Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Manny Pacquiao Can Still Happen, Says Top Rank Chief Bob Arum

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum remains optimistic that a fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao will be arranged if Pacquiao scores an impressive victory against Brandon Rios on November 24th in Macau.

Mayweather previously said that Pacquiao does not deserve a shot against him after losing to Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez, but Arum believes that a strong performance from Pacquiao against Rios will get the blockbuster showdown arranged.

"If Manny demonstrates that he's back and there's a public outcry, we should be able to get it done," Arum said in an interview with 1116 SEN Radio as reported by Ronnie Nathanielz of Manila Standard Today.

However, one potential problem that could arise is the ongoing feud between Showtime and HBO Boxing.

Mayweather signed an exclusive deal with Showtime, while Pacquiao is with HBO; but Arum said that the two parties could agree to do a sharing, knowing how big the fight could be. Arum cited the 2002 mega bout between Lenox Lewis and Mike Tyson in which HBO and Showtime set aside their difference to make the fight happen.

"The only major impediment is that Mayweather now fights for Showtime and Manny for HBO. When they had the same situation years ago, where Lennox Lewis was an HBO fighter and Mike Tyson fought for Showtime. They came together and shared responsibilities of promoting the pay-per-view and it worked out really well," Arum said.

Arum recently paid the Philippines a visit to check Pacquiao's training, saying that he wanted to check if the boxer is focused on the task at hand despite the many distractions surrounding him in his hometown.

"I wanted to go over and spend a few days with Manny, because there are so many demands on him when he is at home. It's not just the political demands. Everyone wants a piece of him when he is at home," Arum said in an interview with Telegraph Sports. "I want to check that the focus is there for him for the fight with Rios. This is the first time the training camp has been just in the Philippines."