I promised myself that I would not report on anything Mayweather vs. Pacquiao related until there was a signed contract.

But the statistics don’t lie and there is a huge demand for info on the potential bout, so since I am a man of the people I will update you with “factual” information as it comes in.

As you many of you know, Manny is running for congress in the Philippines.  Those elections wrap up on Tuesday, and win or lose, that is when negotiations are scheduled to begin.  Here are the details from the AP:

Negotiations for a megafight involving Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. are expected to begin again this week.

Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, tells The Associated Press that discussions could begin as early as Tuesday, once the results of the Philippine elections are in. Pacquiao is running for Congress for the second time.

The one thing I have noticed since Mayweather beat Shane Mosley is that the Pacquiao camp have softened their stance toward the blood tests and have not been as negative toward the Mayweather camp.

Pacquiao’s options are pretty limited.

No one wants to see him fight Antonio Margarito or a rematch with Miguel Cotto (those are the opponents Bob Arum has mentioned as a backup plan if the Mayweather talks fall through).

Public opinion has swayed in Mayweather’s favor for two reasons.

A- He beat the better opponent and did so convincingly.

B- Most people want the most stringent drug testing available to make sure their stars are clean.

I am not ready to say that I think the fight is going to happen because I have been fooled once.

But at least it is moving in a positive direction.