By Lem Satterfield
Michael Koncz, adviser to Manny Pacquiao, would like to strike a deal for a 2011 mega-fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. Except this time around they are not going to chase after him. Negotiations for Mayweather-Pacquiao have twice fallen apart. The entire boxing world is hoping the fight will happen.
The second round of negotiations, which took place a few months ago, caused major friction between both sides.
Bob Arum, Top Rank Promotions' CEO, told reporters on July 16 that he had been negotiating with Mayweather's manager, Al Haymon, with HBO President Ross Greenburg acting as the mediator. Golden Boy Promotions' CEO, Richard Schaefer, and Mayweather's adviser, Leonard Ellerbe, issued statements denying that any negotiations took place. Things got interesting when Greenburg himself issued a statement which confirmed the negotiations, and his role as the mediator between Arum and Haymon. The entire sequence of events left a bad taste in the mouth of Koncz and other members of Team Pacquiao.
"Floyd Mayweather, he has Bob Arum's phone number and Al Haymon has Bob Arum's phone number. He has my phone number," said Koncz. "But we're not going to chase him. We gave him two opportunities and they insulted us and attempted to make us look foolish. So, we're not chasing him. If he wants to call us, then he's welcome to call us."
Lem Satterfield is the boxing editor at AOL FanHouse and the news editor at BoxingScene.com. To read more from Lem Satterfield, go to AOL FanHouse by Clicking Here.