With talks of Floyd Mayweather’s retirement in 2015 floating around it isn’t a surprise that the fight between him and Manny Pacquiao is once again building traction.
The surprising aspect is that Top Rank CEO Bob Arum is at the forefront of these rumors. Both Arum and Pacquiao are letting it be known that they are negotiating with the Mayweather camp about the annual ‘May Day’ slot. Floyd tried his best to clear up these rumours at yesterdays Grand Arrivals.
“Not true,” Mayweather said. “I can’t say what the future holds, but Arum and Pacquiao is trying to sell tickets for the (fight with the) guy named (Chris) Algieri. Trying to sell tickets for that fight. I don’t know where they fighting, I don’t know anything about what Top Rank is doing.”
Arum’s statements are in direct opposition of Floyd’s. Arum says that he’d love to make the Manny vs Floyd fight happen and that the feeling is mutual between both camps:
“Both networks want this to happen. All signs seem to point to a first fight early next year.” said Arum, “A second fight in the autumn would provide a different cash split because the winner of the first would claim the higher percentage. As each of them believes he would win, that provides an extra incentive.”
One rumor that is floating around states that an oil tycoon from Dubai is willing to pay each fighter north of $250M to fight in Dubai instead of Las Vegas. It seems as though the closer we get to Floyd’s actual retirement, the more ludicrous these rumors become. Don’t hold your breath for this fight.