By Mark Vester
WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao and his team say they are ready for a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in November. Pacquiao's mother had urged him to retire from the ring. He asked her for permission to stage one final fight, against Mayweather, and he received permission. On Monday Pacquiao won the elections for a seat to represent his home province in the Philippine Congress
"Many fans really want me to fight Floyd Mayweather, so I asked my mama if we can give them one more fight. She said okay," Pacquiao told a televison station in the Philippines.
The two sides tried to make a fight earlier this year but it fell apart over the issue of random Olympic-style drugs tests. Pacquiao's lawyer Franklin Gacal told Reuters by phone that Pacquiao is ready to fight Mayweather, but only under the rules of the state commission. Earlier in the year, Pacquiao was willing to take the tests up until 24-days before the fight. Mayweather wanted them to run until 14-days before the fight. They couldn't agree and the talks broke apart.
"Manny is ready to fight Mayweather in November, but under the rules sanctioned by the state commission, not by any other body," Gacal said. "Our position stays the same, we will only abide by the rules set by the state commission sanctioning the fight, whether in Las Vegas or in Texas."
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