Arum, Mayweather agree to disagree
Promoter Bob Arum was on the line at 10:30 a.m. Friday from Las Vegas.
He was steamed, to say the least, at the latest development regarding a possible fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
He was angry about a story on ESPN.com that centered on a phone call that took place Wednesday between Mayweather in Las Vegas and Pacquiao in the Philippines. The two apparently talked about the fight, with one of the details of their conversation being the purse.
Pacquiao told Mayweather he was fine with a 50-50 split, but Mayweather said that was not acceptable.
"He ask(s) about a 50/50 split and I told him, `No, that can't happen, but what can happen is you can make more money fighting me than you have made in your career,"' Mayweather told ESPN.com.
Mayweather also blamed Arum for the fight - which has previously met with failed negotiations - not being made.
"There is no fight I want more than the Manny Pacquiao fight," said Mayweather, who was supposed to begin a 90-day jail sentence for a domestic violence conviction Jan. 6, only to have a judge agree to stay that until June 1 so he can meet an obligation to fight May 5 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
"I guess he said he agreed to fight. The only thing that is stopping this fight right now, that I truly believe is stopping the fight, is Bob Arum."
When the subject of this story was broached with Arum, he went off.
"Why do you keep listening to what this little jerk is saying?" he said. "Apparently he is saying he isn't going to do a 50-50 deal. So that is the end of the story. Forget about it."
For a second it sounded like Arum was done even talking about this. But he was too perturbed for that.
"This is like craziness," Arum said. "Manny is the box-office star, he is the pay-per-view star. He has all the endorsements. Who the (expletive) is this guy? I was shocked when Manny said we will do a 50-50 because I would not have done 50-50.
"I'm leaving to San Francisco to watch the Giants and the 49ers. I don't want to hear about Mayweather. It is just a waste of time. He blames me? What the (expletive) is he talking about."
Arum would have grudgingly gone along with Pacquiao on the equal division. But he said he would never agree on anything less.
That's not to mention that Mayweather is still insisting on the fight being held May 5 at MGM Grand, where he reserved a date for his next fight some time back.
That would mean there would be no 40,000-seat temporary stadium erected in Las Vegas, like Arum wants, so as to get the most out of what would be the biggest-grossing fight in history.
Arum became even more upset when we asked him what he would do if Pacquiao called him and told him he wanted to do the fight May 5 at MGM Grand and accept 45 percent with Mayweather getting 55 percent.
After all, Arum has always said Pacquiao is the boss when it comes to his fights.
"I would tell him he is out of his mind and I know he wouldn't do that," Arum said. "That's silly, that's stupid. That is a stupid question. That's like saying he has no pride, no nothing. I mean, (expletive), what if he fights for nothing?
"That is a silly hypothetical question."
The Mayweather camp told several news outlets this week the main reason they don't want to fight after May 5 is so Mayweather can have plenty of recovery time before going to jail.
Arum on Friday said he was willing to go so far as to try to go back to the Las Vegas judge who granted the continuance on Mayweather's jail sentence to see if another of 30 days could be had.
That would satisfy Mayweather's desire for recovery time, and allow enough time for the stadium to be constructed and the fight to be held June 9.
Arum said the other option would have been for Mayweather to fight someone other than Pacquiao on May 5 with Pacquiao fighting someone other than Mayweather on June 9. They would sign a deal before those fights stating they would fight each other in November.
Now that Mayweather is saying he wants more than half, those ideas are likely dead in the water.
Arum has a valid point. Even though Mayweather is the other pay-per-view star in the business along with Pacquiao, there is no way he deserves more money than Pacquiao. Don't forget, Pacquiao has been a constant earner. While Mayweather was retired from December 2007 to September 2009, Pacquiao fought four times.
That said, Arum and Pacquiao appear back to deciding which of four others Pacquiao will fight in June. The foursome includes Lamont Peterson, Miguel Cotto, Juan Manuel Marquez and Timothy Bradley.
"This coming week the decision will be made," Arum said. "(Pacquiao adviser) Michael Koncz is flying back from the Philippines and we will have a decision and a fight in place for June 9."
Meanwhile, Arum is making a wad of cash on his precious New York Giants, who play at San Francisco for the right to go to the Super Bowl. He said he has bet every Giants playoff game, and won.
"(Expletive) boxing," Arum said, laughing. "I'm making more money on football."
Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum "50-50 split with Mayweather a must"
If that stance is true, Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum, said Friday that the fight can't happen.
