Pacquiao says it’s now or never for Mayweather

By Boxing News - 01/26/2015 - Comments

pac89898By Chris Williams: Along with his recent deadline until the end of this month, WBO 147lb belt holder Manny Pacquiao is now giving WBA/WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr a message that it’s basically now or never if he wants to face him in a mega fight.

Pacquiao, 36, says that if the two of them don’t face each other next for a fight in the next four months or so, he doesn’t see the two of them ever facing each other. I don’t know why Pacquiao would think this, because if the two of them fail to reach agreement for a fight in their current negotiations, it’s Pacquiao who would have a great deal to do with the fight not taking place due to his January 31st deadline he imposed on the negotiations.

Pacquiao is rushing something that can’t be rushed and putting himself in the position where he won’t get the fight.

“If this doesn’t happen now I don’t think it will, so now is the time,” Pacquiao said via Sky Ringside. “If you want it higher, I am happy with that. I will take 40 [per cent of the purse] to 60. I’m OK with that – for the sake of the fans. We are just waiting for you to sign the contract.”

If Pacquiao is now giving Mayweather ‘It’s now or never’ ultimatum along with his deadline, that would be really taking the cake. Talk about shooting oneself in the foot. If there’s not enough time for them to complete the negotiations – due to Pacquiao’s deadline – then how can you blame Mayweather for that happening? And why would you decide that the fight can never get made in the future?

Yeah, it might not ever get made if Pacquiao keeps imposing deadlines on the negotiations. There was a 24 hour deadline set by Pacquiao’s side during the first Mayweather negotiations in 2009, and that fight didn’t happen either.

Now we’ve got another deadline. It’s just such a waste of time if each time Mayweather negotiates with Pacquiao, we see deadlines being put up. I see those as roadblocks that keep the fight from happening.

It was my understanding that Pacquiao had already agreed to a 60-40 purse split for the Mayweather fight. If Pacquiao is now saying that if Mayweather wants a 60-40 deal, he’ll take. This makes me wonder if Mayweather is giving Pacquiao a better deal than the one that’s been leaked out with the 60-40 number that’s been discussed. If Pacquiao is getting a better deal than 60-40, then it’s no wonder why Mayweather hasn’t signed this so-called contract that still hasn’t been written up fully.

That would mean Pacquiao could be getting a purse split of 55-45, and that’s obviously a very, very generous deal for a fighter who has been pulling in fewer pay-per-view buys than Mayweather has in the last two years.

If Pacquiao would drop the silly deadline, I think the Mayweather fight will get worked out. But they need to work with him on this, and come to an agreement on whatever items are left on the contract that is holding up the process.

The Showtime-HBO stuff is obviously out of their hands, but the deadline is something that Pacquiao can control. He needs to drop the deadline and let the negotiation process continue in a normal manner without him choosing to walk away before it’s had time to be completed.



Comments are closed.