Los Angeles Times
Manny Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum told The Times today that Las Vegas hotel magnate Steve Wynn will not be able to stage the Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. super-fight that has been verbally negotiated to occur March 13.
"I just got off the phone with Steve," Arum said. "He has no place to put the fight. [Sponsoring it at] Thomas and Mack isn't possible, it's not available that day, and he wants to move the fight from March 13 -- which we can't do -- because you can't build an outdoor arena with a canopy over the ring in time."
Arum, however, said he and Mayweather promoter Richard Schaefer have received "a firm offer" from Dallas Cowboys Stadium owner Jerry Jones in an effort to stage the fight at his new 100,000-seat venue.
That offer comes two days after Staples Center offered a record $20-million guarantee to host the bout. Pacquiao's advisor has said his client isn't interested in being responsible for a state tax payment of $3.5 million to $5 million for fighting in California when there's no state tax liability in Nevada and Texas.
Arum declined to reveal specifics of the Dallas offer. He said he grew so irritated by Schaefer's cancellation of a planned visit to tour the Texas stadium Wednesday that he's "washed my hands" of the negotiation, leaving his son-in-law, Top Rank President Todd duBoef, to hammer out the site deal.
The bout could still very well land at the venue where Mayweather and Pacquiao have fought so often in recent years: the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. An MGM Grand spokesman declined to comment, and Arum said he has yet to see a formal offer by the site.
--Lance Pugmire
Source: latimesblogs.latimes.com
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