Top Rank Promotions CEO Bob Arum is holding an international media conference call at midnight, Pacific time, on Friday -- 3 a.m. East Coast Time on Saturday -- which is what he and seven-division champion, Manny Pacquiao, have established as the deadline for unbeaten Floyd Mayweather to sign a deal to make a November 13 mega bout between the two fighters regarded as boxing's pound-for-pound best. 
If the 33-year-old Mayweather (41-0, 25 knockouts) does not sign, the 31-year-old Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs), holder of the WBO's welterweight (147 pounds) title, has indicated that he will go after his eighth crown in as many different weight classes against either WBA junior middleweight (154 pounds) champion, Miguel Cotto, or ex-titlist, Antonio Margarito, either in Mexico or Abu Dhabi.Margarito and Pacquia would meet for the WBC junior middlweight crown vacated by Sergio Martinez, said Arum.
Mayweather's camp has not commented publicly nor acknowledged that the negotiations are going on, although Arum, Pacquiao, and the fighter's adviser, Michael Koncz, have repeatedly stated publicly that they are. Mayweather is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions.
"Again, we've done everything that we can to make the fight happen, and we thought that it was going to happen, and Floyd's got a couple of more hours, but I'm not hopeful and we're not expecting him to sign the documents, and we're not going to sit around and wait. As a matter of fact, I just got off of the phone with Manny, and he had just called me, saying that he wants to keep that Nov. 13 date," said Koncz.
"I explained it to him that the main reason for us fighting outside of the United States is for taxation purposes. There's no taxation in Abu Dhabi, and there's no taxation in Mexico. So that mean additional millions in Manny's pocket that would have gone to the U.S. taxes in America," said Koncz. "Manny has no preferences as to which one, he just told me to see which one that I can get the better deal out of. We have to look at the economics of it and what's the best option for him from a financial aspect. The bottom line is that it's a business."
Pacquiao has reportedly agreed to a 50-50 split of the purse and random drug-testing as close to 14 days out from the fight -- two of the major sticking points.
Arum and Koncz have speculated that the legal troubles of Roger Mayweather, Floyd's uncle and longtime trainer, may have caused the fighter to be leery of making the fight.
Roger Mayweather goes on trial in Clark County District Court in Nevada on Aug. 2 on an assault charge stemming from his allegedly choking and assaulting female boxer Melissa St. Vil last year, and could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted meaning that he might not be available for a November fight.
"Well, it's upsetting, yes. But we would prefer to fight at this time before there is any further damage to Mayweather's abilities, whether it be physical or psychological or whatever. We don't want to be criticized down the road saying that we had fought Mayweather when he wasn't in his so-called prime. But even though the fight is not going to happen now, we want to leave the door open for next year," said Koncz.
"But right now, we're thinking about our other options, and the way Manny feels right now is that Mexico is a great country and he's been there before and he's heard a lot of good things about Abu Dhabi," said Koncz. "You know, the Royal Family there has been helpful and now it's just a matter of who has the better deal for us. We wanted to make the fight, we were looking forward to the fight with Mayweather for the fans, but we can only do so much."
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
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