“We had four issues and we resolved two,” said Arum. “Now we’re working on resolving the other two. Unless something else comes up at the last minute, that’s what my take is.”
Detailing the bumps along the way might be exhausting but suffice to say a plethora of reports have come out saying they are almost signed, while others said they were still far apart. Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer, said they were close three weeks ago, others since, still no contract.
Indeed, last week Michael Koncz, an adviser to Pacquiao, said they were set to sign after the fighters met at a Miami Heat basketball game in Miami and then huddled together for over an hour in Pacquiao’s hotel room.
Days later from a beach in Jamaica, Mayweather wrote on Instagram that the other side suggesting a contract was near done was a “lie.”
There is agreement that many details are set, including the manner of drug testing, the split (60-40 in favour of Mayweather) and the date and venue, which as most boxing fans now know is May 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The broadcasters are trying to come to terms on how they’ll split their share of the money and how they’ll broadcast the fight together.
Boxing writer David Mayo wrote earlier this week that Showtime/CBS, who Mayweather is signed with, is earnestly negotiating, wanting the fight this year because their contract with Mayweather is over next year. He said that HBO/Time Warner, who Pacquiao is with, would prefer the fight next year in order to have it when Showtime is out of the picture. He suggested Pacquiao needed to “lean on” HBO/Time Warner.
Whatever the case, from what Arum said today, the broadcasters, along with the promoters, are not only still talking but inching closer to a contract.
“There’s a lot of devil in the details and that’s what we’re sorting through now,” Arum said Thursday. “The remaining issues are obviously important to the participants, and are things we have to work out.”
Arum said that when the deal gets signed it will by Mayweather who makes the announcement.
