With all the clamor for a Manny Pacquiao - Floyd Mayweather Fight for 2015, and the drama that goes with it, it appears the U.S. champ's camp has agreed to appear at the negotiation table.
According to a boxing official quoted under the condition of anonymity by the Los Angeles Times, the parties are moving forward with talks. While no deal has still been made, the developments are noticeable. That is, at least they are talking. The two camps reportedly met to settle some questions on January 8, including details on the location of the bout and the plan for drug testing. The parties have agreed to hold the fight at the MGM Grand Garden in Los Angeles, with a target date for May or June this year.
"The calendar is a factor," the official was quoted. The same article also wrote that final plans could be ironed out in the next seven to 10 days.
This is wonderful news for all fans who have been waiting for the last five years for this moment to happen. ABS-CBN News writes that the first round of negotations happened in 2009, but had fallen through after Pacquiao turned down Mayweather's demand to undergo blood testing up to the weigh-in. Another set of talks happened in 2012, but the two camps did not agree on the pay-per-view earnings split.
According to the International Business Times, Mayweather's team asked for a 60-40 purse split in his favor, with some $100 million going into the world's highest paid athlete's side and $60 million for the Filipino champion. Pacquiao has agreed to this arrangement, according to his business advisor Mike Koncz, just to make the fight happen, writes GMA Network.
The same article also noted that $60 million is still an attractive sum, regardless if Pacquiao is taking the shorter end of the stick, because it's still a lot higher than the $23 million he received from fighting Chris Algieri in November 2014.
Pacquiao opened the 2015 new year with a tweet for Mayweather, calling on the American fighter face him in the ring, with the hashtag #LetsMakeFistory. Mayweather has reportedly given a counter-offer via Koncz, who didn't give details to ABS-CBN News beyond saying "at least we're going back and forth."
"I spoke to Manny this morning (December 31). I gave Manny what is perceived to be a counter offer from the Mayweather people. We discussed it and now I've given instructions to Bob to counter their offer... I'm never overly optimistic until the contract is signed, but the good thing is that we're still going back and forth," said Koncz.