Monday, though, two of the central figures in the negotiations essentially killed any hope of the fight happening in the first half of the year.
Top Rank founder Bob Arum, who promotes Pacquiao, was in Guam Monday on his way to the Philippines to meet Pacquiao to discuss his next fight. Saragosa had sentenced Mayweather on Dec. 21 to 90 days in the Clark County Detention Center on a domestic violence charge, so when Arum scheduled his trip to see Pacquiao, he did not believe Mayweather would be available.
He planned to present Pacquiao with the pros and cons of bouts against Juan Manuel Marquez, Timothy Bradley, Miguel Cotto and Lamont Peterson.
During a layover in Guam, Arum said he would add Mayweather to his discussion with Pacquiao and adviser Michael Koncz. But he again said that Pacquiao would not be available to fight on May 5, both because he won?t be cleared to spar until April 1 because of a cut he sustained in his Nov. 12 fight, and also because there will not be enough time to construct a 40,000-seat temporary stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.
?There is no magic to the May 5 date,? Arum said. ?I understand there is magic to May, because [Mayweather] has to go to the hoosegow on June 1. I get that, but the magic is in [making the fight in] May, not necessarily on May 5.?
