Pacquiao: Floyd fight ‘near’
Manny Pacquiao said a much-anticipated fight with Floyd Mayweather was “near” after he agreed to a key demand to undergo drug testing.
The eight-division world champion said negotiations were nearly complete after he dropped his opposition to drugs screening – and even suggested a $5m fine if he tests positive.
In previous negotiations, Mayweather had demanded strict Olympic-style drug screening that would require blood tests 30 days before the fight, instead of a few days.
“(The fight) is near. The negotiations are nearly finished,” Pacquiao said during a break from evening sessions in parliament, where he represents one of Philippines’ provinces.
“We agreed that this fight has to happen. We are ironing out the kinks. He (Mayweather) said he wants the fight to push through.”
Pacquiao is 57-5 with two draws and 38 knockouts, while Mayweather is 47-0 with 26 knockouts.
The mega-fight could go down in history as boxing’s biggest and most lucrative.
However time is running out for fans to see them fight in peak form, with Pacquiao aged 36 and Mayweather 37.
In a brief television interview on Sunday, Mayweather denied a deal had been signed but said he was “hopeful” the fight with Pacquiao would happen.
Pacquiao declined to say how much the deal would be worth and gave few other details. However he said a rematch clause in the contract was unlikely.
Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, last month ignited talk of the fight occurring in Las Vegas in May when he said negotiations in the contracts had been “narrowed down to extraordinarily small points”.
Among the many factors that have prevented the two from getting into the ring in the past was a demand by Mayweather that he receive a bigger share of the fight’s revenue.
And in terms of the drug testing agreement, Pacquiao said that he had agreed to the demands, although he did not give specifics of the requirements.
“We agreed to their demand. In fact, I suggested a $5m fine if I test positive for drugs,” he said.
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