Learning their lessons well from the aborted Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather fight, Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum said they will be extra cautious this time when they prepare for another round of negotiations in order to realize the dream showdown between the two fighters on November 13 either in Las Vegas or Dallas.
?I can?t go into specifics but one thing I can tell you is that I am going to work hard to get a fight done,? said Arum from his Las Vegas residence, a day after his arrival from a five-day stay in the Philippines.
Arum admitted that one of the reasons why negotiations fell apart early this year to pit Pacquiao and Mayweather were media?s early report on the ongoing negotiations between him and his counterparts at Golden Boy Promotions, when there was nothing final yet.
Although the camp of Mayweather, headed by his adviser Leonard Ellerbe and GBP Chief Executive Officer Richard Schaefer, has denied any knowledge of impending talks with Pacquiao?s camp, Arum sounded positive that something will happen soon.
Still, Arum politely declined to say what will make or break the fight although the purse split and the touchy issue of random drug testing are obvious subjects that need to be discussed thoroughly.
A fight between the two was close to being done early this year after they agreed on a 50-50 split but a last-minute demand by Mayweather for him and Pacquiao to undergo Olympic-style testing was torpedoed by the Filipino?s camp, saying the boxer will only follow what the athletic commission would ask him to do.
