Pacquiao confirms that Mayweather wants to “push fight through”…
Manny Pacquiao has insisted that a fight with long-time rival Floyd Mayweather “is near” amid further speculation that an announcement is imminent.
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Pacquiao insisted that negotiations were nearly complete and that he had even suggested a $5m fine if he tests positive as part of the drug-testing protocol that Mayweather has long been pushing for.
“(The fight) is near. The negotiations are nearly finished,” Pacquiao said during a break from evening sessions in parliament, Sky Sports reported.
“We agreed that this fight has to happen. We are ironing out the kinks. He (Mayweather) said he wants the fight to push through.”
Naturally, Pacquiao’s latest comments should be treated with caution as many people close to negotiations have insisted that an agreement has been close for some time.
In contrast, Mayweather told NBA reporter David Aldridge during the All-Star Game on Sunday that neither party had signed a contract yet, but he was hopeful that the fight will happen and his rival’s latest comments dismiss the popular belief that he is trying to duck him or delay the bout.
Pacquiao declined to go into details about the deal but he did suggest that a rematch clause was unlikely. It has long been reported that the Filipino has agreed to a 60-40 purse split in favour of his rival, along with the venue, date, ring-walk order and various other matters for fight night.
However, until there is an official announcement from Mayweather, talks are expected to continue despite the pair running out of time for a bout on May 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao (57-5, 38 KOs) revealed on Instagram last week that he had already started training, and so all that is left is for the two fighters to finally sign a deal and make the announcement.
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