MANILA, Philippines – Floyd Mayweather Jr. has found his own sure-fire solution to make the fight with Manny Pacquiao finally happen.
And it?s quite amusing.
?The only way he?s (Pacquiao) getting the fight with me is if he signs with Mayweather Promotions,? the undefeated pound-for-pound champion told Yahoo! Sports.
Mayweather didn?t sound like he was joking when he invited Pacquiao to his fold.
?He?s got to give me fights with Mayweather Promotions. If he don?t give me no fights under Mayweather Promotions, then he?s not getting the fight,? he said.
But that?s so much easier said than done because Pacquiao, who has his own MP Promotions, is all tied up with Top Rank until 2014. Sportshub ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1
Top Rank owner Bob Arum promoted Mayweather from 1996 to 2006 but they haven?t been seeing eye-to-eye since their very controversial breakup in 2007.
Mayweather knows that Pacquiao has a live contract with Top Rank. He once said he would never ever work with Arum again.
Is he willing to wait beyond 2014 to lure the Filipino superstar in so they can make the fight? Is the public willing to wait that long to see them finally inside the ring?
Mayweather is turning 37 in February and Pacquiao 35 in December. They are not getting any younger.
?That?s how it is working now, because the ball is in my court. The ball has been in my court. I have been the A side,? said Mayweather.
A couple of times, negotiations for Pacquiao vs Mayweather bogged down. Pacquiao once turned down a $40 million offer from the American who, based on reports, also turned down $100 million from Arum just to get things done.
Just a couple of weeks ago Mayweather called Pacquiao a ?has-been? because of the Filipino superstar?s back-to-back losses to Tim Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez.
But Pacquiao retaliated the other day by saying Mayweather is ?all talk? and that instead of calling him names, the American boxer should rather call him to fight.
Mayweather just wrapped training for the day when he spoke to Yahoo! Sports about Pacquiao.
He is scheduled to face Canelo Alvarez on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas while Pacquiao is set to fight Brandon Rios on Nov. 24 in Macau.
Neither fighter is looking ahead of their next opponents but wherever they go and whoever they face they can?t seem to escape the big question: Will they ever fight?
Pacquiao said he?s not a ?has-been? and just got caught by a lucky punch from Marquez. Everybody knows he won the fight against Bradley.
If Pacquiao and Mayweather both hurdle their next fights, they should resume talks because there?s still money on the table.
Pacquiao wants to fight Mayweather.
No ifs, no buts.
