Pacquiao set to fight Mayweather
Pacquiao spoke to the newspaper over the telephone as he was watching game 3 of the finals of the Philippine Basketball Association between the San Miguel Beer and Alaska at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“We will make an announcement before the end of the month,” he told the Standard. “I think it (the fight) will happen.” He added that the date is likely to be May 2 because “that’s what he (Mayweather) wants.” The date isn’t finalized, however, and the Pacman said that he’ll start training “depending on when the fight will take place.”
The venue will be the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, which has been reported already by the L.A. Times and other media. It’s also been reported the method of drug-testing, a contentious issue when the two boxers failed to sign to fight in 2010, has already been agreed to.
Freddie Roach: “Closer than ever”
Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, also said the fight would happen soon. “I spoke to Bob Arum yesterday and I think I’m getting close to saying it’s very close, I think we’re very close,” Roach told Michael Woods of The Sweet Science Friday. “It’s close. I think I know for a fact that it’s closer than ever.”
Reports have also said a remaining issue is that Mayweather wants a 60/40 split, while Pacquiao wants it split down the middle. Some media have suggested that if it happens the superfight would gross as much as $300 million.
The two fighters, Pacquiao, 57-5-2, at age 36, and Mayweather, 47-0, at age 37, are both nearing the end of their boxing careers and yet both lay claim to being the best pound for pound boxer in fight history. Winning the superfight would be a nice finish to a career and add credence to a claim to be the best.
For one of them.
