UAE group offers $110M for megafight

MANILA, Philippines - An investment group from the United Arab Emirates has reportedly offered $110 million for the staging of a superfight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao.

The news has been confirmed by boxing executive M. Akbar Muhammad, one of the principals of the group.

“I’ve been instructed by the group to do whatever it takes to bring this long-awaited and eagerly anticipated fight to fruition,” Muhammad said in a boxingscene.com report.

Clamor for a bout between two of the best boxers today once again gained full steam after Pacquiao’s masterful destruction of Chris Algieri in Macau last month. After knocking Algieri down six times en route to a dominant win, the Filipino icon called out Mayweather to face him.

Pacquiao has never been vocal about his desire to fight Mayweather until recently, and Muhammad agrees now is the time for the two boxing superstars to clash.

“There’s absolutely no doubt each fighter, individually, will receive more money than any other boxer has in the past,” he added.

Interestingly, the $110 million being dangled by Muhammad’s group is just a piece of a bigger pie. The executive, for his part, is confident they can make the showdown happen.

“The combined purses are approaching $200 million. And rest assured we have the resources to do just that,” Muhammad said.

Muhammad added that Mayweather Promotions, the undefeated American’s promotional company, will be the lead promoter for the fight as a partner of his investment group. – Dino Maragay/Contributor