Bob Arum thinks Floyd Mayweather Jr. does not want to fight Manny Pacquiao – Boxing News
Hall of Fame promoter, Bob Arum, says Floyd Mayweather Jr. does not want to have any part of the Fighting Pride of Philippines, Manny Pacquiao, as he turned down a staggering $65 million offer.
Arum told the media that the undefeated American, Mayweather, who has won all of his 41 fights with 25 knockouts, has been inactive for almost a year now and he has again refused an impressive offer to step in the ring against Pacquiao. He stated he was always positive of the fact that someday these two pugilists will take each other on but now he thinks it is never going to happen, as he reckons Mayweather is afraid of facing the World Boxing Organisation’s Welterweight World Champion, Manny Pacquiao.
Arum told Elie Seckback in a video interview released by ESNEWS yesterday, "I'm an optimist, and I always felt that they'd eventually fight. At this point, I really feel that they'd never fight. Recently, as recent as this week, legitimate people from Singapore offered Mayweather $65 million to fight Manny Pacquiao and he turned it down.”
Arum, who did not name the people who initiated the deal, while speaking on his inclusion added “$65 million is obviously a sum Manny Pacquiao would accept. So what does that tell you? It tells you he (Mayweather) doesn’t want to fight Manny Pacquiao. He doesn’t want to fight Manny.”
Arum remarked that a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight can probably be the richest fight in boxing history but somehow Mayweather has always found a successful way of letting it not happen. Arum said that at first Mayweather demanded a drug test, which Pacquiao initially refused but later on accepted, but the fight still did not happen. He also revealed that Mayweather demanded a $100 million purse to accept a fight against Pacquiao and it also never happened. “He's smart not to fight Manny because, truth be told, everyone who knows boxing know that Manny will beat him."
A reason that boxing analysts believe Mayweather does not want to fight Pacquiao, is probably that Pacquiao is a southpaw and Mayweather has always had trouble facing a southpaw. This still does not dampen the hopes of fans who wish someday this big fight becomes a reality.
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