Report: Mayweather and Pacquiao Met Privately to Negotiate Terms of a Fight
The Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao fight is one step closer to being finalized.
Sources reported by ESPN.com stated that the two fighters met for more than an hour in Pacquiao's hotel suite after meeting in person for the first time at the Miami Heat vs. Milwaukee Bucks game. During the meeting, the welterweight champions reportedly negotiated terms for the proposed May 2 fight.
"It was very pleasant and very encouraging, and we give Floyd credit for coming over. That's the first time they ever sat eye to eye. I've met Floyd many times, but he and Manny had never had a chance to meet. They talked at halftime, but this was a longer, more serious meeting. You could tell by their body language that this was very positive. It was for a good hour or more," Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz, who was at the meeting, revealed. "It was a business meeting, but it wasn't a tense business meeting. I think that's because they both have mutual respect for each other. We'll determine what will happen over the next couple of days."
Mayweather and Pacquiao have never met in the ring before. A fight between the two champs could break every boxing box office record. However, there are some issues that both camps have to address, such as the fighters' respective networks contracts.
Mayweather has a contract with CBS/Showtime and Pacquiao is under contract with Time Warner/HBO. The networks would have to negotiate terms for a pay-per-view telecast, which they have done before in 2002 for the fight between Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson.
"Floyd said, 'I want the fight to happen,' and Manny said he does, too. If the fighters both want the fight to happen, who can stop it? They both said they want it to happen, and we're still looking to make it happen on May 2," Koncz added. "I think people are just tired of all of this. Me and Manny, and maybe Floyd, we're tired of the fans and everybody, everywhere we go continually asking us when the fight will happen. Boxing needs this fight to happen, and it needs to happen in May."
No deal has been finalized yet.
