The negotiations for the biggest fight in the sports history are apparently ongoing ? but no one really knows whether the fight is close to being made or not. Bob Arum (Manny Pacquiao?s promoter) and Richard Schaeffer (the CEO of Golden Boy Promotions and negotiator for Mayweather) have agreed to a gag order preventing anyone in either camp from talking about negotiations in public. Arum is apparently furious about statements made by people associated with Pacquiao regarding the money split, a sign that he is very serious about making a deal with Mayweather.
Both sides stand to make around $45 million, a sum so staggering that if it goes wrong, it will go down as not only the most tragic negotiation in boxing history, but the stupidest.
Pacquiao has agreed to a 14 day cut off for blood testing, the original demand made by Mayweather during the first negotiation. The two sides will no doubt be arguing about the money as Mayweather believes he is entitled to more given his more successful Pay Per View figures in recent fight, but given the amount of money involved, it is hard to see either man walk away over the difference that most fighters won?t make in a lifetime.
My thoughts are that the fight will get made, and Mayweather will walk away with a slightly better deal. He will probably get a better share of the PPV revenue (and he has already won on the blood testing), and may have a larger guarantee. But anything is possible in a sport corrupted by money and ego, and it wouldn?t surprise me if greed and stubbornness prevented it from happening.
But again, the relative quietness from both camps means the media can only speculate ? and in this case, it?s probably a good thing.
