By Mark Vester

The way things are going, Manny Pacquiao vs. Paulie Malignaggi is looking more and more likely for March 13 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer is not receptive to Top Rank's final offer to save the March super-fight with Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. If Schaefer does not accept the final offer by Monday, Arum plans to ditch any further plans to fight Mayweather - and then he will finalize Malignaggi as the replacement.

For nearly a week, there has been an ongoing dispute on the handling and schedule of the random Olympic-style drug tests. Arum gave the details of his final offer to Los Angeles Times. Per Arum, each fighter would agree to take unlimited random urine tests, and both sides would agree to let the Nevada State Athletic Commission decide if additional blood testing is necessary at their January 19 meeting.

"We will allow Golden Boy to present experts to the commission to explain why additional testing is required, and we'll explain our position," Arum said. "Then we'll let the Nevada commission decide. If Nevada says we need to do more testing, we'll do more, but if they don't, we won't. Nevada is the one who should have the say, not the fighters."

Schaefer, speaking with USA Today, did not apear to like those terms. Schaefer still wants random blood tests done within 30-days of the fight and he doesn't think it is possible with the layout of Arum's final offer. Schaefer is willing to back away from using the USADA to handle the tests but Arum wants the NSAC to decide if further tests are needed.

"There should be a way to work out that window," Schaefer said. "Cutting off 30 days before the fight is not acceptable. Given the time frame (after the NSAC's Jan. 19 meeting), it's not going to work. There's not much to be said. They might as well not do it. What's random about that? Nothing. Is it effective? No. Does it do anything? No."

"Pacquiao thinks USADA is affiliated with Golden Boy. It's not about who (performs the test). ... Let's not use USADA. Let's use somebody both sides feel comfortable with, and let's agree on a reasonable cutoff that maintains the integrity of the testing."

Send News Tips and Comments To Mark Vester @ boxingvester@gmail.com