The super fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather on May 2 will reportedly happen after the two fighters met face-to-face earlier this week to talk about the long-awaited showdown.
Top Rank Promotions CEO Bob Arum revealed that the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight on Cinco de Mayo weekend will be finalized in the coming days, which is the strongest guarantee from a person involved in the negotiations so far.
"Everybody is doing the right thing," Arum told New York Post. "We're looking to complete the paperwork. Everything is moving in the right direction. Hopefully, the next couple of days it will get done."
Arum revealed that most of the terms for the fight have been agreed upon. Previous reports indicated that Pacquiao accepted a 40 percent share on fight purse and agreed to face Mayweather at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao also agreed to undergo random drug testing. The Filipino boxing icon declined to undergo such test before, which was one of the main reasons why previous negotiations for the super fight went down.
Another possible hurdle is the rivalry between Showtime and HBO. Mayweather has an exclusive deal with Showtime, while Pacquiao is under HBO. Arum said that the network rivalry is not an issue anymore because both Showtime and HBO agreed to work together to make the super fight a reality.
Arum also confirmed that Pacquiao and Mayweather met face-to-face in Miami earlier this week.
The two boxing superstars watched an NBA game between the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks, and Mayweather reportedly spent an hour in Pacquiao's hotel suite to discuss the fight, which convinced Arum that the unbeaten champion is really determined to face his biggest rival.
"I think it helped a lot because we were all putting papers together, and there was still a question as to whether Floyd really wanted to do the fight or not," Arum said of the face-to-face meeting. "Based on the meeting with Pacquiao in the hotel suite, Manny and Michael Koncz were convinced Floyd absolutely wants to do the fight."
Should the fight happen on May 2, Mayweather, who holds a perfect 47-0 record with 26 knockouts, will likely put his World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight titles at stake.
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman called out both fighters on Thursday. Sulaiman said that the two superstars should settle their differences and set aside their egos to give boxing fans the fight that they have been clamoring for over the past several years. The WBC president believes the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight will be a huge boost to the sport.
