Arum revealed that Pacquiao?s handlers in south-east Asia were agreeable to a 50-50 split of the fight?s gross, which could be ?40 million.
The fight, scheduled for Las Vegas in May, had looked in jeopardy when Franklin Gacal, Pacquiao?s lawyer in the Philippines, had made it known that the Pacquiao camp were demanding a 60-40 split. That brought an immediate response from Gareth Williams, in Hatton?s camp, who said that a 50-50 deal on the fight had been agreed in December, and that they had a ?verbal agreement? with Arum, who had ?full authority? to negotiate on Pacquiao?s part.
Arum said last night that ?it had all calmed down?, with the fight expected to be announced officially in the next week.
A press tour of the UK and the United States is being planned for the fighters, with Arum and Richard Schaefer, chief of Golden Boy Promotions, who negotiate for Hatton alongside Williams in the US, still discussing whether the fight will be held at the MGM Grand or the Thomas & Mack Center, which is owned by Planet Hollywood.
With this sideshow over, the two fighters can now begin preparing for what will be one of the highest-profile contests of the year.
