Manny Pacquiao has agreed to terms for a May 2 fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr., according to Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum.
On Tuesday, Arum told Yahoo Sports that Mayweather’s representatives have agreed to the deal and the only holdup is getting approval from Floyd himself. Pacquiao has reportedly agreed to a 60/40 split in favor of Mayweather where Floyd could make $120 million. One of the holdups in the past has been a disagreement over pay-per-view money.
“I want to get some movement here, with bringing Mayweather to the table so we can go out and get everything signed and get the networks together and get the thing finished,” Arum said.
Mayweather is under contract with Showtime and Pacquaio is with HBO. The networks have reportedly held discussions about producing a joint pay-per-view, which they did when Mike Tyson fought Lennox Lewis in 2002.
While it certainly seems like a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight is closer than ever to happening, we have seen negotiations fall apart in the past. Arum could be putting public pressure on Mayweather to either agree or look like he’s afraid to fight Pacquiao, though the longtime promoter insists that is not his angle.
“I’m not trying to force anybody’s hand, I’m just saying, ‘Hey, we’ve agreed to everything, period,'” he told Yahoo Sports. “The people we have talked to on Mayweather’s side have agreed to everything. Now we need Mayweather to step up and say, ‘Yeah, I’m on board. I agree.'”
For what it’s worth, Showtime executive Stephen Espinoza claims Mayweather is on board.
Spoke to @StephenEspinoza recently. Said as far as Mayweather was concerned, he wants Pacquiao. No Plan B. Conversations are ongoing.
— Chris Mannix (@ChrisMannixSI) January 14, 2015
We have seen all the childish jabs thrown back and forth on social media between Mayweather and Pacquiao, and they are getting old. Pacquiao has even said that fans should not expect Floyd to come out punching if the two ever do meet in the ring.
Between Arum’s public pressure and the comment Pacquiao made to Mayweather last month, it’s safe to say the Filipino’s camp has done an effective job of placing the decision in Mayweather’s hands. If the fight falls through (yet again), it will look like Mayweather was unwilling.
