It seems that the boxing match everyone is waiting for, between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is finally happening soon. The two boxers have finally agreed to hold the fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
While no date has been set yet for the match, the venue has already been chosen should it push through this year, according to Christian Post. The Filipino boxer fought at the said arena in 8 out of his last 12 matches. On the other hand, Mayweather's last 10 fights were held in the same venue, making the said arena familiar to both of them.
Both sides are looking at holding the match in the first half of the year, around May or June, said The Source. Contacts from the two boxers are already moving to finalize the details and to come to an agreement in the next few days.
Pacquiao himself told Manila Standard that people could expect an announcement regarding his bout with Mayweather by the end of this month. He said, "I think it (the fight) will happen."
One issue that has prevented the fight from happening is the matter of splitting the earnings. In previous talks, Mayweather had been demanding a 60-40 split, which Pacquiao had considered.
The Filipino boxer said in an interview that, "Mayweather can get the amount he wants. I challenged him to a charity fight. Until now, he has not agreed to it. So money is not an issue in our fight."
He added, "This fight is abut our legacy, this is about making fans happy and above all, this is for the good of boxing."
Negotiations are still on-going to see the match come to fruition. It has been almost five years since the highly-anticipated match was supposed to happen after cancelations due to certain disagreements, reported The Source.
In 2010, Pacquiao and Mayweather were set to face each other in what is dubbed as the "fight of the century." However, the match was canceled when the two camps could not agree on a pre-fight drug test, which Mayweather wanted Pacquiao to take, reported Bad Left Hook.
The American boxer wanted Pacquiao to undergo an Olympic-level blood test, which the latter did not agree to do. However, the eight-division world champion acceded to do the test provided it's on a certain timeframe, but Mayweather wouldn't budge and so the fight was scrapped off.
Meanwhile, Alex Ariza, who was Pacquiao's ex-conditioning coach and is now working with Mayweather, expressed his doubt that the fight will push through, according to Manila Standard, in a separae report. He said the champion American boxer has not begun training for a next fight so it's impossible that the bout between him and Manny would happen soon.
Watch FightHype's exclusive interview with "The Money" below.
