Raise your hand if you are surprised?
*no hands were raised*
“There are unresolved issues on both the fighter deal and the network deal. (The fighters are) on the same page regarding basic deal points but there are lot of meaningful items still unresolved,” said one source involved in the negotiations.
The networks have been working on the terms in recent weeks, dealing with such issues as how to blend their on-air talent for the telecast, who will actually produce and direct the telecast in addition to numerous other production issues and how to handle the delayed broadcast.
According to sources involved in the talks, Showtime has pushed for a similar scenario they agreed to in their landmark 2002 deal to do a joint pay-per-view for the Lennox Lewis-Mike Tyson heavyweight title fight when Lewis was signed to HBO and Tyson was with Showtime. For that deal, they agreed that the network whose fighter won the fight would get the replay rights and pay the other network $3 million. HBO, however, according to sources, is pushing for simultaneous network replays of Mayweather-Pacquiao.
Time is running out for the fight to be made if they still plan on fighting on May 2nd. If the fight was scheduled for June, they would have more time to work some of these issues out.
Bob Arum who simply can’t stop talking, wonders if Mayweather really wants the fight or just stringing everyone along.
“There are issues that should be solved in 10 minutes, but it’s a slow dance,” Arum said. “We send one draft to their side and their lawyer sends back a draft with something else that’s an issue. And there doesn’t seem to be any urgency about it on their side. It’s terrible.”
Arum has negotiated many of the deal points for the bout through CBS chief executive Leslie Moonves, who has acted as a go-between for Mayweather and his adviser, Al Haymon. Arum said he continues to remain in touch with Moonves and that they exchanged emails on Monday trying to work out the issues.
“I’ve asked Les to expeditiously handle the points there are issues with,” said Arum, who declined to go into the specific issues. “Moonves can handle it. The question is whether the Mayweather side will listen to him. If they’re sincere about trying to make the fight it shouldn’t be an issue, or are they playing a game? I don’t know. I go back and forth. I thought they were always playing a game, that Floyd didn’t want the fight.
It appears from everyone close to the situation that Mayweather is holding up things, so we will just have to see what Floyd ultimately decides to do.