Arum, Showtime exec deny report
MANILA, Philippines – Floyd Mayweather Jr. has reportedly agreed to fight Manny Pacquiao, according to an online report published Saturday.
Celebrity news site TMZ said Pacquiao and Mayweather, today’s top pound-for-pound fighters, have finally hammered out a deal after years of back and forth negotiations.
"Floyd Mayweather has agreed to fight Manny Pacquiao ... multiple sources tell TMZ Sports ... who say the two finally came to an agreement moments ago," the site wrote.
The report came out after the two boxers met face-to-face at an NBA game earlier this week. This was followed by another meeting when Mayweather visited Pacquiao at the latter's hotel room.
Both camps are said to have agreed to stage the fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 2.
The report, however, was disputed by Top Rank Inc. CEO Bob Arum and Showtime Sports boxing chief Stephen Espinoza.
Arum said they have yet to settle the finer details of the bout, hence the reason there has not been any official announcements.
"I'm aware of the report, but there are still some contractual issues to work out," the veteran boxing promoter told New York Daily News. "It’s close but not done yet."
Espinoza, for his part said the TMZ report was inaccurate.
"TMZ usually has good sources. This time, not so much," he said wrote on his official account on social media site Twitter.
But Arum said they could come out will a formal announcement in two days, in time for Super Bowl Sunday (Monday in Manila).
"We have two days, it could happen (Sunday)," he said. "That would be incredible, wouldn’t it?"
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
