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Boxing’s biggest-ever money fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao could finally take place according to a key player behind the negotiations.
Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, who promotes the Filipino superstar, admitted to BoxNation that there is genuine will on his part to make the fight happen should Pacquiao overcome the relentless Brandon Rios in Macau, China this weekend.
The matchup between boxing’s two superstar names has long been mooted, ever since both men became household pay-per-view draws.
However, failure on the part of both camps to get round the negotiating table, following back-and-forth mudslinging, has led to a standoff which has prevented boxing’s premier matchup from being made.
But Arum has now revealed that it is a fight he is determined to make happen and is prepared to sit down with Mayweather’s team to put together what will be the biggest prize-fight in history.
“On our side the answer is yes [the fight can be made in 2014], we’re very open to it,” said Arum. “There are ways it can get done, they have to dumb down the rhetoric, we are prepared to dumb down the rhetoric and get it done. There is no real impediment to having that fight happen whether it will or not depends completely on the Mayweather side. I can see it happening but I can’t predict that it will happen because it takes two to tango.” he said.
One potential stumbling block to the bout being made is the US TV issue, with Top Rank fighters appearing on HBO and Mayweather, who signed a multi-million pound six-fight deal last year, fighting on Showtime.
Arum, though, believes the blueprint on how to overcome the issue has been laid out from previous superfights.
“You’ve got to go back in history when Lennox Lewis, who fought for HBO, fought against Mike Tyson who was a Showtime fighter. Both networks participated in the promotion so that’s a road map of how we get this thing done,” stated Arum.
Manny Pacquiao vs. Brandon Rios is live and exclusive on BoxNation (Sky Ch. 437/Virgin Ch 546) this Sunday at 1.30am. Visit www.boxnation.com to subscribe.
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