Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. speaks during a news conference in New York on Tuesday, May 19, 2009, to announce an upcoming fight. Mayweather and Juan Manuel Marquez will fight at MGM Grand in Las Vegas on July 18, 2009. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
MANILA, Philippines – Promoter Bob Arum is not discounting the possibility of his prized ward, Manny Pacquiao, battling Floyd Mayweather Jr. this year.
If a deal is reached for the megabuck bout, Arum said it could happen in November, not on May 5 as fight fans envision, or even on June 2 or 9, the date the 80-year-old promoter wants Pacquiao’s next fight to be penciled in.
In a television interview upon his arrival from the United States early Tuesday morning, Arum said a Pacquiao fight with Mayweather is possible within the year.
According to Arum, the Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown will hinge on the unbeaten American’s pending jail term and other factors, including fight purses.
A court in Las Vegas ordered Mayweather jailed for three months on Dec. 21 but later suspended his imprisonment until June 1 on the request of his defense team.
The court decision made Mayweather available for a May 5 fight, which he had booked in Las Vegas even before he pleaded no contest to a case of domestic violence.
Although Pacquiao has repeatedly expressed his preference to fight Mayweather first, Arum is said to be not on the same wavelength.
The promoter will be presenting four names—Miguel Cotto, Juan Manuel Marquez, Timothy Bradley and Lamont Peterson—for Pacquiao’s consideration when they meet in Manila Wednesday.
If Mayweather is ruled out, Marquez could be the front-runner because of his impressive performance against Pacquiao in their third fight last November which ended in a majority decision for the Sarangani representative.
Getting the most suitable opponent and the most lucrative fight for the eight-division world champ is not a simple matter, though.
Pacquiao and Arum, who will be leaving Saturday, are expected to figure in several meetings before they can make their choice for the Filipino superstar’s next opponent.