$300 Million at Stake for Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao Showdown
The battle royal between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. might be ticking away, but the boon for the showdown could be too tempting for both fighters to ignore, according to several boxing analysts.
Pacquiao vs. Mayweather has been elusive, a pipe dream for boxing fans after years of failed negotiation between both camps. Without a doubt, the match will be the biggest ever in history, as estimates suggested a whopping $300 million in fight money at stake.
Top-Rank promoter Bob Arum provided two alternatives for the dream fight to finally happen either next year or at the end of his six-fight contract with Showtime Boxing.
'We want to fight him and we're willing to discuss it at any point,' Mayweather said in May via the Daily Mail. 'There are two ways to go here. One is to do a Mayweather fight with both HBO and Showtime involved, as they did with Lewis-Tyson, as I understand Mayweather is under contract to Showtime through 2015. The companies could come together and put on the show.
"Or, the other alternative is, if Floyd wanted to fight Manny in 2016, he could return to HBO and we could do it there."
Mayweather has been adamant to engage in any negotiation with Pacquiao's camp ever since their negotiation crumbled in 2010 because of dispute in fight purse sharing and blood testing mechanics.
The Grand Rapids native also believed that Pacquiao is not anymore in the same level with him because of his losses to Timothy Bradley via split-decision and Juan Manuel Marquez via sixth-round TKO in 2012.
However, the Filipino champ revived his career by dominating Brandon Rios in November of 2013 and reclaiming his WBO Welterweight title with a unanimous decision win over Bradley last April.
Then again, Mayweather dismissed Pacquiao from his list of potential contenders, stressing there's more young and hungry fighters out there more worthy to have a shot at big money and fame.
Several weeks ago, Mayweather revived talks about a showdown with Pacquiao when he hinted on unveiling a big surprise in May of 2015. Many boxing followers believed Money May might finally consider a fight with Pacquiao, because of the magnitude of the money involved.
Mayweather is set to fight again Argentine brawler Marcos Maidana on September 13 after a competitive majority decision win last May, while Pacquiao will test Chris Algieri on November 23.
If both fighters accomplished their assignments, negotiation could start right away for the most lucrative fight in boxing history.
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Manny Pacquiao in Dangerous Territory vs. Chris Algieri - Freddie Roach
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