By Eric Thomas: Earlier today, there was a report out from NBCsports.com about the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao bout being set for “late November” and taking place in an outside arena being build by Steve Wynn. I knew it was too good to be true. Michael Marley of Examiner.com contacted Arum, who had this to say about the report:
“First of all, the date remains November 13. We’re not going on November 27, because nobody wants to go on Thanksgiving weekend. The prior Saturday, November 20 is on hold for a UFC pay per view even here. As far as the venue goes, if Wynn winds up with it, we’ll go at the Thomas & Mack Center at UNLV. The alternative to that is the MGM Grand and their Grand Garden. What you’re reporting is just not true.”
This is too bad, because there are massive amounts of boxing fans that are waiting and hoping that the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight can somehow get made. The date for the fight, if it does take place, will be on November 13th and will likely take place in Las Vegas. Mayweather has said that he doesn’t want to fight in Texas. However, Arum has still booked both the Cowboy Stadium, in Arlington, Texas, and the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada, just in case.
If the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight falls through, then Arum will put in another opponent with Pacquiao for what will probably be the last fight of his career. Arum would like to match Pacquiao up with either Miguel Cotto or Antonio Margarito. The Mayweather-Pacquiao negotiations are said to be stuck on the random blood testing cut date and the split of the purse. Mayweather supposedly wants a bigger share and Pacquiao wants a 50-50 deal.
Mayweather won’t make anywhere near the same kind of money that he’ll be making in the Pacquiao fight if he takes on someone else. A fight between Mayweather and Sergio Martinez or even Andre Berto would likely not bring anywhere close to the same kind of money that he can make in the Pacquiao fight. This is why it would seem like a self defeating move by Mayweather not to come to some sort of an agreement with Pacquiao at some point so that the fight can take place.
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