The road to the Pacquiao-Mayweather ‘Fight of the Century’

2015: Megafight is on!

Manny Pacquiao (left) and Floyd Mayweather Jr. attend the Miami Heat-Milwaukee Bucks games. Screengrab from the Heat’s Twitter account

A chance meeting between Pacquiao and Mayweather at an NBA game Miami proves to be the turning point of the last half a decade. They are seen exchanging phone numbers and reportedly continues talking about a megafight later at Pacquiao’s suite.

Negotiations are getting closer than ever before, but no deal has still been signed with both camps going back-and-forth in their talks. Mayweather and Pacquiao take the fight to social media as they tease fans with cryptic posts often alluding to each other.

Screengrab from Manny Pacquiao Instagram account

But one day, everything falls into place—previous disagreements are resolved including the drug and blood testing, the purse split, the PPV issue between rival Showtime and HBO—as both boxers finally sign on the dotted line.

On February 21, it is announced that the fight the whole word has been waiting for between the two best boxers of their generation, Mayweather and Pacquiao, is finally on for May 2, 2015 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

REFRESH YOUR MEMORY:

• Pacquiao, Mayweather had hour-long private meeting— report
• Talks for May 2 Pacquiao-Mayweather bout stalled anew
• Pacquiao-Mayweather May 2 fight down to 2 issues
• Pacquiao, Mayweather use social media to confirm megafight
• It’s on: Mayweather says he and Pacquiao to fight May 2