LAS VEGAS—Slowly, but surely, the wheels have started to turn again as far as the biggest boxing fight on the horizon is concerned.
Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather Jr.
The sport’s only eight-division champion in history against an undefeated superstar who has generated some of the biggest pay-per-view outings. Blitzkrieg aggressor versus superb defense specialist.
Talks have collapsed twice before, but momentum is again gaining, with key figures from both sides of the table offering a ray of hope.
Top Rank chief Bob Arum, according to noted columnist Michael Marley, is using Pacquiao’s defamation suit against Mayweather if the American wants to fight Pacquiao.
The suit was filed in response to Mayweather’s accusations that Pacquiao used illegal performance enhancers while destroying opponents from different weight classes and collecting crowns along the way.
Mayweather has used that accusation as a shield against the fight, demanding that strict, Olympic-style testing protocols be applied to both fighters for the duration of the training camp up until fight night.
It is a demand that has pricked Team Pacquiao.
“Who does he think he is to make the rules?” said Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach. “Fight us or shut up.”
In an interview with Yahoo Sports, Oscar De La Hoya, whose Golden Boy Promotions will help represent Mayweather in negotiations to broker the fight, revealed his optimism for a Pacman-Money duel next year.
“I am very optimistic now,” De La Hoya said in that interview. “I believe if he gets past Marquez, Mayweather already has his date set for May 5 and he gave orders for the biggest fight out there. It is no secret that fight is Manny Pacquiao.”
The development came after Pacquiao had said a new point of contention cropped up: “Part of the reason is the pay-per-view sharing.”
Rumors have started to fly that Mayweather has resorted to unreasonable demands financially, threatening anew to plunge negotiations into limbo.