MANILA, Philippines – If Floyd Mayweather Jr. still wants to fight Manny Pacquiao, then he will have to deal with Bob Arum, the Filipino’s longtime promoter.
This after Pacquiao himself stressed he will stick with Arum, whose promotional firm Top Rank Inc. holds the rights to promote the fighting congressman’s bouts.
In a report by Lance Pugmire of The Los Angeles Times, Pacquiao said he’s contented with how Arum has handled his career so far.
“Right now, I don’t have issues. I’m the kind of person that doesn’t look to make changes. Look at me, since I’ve fought in America, I’ve only had one trainer [Freddie Roach]. I never change. We have a good relationship with Top Rank, with Bob," said Pacquiao, whose contract with Arum runs through 2014.
Mayweather, widely considered as the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter, is still the biggest name Pacquiao can face, and vice versa. A showdown between the two fighters will net them career-high paydays and can go down as the richest bout in boxing history.
But Mayweather, who faces Argentinean Marcos Maidana in May, has repeatedly insisted that he won’t do business again with Arum, once his promoter prior to their bitter split. This means Arum must step aside and allow Mayweather to deal with Pacquiao exclusively.
Pacquiao, for his part, believes the undefeated American is just making up excuses not to fight him.
“The truth is, he [Mayweather] doesn’t have interest in fighting me. It’s not about the promoter,†he told Pugmire.
Mayweather and Pacquiao had tried to arrange a fight between them a few years ago, but talks fell apart due to several disagreements, from random drug testing to salary.
Pacquiao says it all depends on Mayweather, adding he’s not closing the doors on the megabuck duel.
“For me, if he wants to fight, the fight will be on. The ultimate answer is from him. I’m just waiting to see if he’ll change his mind,†he explained.
Pacquiao takes on Timothy Bradley on April 13 then plans to fight one more time this year.
“I want to fight one more this year, around October, November,†he said.
Most fans are still hoping it will be against Mayweather.