Arum, contending that Pacquiao draws more pay-per-view fans, more fans to the arena and has a proven track record to bring more high-rollers to Las Vegas from international locales, said Pacquiao was "content" to split the pot equally, but in no way deserves to take less.
ESPN reported earlier Friday that Mayweather had emailed anchor Stan Verrett to expand upon what transpired in his phone conversation with Pacquiao.
ESPN.com quoted the email as saying, "I called him and asked him about us fighting May 5 and giving the World what they want to see. I also let him know we both can make a lot of money. He asked about a 50/50 split and I told him no that can't happen, but what can happen is you can make more money fighting me then you have made in your career. I also let him know I'm in control on my side but he needs to get on the same page with his promoter so we can make this fight happen.
"I told him to tell his promoter that he only wants to fight Mayweather and that this fight will be the biggest fight in history. His [manager, Michael Koncz] came to my boxing gym a few months ago and we spoke about getting the defamation of character lawsuit dropped against me and about both fighters taking the random blood and urine test. I spoke to his manager again last night about the same thing. The call last night lasted 15 or 20 minutes. I mainly spoke to his manager, he got on and off the phone real quick."
Arum said if Mayweather's adamant on the position of requiring more than 50%, the promoter will likely announce next week a late-spring date for Pacquiao (likely June 9) against an opponent from a field that includes Miguel Cotto, Timothy Bradley, Juan Manuel Marquez or Lamont Peterson.
Pacquiao this week told Arum which of the four he'd like to fight if making the Mayweather bout again proves impossible. Arum, at this point, is declining to reveal the name of the alternate fighter.
Developing Story! Floyd Mayweather called Manny Pacquiao personally on the phone to discuss the fight
Floyd Mayweather called Manny Pacquiao last night and the two had a private conversation. Mayweather is trying to get Pacquiao to take the fight on May 5, while Pacquiao says he can’t fight until the end of May. Seriously, the only thing holding up this fight seems to be an argument over two different dates in the same month. Well, that and Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum, who might just be the worst person in all of sports.
Arum said that Money May calls Koncz all the time, but this happened to be the first time he passed the phone over to Pacquiao, the guy Mayweather really should be talking to.
Arum had this to say about Mayweather's response to Pacquiao asking if he agreed on a 50-50 split of the earnings of the proposed fight: "OK, goodbye."
Usually a man of many words, Mayweather got straight to the point on his standing on an even-split of the money.
Although not many details about the fight went down in the conversation, this is the biggest breakthrough for the fight, as far as the negotiations go.
Let's hope that this short, two-minute phone call opens up the flood gates of communication between Mayweather and Pacquiao, and that the first short-yet to-the-point call, ends up being the event that gives the world the bout we all want to see.
Ducking! Arum says Pacquiao’s next fight will not be against Mayweather
Arum reiterated that the problem with making a May fight with Mayweather was the timing. Mayweather has insisted that the fight take place May 5, tweeting Tuesday that “the date can’t change.” Arum says construction on a 38,000-seat temporary facility cannot be completed until later in the month. On Wednesday, Arum said he met with construction officials as well as officials from the Wynn and Sands Hotel. Arum also visited the construction site, a 40-acre plot jointly owned by the two hotels.
“To be safe, they said they needed until the end of May to get it done,” Arum said. “Economically, it’s a problem that Floyd created. The amount that would be lost by moving it up to May 5th is enormous. The fight is not going to happen on May 5th. We’ll do the fight in November. There is no real magic in doing it in May.”
Arum says he plans to move forward with building the outdoor facility and test it out in Pacquiao’s next fight. Arum added that he and Pacquiao were on the same page as far as Pacquiao’s future.
“He realizes that economically the May 5th date is not smart,” Arum said. “If you postpone it two or three weeks, you can make so much more money. Mayweather told the court he was committed to fight on May 5th. I think they lied and said Pacquiao was ready to fight him. Now they are saying the judge ordered them to fight on May 5? Was the MGM behind this? If the judge says you have to surrender yourself on June 1st, what the f— does it matter to the judge if you fight on May 5th or two weeks later?”
A call and text message to Mayweather’s adviser, Leonard Ellerbe, was not immediately returned.
– Chris Mannix
Breaking News! Mayweather says about Pacman: "May 5th or bust"
It sounds like bust, again.
Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum shot down any hope of the bout taking place on that date, saying, “We’d be leaving too much money on the table. We’d be happy to fight at the end of May.”
