When Will Pacquiao and Mayweather Fight?

A matchup between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao is surely a contender for the longest percolating bout in fistic history. Many boxing scribes believed that Mayweather was too enamored of his undefeated record to risk a ring meeting with Pacman. But Mayweather’s confidence apparently received a boost from Pacquiao’s less-than-stellar performances in his last two fights against Shane Mosley and Juan Manuel Marquez, since Mayweather began agitating for a bout not long afterward.

“Money” Mayweather recently took to his Twitter account to jab Pacquiao and call him out for a fight on May 5 in Las Vegas. Not long ago, Mayweather started calling Michael Koncz, Pacquiao’s adviser. Last week, Koncz handed the phone to Pacquiao, and the two boxers vying for the title of best pound-for-pound pugilist in the world enjoyed a private conversation.

Pacquiao told Mayweather that he wanted to make the fight and would be content with a 50-50 split of revenues. “No, that can’t happen,” Mayweather told ESPN he countered. “But what can happen is you can make more money fighting me than you have made in your career.”

Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum fumed at the offer.

“Mayweather and his people are completely irrational,” Arum said Friday. “Pacquiao has the highest gates, highest pay-per-view numbers, brings in more high rollers to Vegas, and he is supposed to take less than 50%? Never.”

Arum explained another reason, in addition to compensation, why the fight won’t happen per Mayweather’s demands. “May 5 is impossible,” he said. “We couldn’t get the right cable arrangements by then, or complete the outdoor stadium we are building with a temporary seating capacity of around 45,000. We would lose 30 to 40 million dollars of revenue, and that’s crazy.”

Arum said two other dates could work: May 26 and June 9. Mayweather is due to begin his 87-day jail sentence on June 1, but Arum was confident that Mayweather’s legal team could make a successful plea for a short delay in his reporting date.

In the meantime, Team Pacquiao is plowing ahead, considering other possible opponents for a June fight. The short list includes Timothy Bradley, Miguel Cotto, Lamont Peterson and a rematch with Marquez.

Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach has indicated that he thinks it might be hard to work out the details for this contest by May, but he fervently hopes the mega fight will take place in November 2012. In an interview with ESPN, Roach moaned, “It’s ridiculous that two grown men can’t do business together. It’s like they both want to take their ball and go home. They just need to drop the issues they have with each other and negotiate.”

But Pacquiao and Mayweather are two grown men who have talked for years about how much they love to please their fans. If there is any truth to these words, one of these future Hall-of-Famers has to step up and do whatever is necessary to make this fight a reality.

By Gordon Marino