After years of failed negotiations, pair finally reach agreement…
Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao has finally been officially announced as the two boxing superstars will face off on May 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
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Respected ESPN writer Dan Rafael revealed on Thursday that the two parties had reached an agreement on all aspects of the deal and that Pacquiao’s camp were merely waiting for Mayweather to make the official announcement through social media.
It comes after months of more recent negotiations with Pacquiao insisting for weeks that he had agreed to terms of the fight including a 60-40 split in favour of Mayweather and the drug-testing protocol that had prevented them from meeting previously.
In contrast, the unbeaten American has maintained throughout that there was no contract but after the fighters met face-to-face for the first time and then spoke privately in Pacquiao’s hotel suite after an NBA game earlier this month, it became clear that both men wanted to make the fight happen.
Given the fact that the announcement has arrived, it is also confirmed that HBO and Showtime have been able to come to an agreement over a joint pay-per-view telecast, similar to their deal when Mike Tyson faced Lennox Lewis back in 2002.
While fans have had a frustrating wait for the last six years to see the two best pound-for-pound fighters face off in the ring, that wait is nearly over as the pair will finally meet on May 2 and settle their rivalry.
Further details of the fight will inevitably be released in time as there has been speculation a rematch clause was inserted if Mayweather was to lose, but the main thing to take from Friday is that Mayweather vs Pacquiao is finally going to happen!
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