And with those words, the most anticipated bout of at least the last quarter of a century once again fizzled away.
Mayweather and Pacquiao are the two best fighters and top attractions in boxing. Since 2009, fans have clamored for a bout between them, but have been disappointed repeatedly because the sides haven’t been able to come to an agreement.
On Dec. 21, Mayweather was sentenced to six months in jail, with 90 days suspended, after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence. He was to report to the Clark County Detention Center on Jan. 6, but on that day Judge Melissa Saragosa delayed the start of the sentence until June 1 so that Mayweather could fight May 5.
And therein lies the crux: If Saragosa’s order was specifically for Mayweather to fight May 5, and May 5 only, then it would be up to Arum and Pacquiao to adjust in order to make the bout. But if her order was simply for him to fight prior to Mayweather reporting to jail June 1, then there should be flexibility in scheduling.
Arum says he wants to schedule the bout May 26 in order to have enough time to build a 40,000-seat temporary stadium on the site of the old Frontier hotel. Ellerbe scoffed at that notion and pointed out, correctly, that the vast majority of all significant pay-per-view fights that have taken place in boxing over the last 15 years have been at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
A call to Saragosa’s office seeking comment Wednesday was not returned, but her answer holds the key as to whether there is hope that the fight will occur in the spring.
Given the history between the sides, there are plenty of smarter bets to make than gambling that Mayweather and Pacquiao will share a ring in May.
For his part, Mayweather insists he’s eager to make the bout the world has been demanding. He said unequivocally he would not face Robert Guerrero, a bout that had been rumored if a Pacquiao match couldn’t be made, and seemed less than optimistic that he’d fight Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. He said he wanted to fight Pacquiao and only Pacquiao.
Significantly, either Pacquiao or Mayweather has headlined a bout at the MGM Grand Garden on the first Saturday in May in four of the last five years. On May 5, 2007, Mayweather fought Oscar De La Hoya in a bout that set a pay-per-view record with 2.45 million buys. Neither of them fought on the first Saturday of May in 2008, but Pacquiao knocked out Ricky Hatton on May 2, 2009. In 2010, Mayweather defeated Shane Mosley on May 1, then last year, Pacquiao defeated Mosley on May 7.
Mayweather’s plea Wednesday was to fight Pacquiao on that date.
“People around the world are anticipating a fight between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao,” Mayweather said Wednesday. “What’s been so unbelievable is that the guy said he agreed to take the random blood and urine tests, so I said, ‘OK, so now let’s make [the fight] happen. Let’s give the fans and the people what they want to see.’
“People all around the world want to see Mayweather versus Pacquiao and that’s a fight that I really, really want. I’m the best in the sport and I’m going to continue to show the world I’m the best. There is no fight I want more than the Manny Pacquiao fight. I guess he said he agreed to fight. The only thing that is stopping this fight right now, that I truly believe is stopping the fight, is Bob Arum.”
Pacquiao has not spoken to U.S. media since the judge delayed Mayweather’s jail sentence so that a May 5 fight could be scheduled. Arum was in the Philippines last week and Yahoo! Sports requested a telephone interview with Pacquiao, who had spoken to several Filipino outlets. Arum said then that he “would try to make it happen, but there are no promises.” Arum said at the time that Pacquiao was filming a commercial and likely wouldn’t have time. The interview never occurred and Top Rank has done nothing to try to schedule it.
Pacquiao did tell several Filipino outlets he would fight Mayweather in May, but he parroted Arum in those interviews and said the bout would have to be May 26.
Mayweather said he is legally obligated to fight May 5 and can’t fight on another date. He said he wants to “give the people what they’re demanding” and said he was focusing exclusively on a fight against Pacquiao on May 5.
He said flat-out that he would not fight Guerrero on that date under any circumstances and said Alvarez was unlikely.
“I think ‘Canelo’ would be a big bout, but I think he needs to get a little more experience under his belt and then eventually we could make that fight happen down the line,” Mayweather said.
Mayweather said he would consider middleweight champion Sergio Martinez on May 5 if a Pacquiao fight could not be made, providing Martinez could make 150 pounds. Martinez, who is the third-ranked fighter behind Mayweather and Pacquiao in the Yahoo! Sports rankings, would do that, promoter Lou DiBella said. “It would hurt him to make 150, but he could do it,” DiBella said. “We’ve had this conversation and he has told me he could do it. If Mayweather wants to fight on May 5, Sergio absolutely, unequivocally would do it. He would want the opportunity to fight the best fighter in the world and he believes that Mayweather is the best fighter in the world right now.”
