Will Mayweather agree to fight Pacquiao in April or June?

By Boxing News - 12/21/2014 - Comments

floyd103By Chris Williams: Bob Arum, the promoter for Manny Pacquiao, recently suggested that Floyd Mayweather Jr forget about fighting on May 2nd next year and instead fight on two dates that are convenient for them in April or June of 2015. Arum thinks it’s an insult to the Mexican people that Mayweather wants to try and take the May 2nd date, which falls on the Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo.

Mayweather hasn’t said yet whether he’ll give in to Arum’s wishes and fight in either April or June next year against Pacquiao.

“April or June would be fine for that fight,” said Arum to the Telegraph.co.uk. “What difference does it make?”

It makes a lot of difference to Mayweather because he sees the May and September dates as his dates. Arum wants to have the May 2nd date go to someone like Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, who Arum is trying to negotiate a fight against his fighter Miguel Cotto for May 2nd.

It’s hard to follow Arum’s argument about Mayweather insulting the Mexican people by wanting to fight on a Mexican holiday. If the Cotto-Canelo fight is going to be sold to American people on HBO pay-per-view, then why can’t Mayweather fight on that date as well? If the fight is going to be marketed to Americans, then Mayweather obviously has the right to fight on the holiday as well without it being an insult to anyone.

Cotto could really help out if he were to stand up and take a stand on this whole May 2nd thing. I don’t see how it helps him out fighting on a Mexican holiday. He’s Puerto Rican, and there’s no gain for him by fighting on May 2nd other than perhaps a few more pay-per-view buys.

Cotto might be better off using his A-side pull to have the fight take place on the Puerto Rican day weekend rather than him agreeing to fight on Cinco de Mayo. That way boxing fans could see the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight take place on May 2nd, and then see the Cotto-Canelo fight take place in June during the same weekend as the Puerto Rican day parade.

At the end of the day, Mayweather probably won’t be happy to be kicked off his May 2nd date, and I see a spillover with him not saying yes to Arum’s ideas of him fighting Pacquiao in April or June. I’m not sure why Arum would be willing to sacrifice the much bigger fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao for a smaller one between Cotto and Canelo. It makes me wonder whether Arum is seeing things clearly. It seems like a logical move to me to move the Canelo vs. Cotto fight to a different date in order to get the bigger fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather made.



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