Arum sees Pacman-Floyd duel next year

MANILA, Philippines - Top Rank chief Bob Arum is confident that a megabuck fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather will happen next year.

Speaking to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle, Arum pointed out that the two major fight networks in the US – HBO and Showtime – fully support the fight.

“Both networks want this fight to happen,” Arum said. “All signs seem to point to the fight happening early next year.”

Pacquiao’s fights are aired by HBO while Showtime holds the rights to broadcast Mayweather’s bouts.

A fight between two of boxing’s biggest stars is expected to rake in record profits and net Pacquiao and Mayweather career-high paydays. But both camps have failed to find common ground during past negotiations, leading some boxing observers to believe that the fight will never happen.

Arum, for his part, believes the fight should be staged sometime in the first half of 2015.  

“There is a sell-by date, where it becomes (after that) ‘Who cares?’ It has to happen by the first six months of next year,” Arum said.

Mayweather and Pacquiao are booked to face different foes this year, with the American facing Marcos Maidana in a rematch next month and the Filipino taking on Chris Algieri in November. But those fights are nothing compared to both stars finally clashing with each other.

Arum even brought up the possibility of a lucrative rematch.

“And if it happens, there should be a provision with a different percentage for the rematch. So that the winner is rewarded for winning the fight,” he said.

“I would love to see these guys fight twice next year,” he said.

Mayweather himself has previously hinted at making a “surprise” announcement after his fight with Maidana, which some observers believe could be about facing Pacquiao.

But Pacquiao and his trainer Freddie Roach said they won’t waste time waiting for Mayweather as they had insisted their willingness to fight the pound-for-pound king anytime.