Martinez would have to abandon a planned March 17 fight with Matthew Macklin, but given the money involved in a Mayweather fight, that would not be an issue.
“If Sergio Martinez can make 150, let’s make the fight happen,” Mayweather said. “Like I said, there are no excuses. I’m a little different than other guys. He’s got a very, very impressive style. But like I said before, my main focus is a Manny Pacquiao fight.”
Ricky Hatton says "Mayweather will beat Pacquiao"
On Twitter he wrote: “Im hearing real progress is being made making pacman n mayweather, great news. I fancy mayweather.For the record, real progress is not actually being made toward a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight: at least not for May 5. This fight, if it happens, will occur after Mayweather gets out of jail, say most exerts. Although it’s also rumored that Mayweather may ask the judge for another delay.
“PAC nailed me as I was reckless, again. But Floyd was technically exceptional. I couldn’t hit the F***** with a handfull of confetti. Ha ha.”
Hatton: Mayweather will beat Pacquiao… I couldn’t hit the f***** with confetti! [London Daily Mail]
Floyd Mayweather helps fight breast cancer
Tuesday's announcement, in a news release from the breast cancer organization, came 12 days after a Las Vegas judge deferred Mayweather's three-month jail sentence on a domestic violence plea from Jan. 6 to June 1 so that he can fight May 5 against an undetermined opponent at the MGM Grand.
Justice of the Peace Melissa Saragosa granted the request by Mayweather's attorney, Richard Wright, who contended that the Cinco de Mayo fight would be worth "more than $100 million" to the Las Vegas community.
Last week, Mayweather made it clear on Twitter that he wanted Manny Pacquiao on May 5 for the long-sought superfight.
"Manny Pacquiao I'm calling you out let's fight May 5th and give the world what they want to see," Mayweather tweeted.
In his next tweet, he taunted Pacquiao, saying: "My Jail Sentence was pushed back because the date was locked in. Step up Punk."
That, said Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, "was typical."
He told ESPN.com on Thursday: "We've been chasing him for two years. All of a sudden he gets his get-out-of-jail-free card and wants to call the shots."
Media have been invited to Mayweather's gym today for the presentation ceremony.
Bob Arum: Mayweather-Pacquiao fight will have to be late May
"It seems to me to be bizarre, but who am I to say?" Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum said Friday after Clark County Justice of the Peace Melissa Saragosa ruled that Mayweather could delay serving his sentence for domestic violence misdemeanors until June 1.
Mayweather's attorney, Richard Wright, argued in court that Mayweather has reserved May 5 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas for a major fight.
Saragosa said in court: "Mr. Mayweather has an obligation to this court. Given the fact that Mr. Mayweather has these obligations, I am going to grant your request."
Following the judge's ruling, Mayweather advisor Leonard Ellerbe issued a statement: "We are pleased that the judge granted postponement of Floyd's surrender date so that he can fulfill his commitment to Las Vegas to deliver his promised mega-fight and the economic benefits it provides to the community."
Asked if there was any doubt that "mega-fight" means Manny Pacquiao, Ellerbe said, "We'll make an announcement about who we're going to fight next week. We just came out of the ... court hearing. Give us a chance to catch our breath."
Representatives for what most people believe to be the world's top two fighters have tried and failed three times to stage a fight over the last two years, with drug testing, old business rivalries and promotional disagreements sabotaging each attempt.
Arum is boarding a flight to the Philippines to meet with Pacquiao on Sunday to discuss the Filipino congressman's next bout.
Earlier this week, Arum said he wasn't planning on Mayweather being available for a late-spring bout, and was going to discuss possible fights against Timothy Bradley, Juan Manuel Marquez, Lamont Peterson or Miguel Cotto with Pacquiao.
Now the discussion has changed.
"May 5 is out for us, it can't happen, because we want to explore the idea of getting a [temporary] stadium/arena up on the streets of Las Vegas that can seat 40,000," Arum said. "The end of May is a possibility."
Arum said he's intent to explore the idea of the larger outdoor venue because "having the fight in a 40,000-seat arena rather than a 16,000-seat arena seems like a no-brainer."
Additionally, Arum said Pacquiao is still healing from a deep cut over one of his eyes that he sustained in the Marquez fight.
