Mayweather-Pacquaio announcement expected imminently…
Promoter Bob Arum has revealed that the mega-fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao should be announced in “the next couple of days”.
The pair have been in negotiations for some time in order to secure a deal for May 2, and they finally met face-to-face for the first time this week at an NBA game.
In addition, they met privately again later that night at Pacquiao’s hotel suite where adviser Michael Koncz revealed that both men made it clear that they wanted to make the fight.
Pacquiao has maintained for the past fortnight that he was waiting for Mayweather to sign the contract, while the unbeaten American insisted that there was no contract between them.
However, it appears as though there will be an announcement in the coming days as Arum revealed that the parties are close to an agreement.
“Everybody is doing the right thing,” he told the New York Post.
“We’re looking to complete the paperwork. Everything is moving in the right direction. Hopefully, the next couple of days it will get done.”
Arum added that from what Koncz had told him, Mayweather was keen on the fight despite reports to the contrary, and so both parties can continue to move forward with negotiations.
Mayweather has insisted that he will fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on May 2, and Pacquiao has previously insisted that he would be willing to accept a 60-40 purse split in favour of his rival.
As a result, this is the closest the pair have come to agreeing on a bout since talks began back in 2009, with Pacquiao also agreeing to a drug-testing plan as he maintains that he wants to give the fans the fight that they want to see.
It is also understood that broadcasters HBOand Showtime will also reach an agreement on a joint pay-per-view telecast imminently, similar to the agreement reached back in 2002 when Mike Tyson faced Lennox Lewis.
Given the progress in recent weeks, many believe we might finally get confirmation at the Super Bowl on Sunday…
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