MANILA, Philippines – The ball, again, is on Floyd Mayweather’s court.
Top Rank chief Bob Arum confirmed that Manny Pacquiao has agreed to terms to fight Mayweather in the biggest boxing match to be made.
Now all that’s needed is Mayweather’s signature.
Speaking to two US boxing scribes – Brad Cooney of Examiner.com and Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole – Arum said Pacquiao has given his nod to a May 2 showdown with Mayweather. Terms of the deal reportedly include a 60-40 split of the purse in favor of the undefeated American.
“Everything is agreed to. People need to understand that. Everything is agreed to by my guy (Pacquiao) and his (Mayweather's) representatives. Manny has signed off, now we are just waiting for the other side to deliver Mayweather,” the veteran promoter told Cooney.
This marks the second time Pacquiao has agreed to the conditions for a Mayweather clash. Both camps tried to arrange a megabuck bout several years ago, with Mayweather insisting on conducting random blood testing prior to the fight, something Pacquiao initially balked at.
The Filipino icon eventually gave in to Mayweather’s demand, but the fight was still a no go.
Arum hopes it becomes real this time.
“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,” he told Iole.
“I'm not trying to force anybody's hand, I'm just saying, 'Hey, we've agreed to everything, period,” he added.
“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,'” Arum continued.
Mayweather can reportedly earn as much as $120 million fighting Pacquiao, the highest purse he’ll ever get in his brilliant boxing career. All he needs is to sign the contract.
Pacquiao, for his part, is waiting anew.
“Manny is good, and Top Rank is good,” Arum told Cooney.
Cooney also asked Arum if he thinks Mayweather is the one hindering the fight.
“That's the way I see it,” the Top Rank boss replied. – Dino Maragay