Was Manny Pacquiao Promised a Fight with Floyd Mayweather in 2013?

A lot of signs have been pointing to Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. putting aside their differences and agreeing to a fight at some point in the foreseeable future.

It all started with a very noticeable change in tone from Mayweather following his release from prison. The usually outspoken undefeated champ has visibly limited the amount of barbs he has sent his arch rival’s way in recent months.

Then there was Pacquiao agreeing to give up 55 percent of the purse split to Mayweather in the event of a Dream Match – something he had previously refused to do.

And that is to say nothing of the little things that have happened over the past few months: Pacquiao’s developing relationship with 50 Cent, Bob Arum’s apparent openness regarding setting the bout up, performance-enhancing drug (PED) testing issues being resolved, etc.

It goes without saying that we have been down this road before only to ultimately be disappointed, however, it does feel like we’re actually creeping towards this thing finally happening.

On Wednesday, Fight Hype  (by way of Bad Left Hook) reported that Pacquiao agreed to an extension with Top Rank. The extension is interesting in itself, obviously, but this part of the report really stuck out:

According to an eyewitnesses on the scene, Dena duBoef, Vice President of Marketing and the daughter of Bob Arum, escorted Pacquiao to a private room where he had a closed-door meeting with Arum, Koncz, and 50 Cent. It's unclear as to exactly what was discussed, however, our source strongly believes that Pacquiao was given a verbal guarantee that, with the help of 50 Cent and Tommy Smalls, an April fight with Floyd Mayweather would indeed take place, convincing Pacquiao to sign the contract extension. "He thinks he has that fight coming, but that fight isn't ever going to happen," our source added.

Clearly this all hearsay and impossible to verify, but it’s pretty huge regardless of Top Rank’s intentions. Whether they want to do it or not, Pacquiao is going to be expecting a bout against Mayweather early next year. And if he doesn’t get it? Well, then he’ll just retire. Top Rank gets paid so long as the Filipino champ fights; if he hangs up his gloves, nobody gets paid. They can’t just stall this thing – it won’t work this time.

Stay tuned. We may be moving slowly, but we're definitely moving towards something.

(Kudos Fight Hype, Bad Left Hook)


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Manny Pacquiao Looks Past Juan Manuel Marquez, Sets Date for Potential Floyd Mayweather Fight

Manny Pacquiao is already looking past his upcoming showdown versus Juan Manuel Marquez and towards a potential super fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. Even though the Filipino champion has pledged on numerous occasions not to take his December 8 bout against Marquez lightly, it appears as though he is a lot more confident about it than he may have initially let on.


On Wednesday, Top Rank boss Bob Arum came out and said this in an interview with Nick Giongco of the Manila Bulletin: “I have talked with Manny and we agreed to hold his fight on April 20.”

Why April? Because, according to Arum, the fight would fit in perfectly between March Madness and the 2013 elections.

While Arum was reluctant to expound on who Pacquiao would fight next year, he did narrow it down by mentioning that Marquez definitely wouldn’t be one of the options.

“Neither fighter wants a fifth fight,” Arum acknowledged.

Understandable. Although, it is worth noting: for all of the gripes and all of the complaining about Pacquiao-Marquez IV being repetitive, tickets for it are being sold at a ridiculous rate. ESPN’s Dan Rafael reported recently that there were only 3,000 remaining...for a fight that’s still two months away.

As far as next April’s showdown – we can all read the writing on the wall at this point. Pacquiao wants Mayweather. The only possible alternatives would be Miguel Cotto and Timothy Bradley, and it’s hard to imagine either one really motivating the champ enough to commit to a fight. If Pacquiao is looking to throw down next year, he’s looking to do it against the only guy out there that’s worth the training and devotion it will require.

Is Pacquiao making a mistake by looking past Marquez? Will he be able to lock Mayweather down for an April showdown?

We’ll find out the answers to both questions soon enough.

