Manny Pacquiao v Floyd Mayweather Jr superfight still some way from agreement -- Telegraph

By Gareth A Davies, Telegraph.co.uk

Estimates range from $200 and $250 million gross for a fight which many expect will be discussed for November this year, after Mayweather deservedly earned the plaudits for the manner in which he broke Mosley down at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in an act of technical artistry which few fighters in any generation have shown.

Mayweather turned the fight on its head after a torrid second round and finished a lopsided winner. It was quite brilliant in its execution.

But now to the real main event. We have witnessed the two semi-finals, yet the final is a more complex contest to create. There are already deep fissures between the two promotional camps.

“If Manny Pacquiao can take a blood and urine test then we have a fight,” Mayweather said. “If not, no fight.” That may actually be borne out in the long term, unfortunately for the sport, but its principal playmakers behind the scenes will be lobbying both camps for a compromise. The issue, of course, is that Pacquiao refuses to take blood tests.

Mayweather insists, meanwhile, that he wishes “to clean up the sport”, an elaborate ruse designed to allow him the upper hand in all negotiations for any showdown.

Pacquiao’s position is that he will be open to random blood-testing, but not close to a fight, as he has admitted to feeling weakened for 48 to 72 hours after it. Ergo, Pacquiao’s counter-argument is that he does not want to run the risk of having to go into the ring feeling – mentally or physically – less than 100 per cent for the fight of his life.

“For me, as long as the drug test is not done close to the match, I’ll agree because if they’ll get blood from me close to the match, it will be a disadvantage for me because I’m smaller and he’s big,” Pacquiao told a Manilla radio station after the Mayweather fight.

Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer, told Telegraph Sport recently: “There’s no way I’m having my man going into the ring against an opponent not 100 per cent mentally and physically right. Manny feels weak after giving blood. That’s just the way it is. Floyd Mayweather doesn’t make the rules.”

Pacquiao wants the random blood testing cut off 24 days before the fight, a point his promoter, Bob Arum, is sticking with. “I’m not going to lose any sleep over it,” Arum said. “What I’m concerned about right now is Manny winning the election. If the fight doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen. We’re not going to be dictated to.”

On that front, Mayweather’s earning power could also be an issue. Mayweather will have earned upwards of $40 million for his latest performance, and may use his commercial pulling power to demand the upper hand in the stakes for negotiation. Mayweather is unlikely to agree to a 50-50 split, and may make demands of as much as a 60-40 split for a fight with Pacquiao, which will not sit well with Arum.

It really is not about the boxing, as much as the business. In many people’s eyes, Mayweather took back the mythical pound-for-pound belt on Saturday night, which means for now that he really does hold all the chips and can be as Machiavellian as he wishes.

He could even suggest that if he climbs down from his stance on the drugs testing procedure, he could take an even bigger split. Stranger things have happened. Prepare for a long tussle before any signatures are reached for this one.

Source: telegraph.co.uk