At least five major roadblocks are standing in the way to the long-delayed Mayweather-Pacquiao fight and each one requires careful handling that only those with expertise in handling such situation can succeed to clear those obstacles. The road to the highly-hyped Mayweather-Pacquiao fight back in 2009 was like a freeway without any form of roadblocks that could delay the holding of a potential epic fight that every boxing fan wants to see. But when the first attempt by the promoters of Mayweather and Pacquiao to take the freeway, roadblocks were planted halfway to the final stretch prompting them to make a detour back to where they took off. That was the scenario obtaining five years ago when the promoters of Mayweather and Pacquiao faced each other on the negotiating table in an attempt to put together a mutually-beneficial arrangement to get the two up in the ring. While negotiations started on a positive mood, suddenly Mayweather’s camp demanded that Pacquiao undergo a rigid blood and urine tests before the fight could take place. The random blood/urine test was the major issue that needed to be resolved early in the negotiating process. Later, several other demands coming from Mayweather’s camp were added, leading the talks to fall apart. In addition to the random blood test (RBT), some of the succeeding demands include the guaranteed fight purse, venue, gloves, billing, rematch clause and revenue sharing, among others. After five years of continued talks outside the negotiating room, at least five major demands by the Mayweather camp need to be addressed by Pacquiao’s camp. These include blood testing, purse split, timing, venue and rematch clause. While Pacquiao has agreed to have himself tested all the way up to the day of the fight, Mayweather has not stated categorically that he has accepted Pacquiao’s offer. giving rise to speculations that he may demand more stringent tests outside of the RBT scope. On purse sharing, Pacquiao has publicly stated that he is no longer seeking a 50-50 split, saying he is ready to settle for a lesser fee. Still, this remains to be resolved as to exactly how much they will both share. The third and latest issue is the timing of the fight. Mayweather has stated that May 2 is the exact date he wants to meet Pacquiao in the ring. Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum balked, saying that it will coincide with Cinco de Mayo, a Mexican independence gathering that will make the potential Canelo Alvarez-Miguel Cotto fight fitting for this special Mexican occasion. Alvarez is a popular Mexican boxer while Cotto, a Puerto Rican, in fighting under Arum’s Top Rank Promotions umbrella. The fourth issue is the venue. Arum has maintained that due to the huge crowd that will be watching the fight, the venue must be big enough to maximize gate (ticket) sales and he offered the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
