The back-and-forth between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. seems as though it will never end. Perhaps Pac-Man's latest push to schedule the long-awaited bout will yield tangible results.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated on Wednesday, Feb. 5, Pacquiao stated he would battle Mayweather in the ring if his prospective opponent would be willing to do so.
"All I can say is, our hotline is open 24 hours," said Pacquiao. "If [Mayweather] calls and lets us know, if he wants to fight, then the fight will be on."
Mayweather previously dismissed Pacquiao as a possible adversary since Pac-Man had lost two consecutive fights to Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez. That can't really be used as leverage to avoid the bout anymore, though, because Pacquiao dominated in his most recent unanimous decision triumph over Brandon Rios on Nov. 24.
A rematch with Bradley is on tap for Pacquiao on April 12, while Mayweather prepares to put his unblemished 45-0 record on the line May 3 against either Amir Khan or Marcos Maidana. The undefeated fighter posted a photo on Instagram to encourage his fans to vote for his upcoming opponent:
While engaging his followers through social media is a savvy brand-boosting tactic, it doesn't do Mayweather any favors for those who want to see him finally tangle with Pacquiao.
A spat between the two camps may provide a further impedance. Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer said he doesn't want to work with Bob Arum to organize a fight back in December 2013. Arum, the CEO of Top Rank which is the company that represents Pacquiao, felt the fight between his client and Mayweather was indeed a possibility.
As reported by USA Today's Bob Velin, the 82-year-old Arum implied it'd be dumb for the clash not to take place:
Yes, if people stop posturing. Absolutely. It can happen. It's stupid if it doesn't happen. They owe it to the sport. What, is Mayweather going to fight Amir Khan? Who gives a (expletive)? We've announced we're willing to make anything happen. Now somebody has got to contact us so we can sit down and explore how it can happen.
The attack-minded, powerful Pacquiao and the technical, defense-oriented Mayweather would be a duel for the ages and go down as one of the best fights in boxing history. Fans have been dreaming of this matchup for years, and it appears the ball is in Mayweather's court to make it happen now.
Stay tuned for the latest in the verbal sparring war, because even the possibility of these two living legends going toe-to-toe is fascinating to fathom.
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