"I don't know that he's on schedule to start sparring until the beginning of April," Arum said. "That's one of the things we'll discuss. If it is early April, we'll have to have the fight in late May."
Asked if he was cynical about Mayweather's interest in truly wanting to fight Pacquiao, Arum said, "I have no idea."
Asked if Pacquiao wants Mayweather, Arum said, "Yeah."
If the fight every boxing fans wants to see can't materialize, Mayweather might opt to fight someone like Robert Guerrero, a top junior-welterweight contender from Gilroy.
"I know people want to see Pacquiao, but if that fight can't happen, I'm going to shock the world and beat Floyd Mayweather," Guerrero said.
Roach pushing hard for Pac-Mayweather
So will Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., boxing's two best fighters and biggest stars, ever give fans around the world what they want by fighting each other?
Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's trainer and a newly elected International Boxing Hall of Famer, is like everyone else -- he sure hopes so.
"I want the fight bad," Roach said in an interview with ESPN.com on Thursday. "It's definitely a challenge, and we need to challenge Manny to get him motivated. He doesn't get motivated for ordinary guys, and Mayweather isn't an ordinary guy."
Like many fight fans, Roach watched the rhetoric explode between the camps after Mayweather's 87-day jail sentence on a domestic violence plea was deferred from Jan. 6 to June 1 so he could fulfill an obligation to the MGM Grand in Las Vegas for a May 5 fight against an undetermined opponent.
A few days later, Mayweather called out Pacquiao on Twitter. Since then, the camps have gone back and forth in the media, arguing over a variety of things, including the date -- Mayweather wants May 5, while Pacquiao and his promoter, Top Rank's Bob Arum, say they would accept the fight later in May or in June (impossible if Mayweather is behind bars).
However the saga plays out, Roach wants the fight now and said he has wanted it for the past two years, which is how long the fight -- likely boxing's richest ever, if it happens -- has lingered.
On Tuesday, Mayweather directly called out Pacquiao with a pair of tweets:
"Manny Pacquiao I'm calling you out let's fight May 5th and give the world what they want to see," read Mayweather's first tweet.
One minute later, Mayweather followed with this: "My Jail Sentence was pushed back because the date was locked in. Step up Punk."
Roach is glad Mayweather did it.
"It was typical," Roach said. "We've been chasing him for two years. All of a sudden he gets his get-out-of-jail-free card and wants to call the shots. Tweeting people and promoting fights through Twitter is very common now, trash-talking through Twitter. I found it kind of humorous. But just because you call someone out, there's still a lot of negotiating to do. At least he called us out, though. I'd like Manny to call him out too. Since Mayweather has been so bold, I hope Manny is just as bold back.
"This is good news that he called Manny out. Both guys want to fight each other, and we need to get this done, now or never."
Although Roach wants the fight -- May 5 or later in the month -- he isn't convinced it will happen until after Mayweather's jail sentence.
"My theory on what's going to happen is Mayweather will fight someone [May 5] and Pacquiao will fight Lamont Peterson or [Timothy] Bradley [in June], and in November they'll finally fight each other," Roach said. "I know Mayweather got 90 days, but he can be out a lot sooner for good behavior.
"I truly, truly, truly hope they fight as soon as possible. That's my dream. I love the fight."
While the discussion of Pacquiao-Mayweather swirled this week, Arum was in the Philippines talking to Pacquiao about various fights -- Mayweather plus those on Arum's initial list of four potential opponents, junior welterweight titleholders Peterson and Bradley, junior middleweight titlist Miguel Cotto (in a rematch) and Juan Manuel Marquez, Pacquiao's great rival, for a fourth fight.
If Pacquiao doesn't fight Mayweather next, Roach's list, in order of preference, is Peterson, Bradley, Cotto and Marquez.
Roach said he hopes Peterson first gives Amir Khan, another of the trainer's fighters, a rematch of his junior welterweight title-winning decision against Khan in December.
"If we don't get Floyd, Peterson is my No. 1 pick," Roach said. "I think it's a great fight. The kid comes to fight, which is a good style for Manny. I think with Peterson's heart, it's a great fight. I'd rather have Amir fight him first, though.
"One thing I don't get to decide is who Manny fights. I get him ready for who they decide he will fight. I'm waiting for a call from Bob to see who it is. I hope it's Mayweather, like everyone in the world, because I'm a boxing fan. We need the fight to happen."
Arum has changed his story multiple times in the past week about why Pacquiao and Mayweather can't fight May 5.
