Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. could finally be meeting for their much-anticipated superfight.
Promoted Bob Arum has been talking up the fight between the two biggest names in boxing, one that has been teased many times but never come to fruition. Making the press tour for Pacquiao’s upcoming fight with Chris Algieri, Arum told the San Francisco Chronicle that the Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight is already in the works .
“Both networks [HBO and Showtime] want this fight to happen,” Arum said. “All signs seem to point to the fight happening early next year.”
But in order to get to the fight, Floyd Mayweather Jr. will likely have to win his September 13 rematch with Marcos Maidana while Manny Pacquiao will need to take care of Chris Algieri on November 22.
But others are backing Arum in saying the match is in the works. Ivan G. Goldman of BoxingInsider.com quoted a source who claims that Floyd Mayweather Sr., Floyd’s trainer and a trusted adviser, plans for the fight with Manny Pacquiao to take place after the Maidana rematch.
Goldman claimed:
“The source, who’s both a manager and trainer and quite knowledgeable, said Floyd Senior made the remark about Pacquiao as they discussed other matters. He wasn’t absolutely sure that Daddy Floyd wanted his comments repeated so he asked me not to identify him. He’s known the father for many years. Floyd Senior, he said, wants the fight to cement his son’s legacy and bring in what would certainly be the biggest haul in boxing history. The source wasn’t absolutely certain when they spoke two weeks ago that the entire team was in agreement on a Pacquiao fight.
“‘I thought at the time that maybe the dad was just saying that because he was trying to motivate the fight.’ Just the fact that the father is pushing for the fight is significant, but the source said that since then he’s seen other indications that the rest of the team is on board.”
But Bob Arum has been wrong on his Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. predictions in the past. After Pacquiao’s win over Brandon Rios earlier this year, he told the media that the highly anticipated fight could likely happen in 2014.