Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao? Maybe In 2015
As Floyd Mayweather, Jr. already noted he will not do business with Coach Bob Arum, Manny Pacquiao said the 2013 Boxer of the Year and no. 1-ranked pound-for-pound boxer will have to wait for 2015 if they will ever fight.
Mayweather dismissed a September bout rumor with Pacquiao, saying this is a lie. The Filipino fighter addressed his opponent's feelings about Coach Arum. "Floyd was saying he will only fight me if I separate from Bob Arum and Top Rank," Pacquiao said on an interview with Philboxing's Eddie Alinea.
"It is impossible because my contract is still valid until the end of 2014. If my contract will not be renewed, we can only discuss about a potential fight next year."
Like Mayweather, Pacquiao also denied the chance of a fall bout and rumors of a trip to the U.S. to meet with Mayweather.
"If it was a done deal, it is impossible for me not to know about it. I do not know anything about the reports in the papers. I do not have plans to go to the United States to talk to Floyd. It's also not true. I have been saying it over and over again. I'm not afraid of fighting anybody," Pacquiao said.
Michael Koncz, Manny's advisor, and Arum are now considering who will be Pacquiao's next opponent by April 12 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The choice is likely between Ruslan Provodnikov, Manny's former sparring partner, or Tim Bradley.
"We may well renew the contract with Manny past 2015," Arum said. But Koncz said nothing is final and he and Manny are still looking at all of their options.
Meanwhile, Mayweather plans to return in May with former two-belt 140-pound champion Amir Khan claiming to have signed an agreement to challenge Mayweather's WBC and RING welterweight titles. There have been a lot of speculations claiming that the final details of Mayweather facing Khan at either the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York or The MGM Grand in Las Vegas are close to being completed.
In Mayweather's last fight in September 2013, he dethroned Canelo Alvarez for the WBC and RING 154-pound championships by a majority decision. It grossed a record $150 million.