Manny Pacquiao’s Latest Gesture Doesn’t Impress Floyd Mayweather

Manny Pacquiao made headlines last month when he went on record promising Floyd Mayweather Jr. the majority of the fight purse in the event of a Dream Match. Seeing as purse split has constantly been mentioned over the past two years as one of the two major stumbling blocks preventing this bout from happening, naturally, folks got excited.

Maybe that excitement was a bit premature.

Last sept. 20, while promoting his upcoming Dec. 8 showdown versus Juan Manuel Marquez, Pacquiao looked ahead to a possible fight against Mayweather and acknowledged that he would have to make some sacrifices. Having already more or less agreed to the stringent drug-testing that Mayweather has been harping about ever since talks started, the only thing left to work out was how the fight purse would be divided.

In the past, the Filipino champion was adamant about his refusal to accept anything less than 50-50. (Except for that one time when he promised Mayweather the lion’s share and then backtracked.) Last month, however, for whatever reason, Pacquiao changed his mind and made it clear that he would settle for 55-45.

Problem solved, right? Not so much. Here is what Mayweather’s advisor had to say on the matter to the Los Angeles Times one day later:

“Manny Pacquiao can’t tell Floyd Mayweather [expletive],” Leonard Ellerbe said.

“If and when the fight takes place, Floyd will dictate the terms.”

Ellerbe assessed Pacquiao’s mention of Mayweather Jr. this week on a promotional tour to Los Angeles, New York, ESPN studios and Mexico City as an “amateurish, transparent” way to promote the Filipino superstar’s fourth bout against Mexico’s Juan Manuel Marquez on Dec. 8 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

That’s promising.

Look, obviously Pacquiao is just doing this to hype up his Marquez fight. Nobody is disputing that. Mayweather did the same thing when he was doing press for his Victor Ortiz and Miguel Cotto bouts. It’s all part of the game. But the fact that Manny’s intentions aren’t one hundred percent pure doesn’t take away from the fact that he’s publicly agreeing to take less money. There’s no backtracking from that.

Mayweather’s advisors can say what they want, but they don’t make up his mind for him. There will be more jawing back and forth between the two camps because, well, it’s what they do. At the end of the day, though, Mayweather will agree to this. He’s too smart of a businessman and too aware of his legacy not to.

(Kudos Los Angeles Times)

Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather: Settlement Opens the Door for Dream Match

Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. moved one step closer to a Dream Match on Tuesday when the pair settled their federal defamation case. The case, you'll recall, stemmed from disparaging accusations and insinuations made by Mayweather Jr. and his father regarding Pacquiao and his rise up the pound-for-pound ranks.

“The matter has been resolved,” Mayweather’s attorney, Malcon LaVergne told reporters today (via ESPN).

"Any alleged terms of the resolution would be strictly confidential. Floyd Mayweather Sr. is very happy that this lengthy case has finally come to a conclusion.”

This news comes a mere week after a judge instructed Mayweather to pay nearly $114,000 in legal fees and costs for avoiding questioning under oath from Pacquiao’s lawyers. Today, however, several outlets are reporting that both sides will bear their own attorney fees and costs. What that means for the money Mayweather was supposed to pay out remains to be seen.

Either way, though, this is huge for reasons not pertaining to who pays what. It’s huge because, in a lot ways, it signals that both Pacquiao and Mayweather are over the trivial, petty nonsense that has prevented them from coming together for a super fight over the past few years. We’ve been seeing the pair warm up to one another (well, you know, as much as you can expect them to) for several months now, and this latest gesture is just the latest indication of what direction they’re moving in.

Pacquiao will fight Juan Manuel Marquez this December. Mayweather doesn’t have any bouts scheduled, so he’ll presumably just wait until beginning to mid 2013 before his next showdown. The stars are in alignment for Pacquiao-Mayweather to kick off next year – presuming Pacquiao can get past Marquez, of course.

(Kudos ESPN)