First, he voiced concern about the cut Pacquiao suffered against Marquez on Nov. 12, which needed 28 stitches. When Mayweather was going to jail last week, he said Pacquiao would be OK to fight May 5.
When Mayweather's sentence was delayed, clearing the way for them to fight, Arum said Pacquiao couldn't fight until June. Arum also said May 5 was too soon because of the need for a 45,000-seat temporary stadium to be constructed on the Las Vegas Strip to host the fight, because the 17,000-seat
MGM Grand Garden Arena was too small.
Roach said the cut issue was bogus.
"They do take time to heal, but I don't think that's a big issue, to be honest with you," Roach said, recalling how during his boxing career he suffered three cuts in a fight, each of which needed about eight stitches, and fought a month later.
Ultimately, Roach said, there have been too many excuses on both sides. He said the reason this fight has been hung up for so long comes down to the animosity between Arum and Mayweather's adviser, Al Haymon, as well as Golden Boy, the promoter Mayweather works with.
"It's ridiculous that two grown men can't do business together," Roach said. "It's like they both want to take their ball and go home. F--- it, it's business. They just need to drop the issues they have with each other and negotiate. This is not personal. This is business. Golden Boy is part of that equation too.
"People are starting to go the other way and not care about this fight because it's taking so damn long to make it. You've got to do it soon. I think it's at its peak. It's definitely time."
Dan Rafael is a boxing writer for ESPN.com. Follow him on Twitter @danrafaelespn.
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Mayweather, Pacquiao both on record as wanting to fight
Floyd Mayweather Jr. has taken his quest for a fight with Manny Pacquiao to Twitter.
The unbeaten Mayweather publicly challenged and taunted the Filipino superstar on Tuesday, daring Pacquiao to meet him May 5 in Las Vegas.
"Manny Pacquiao I'm calling you out let's fight May 5th and give the world what they want to see," Mayweather tweeted.
Moments later, Mayweather tweeted: "My Jail Sentence was pushed back because the date was locked in. Step up Punk."
Mayweather is available for a fight in May at the MGM Grand Garden after a judge agreed last week to postpone his jail sentence in a domestic violence case until June. Mayweather was sentenced to 87 days in jail, but likely will serve less time.
Mayweather and Pacquiao are boxing's top two stars, and they have circled each other warily for more than two years. Both have said they're eager to fight, yet still haven't reached a deal for what's likely to be the most lucrative bout in boxing history.
While Pacquiao appeared to be more eager for the fight when the two first began verbally sparring in 2009, Mayweather has taken the lead in recent months, stepping up his campaign since Pacquiao's narrow win over Juan Manuel Marquez last November.
Mayweather's tweets appear to put the megafight's future in Pacquiao's hands — and a decision likely will be made soon.
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum traveled to the Philippines this week to meet with Pacquiao, planning to choose the eight-division champion's next opponent. Arum, who has repeatedly said Mayweather won't actually agree to fight Pacquiao because he fears losing, has a list of candidates including
Marquez, Miguel Cotto, Lamont Peterson and Timothy Bradley Jr. for Pacquiao's next bout.
For his part, Pacquiao told PhilBoxing.com in the Philippines this week that, "I've said this over and over before, and I'm saying this again. I want Floyd Mayweather Jr. to be my next opponent. I haven't changed my choice despite recent developments," he added.
Pacquiao said he will "insist that the fight with Mayweather be given the preference than the four others in the list."
Arum has suggested Pacquiao might not be ready to prepare for a fight in May because of a facial cut from his win over Marquez. Mayweather's camp has dismissed that notion as subterfuge, saying cuts rarely require several months to heal.
Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer, whose company has represented Mayweather for his last five fights, has suggested Mayweather's Cinco de Mayo fight could be against popular 154-pound
Mexican champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez or lightweight champion Robert Guerrero, a Mexican-American from the Bay Area, if he can't make a deal with Pacquiao.
Mexican champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez or lightweight champion Robert Guerrero, a Mexican-American from the Bay Area, if he can't make a deal with Pacquiao.
But if Mayweather and Pacquiao intend to make their long-awaited fight, both sides know they must do it quickly, since a promotion of that size would require several months of preparation.
Mayweather controls his own Twitter feed, which is often filled with pictures of his fiance and braggadocio about his gambling exploits. On Monday night, he tweeted a photo of a betting slip, claiming he won $400,000 on the BCS title game.
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