take place in late May, not Mayweather’s requested date of May 5th, because a larger outdoor arena could be built that could add $20 million in revenue into the pot. Arum expressed doubt that the offer would be accpeted by Mayweather because Arum believes Mayweather will not accept a 50/50 split unless someone guaranteed Mayweather a minimum amount (such as, for example, $30 million) so that he would not have to worry about lower-than-expected pay-per-view sales. Arum, of course, would not be willing to make Mayweather such a guarantee, although he would do so for Pacquiao.
The Associated Press has published a story quoting Many Pacquiao’s advisor Michael Koncz as saying the May 5th fight date proposed by Floyd Mayweather is “foolish from an economic standpoint.”According to Koncz, Pacquiao is better off waiting until a 45,000 seat stadium can be built in Las Vegas, because the larger capacity would generate an extra $30 million that the parties would be able to divide up. A cynic would predict that the stadium will be finished just around the time Mayweather is scheduled to report to jail for his 90-day sentence. Mayweather’s team is not likely to let the debate with Pacquiao linger on too long and could announce another opponent (undefeated but somewhat untested Mexican star Saul Alvarez?) as soon as next week…
Wednesday was the second straight day that Floyd Mayweather used his Twitter account to dare Manny Pacquiao to accept a May 5th superfight. Mayweather tweeted, “I’m ready to put my belt up. What about you Manny Pacquiao? Let’s make history.” On Tuesday, Floyd Mayweather, with a May 5th fight date but no opponent, used his Twitter account to call out Manny Pacquiao to make the biggest possible fight in the sport after years of wrangling. “Manny Pacquiao I’m calling you out let’s fight May 5th and give the world what they want to see… My Jail Sentence was pushed back because the date was locked in. Step up Punk,” said Mayweather in two separate tweets posted on Tuesday. Mayweather’s critics may question his sincerity, but his timing is impeccable. Pacquiao is meeting with his promoter Bob Arum now to determine who his next opponent will be. Arum prefers for Pacquiao to fight someone other than Mayweather, but the meetings with Arum give Pacquiao the opportunity to make his desires clear
