By Ronnie Nathanielsz
TOP Rank promoter Bob Arum believes that the planned May 2 multi-million dollar showdown between eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao and undefeated pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. will be wrapped up by the end of this week.
He mentioned that the television issues between Showtime, which has a six-fight, $200-million deal with Mayweather of which four fights have been done, and HBO Sports, which telecasts Pacquiao’s fights, were solved.
Arum believes Tuesday's late night hotel meeting between Mayweather and Pacquiao, who first met earlier that day at a Miami Heat-Milwaukee Bucks NBA game in Miami, was very helpful.
"I think it helped a lot because we were all putting papers together, and there was still a question as to whether Floyd really wanted to do the fight or not," Arum told the Post of the Miami meeting. "Based on the meeting with Pacquiao in the hotel suite, Manny and [Pacquiao adviser] Michael Koncz were convinced Floyd absolutely wants to do the fight."
Upon their arrival in LA around 3:30 p.m. (Manila Time), Koncz said: “It’s still a waiting game. We are waiting for Floyd to make a decision, but I have no reason to doubt him.”
He also said he told Mayweather that “Manny is his own boss and Arum is only his promoter” to dispel Mayweather’s allegations that Arum dictates to Pacquiao.
