HBO boss says they haven’t given up on Pacquiao-Mayweather
HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg has confirmed his company is still interested in a bout between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. should it materialize in 2011.
Greenburg said he is in no hurry for the fight despite the boxing world losing patience months, if not years ago. Greenburg insisted Mayweather needs to settle ongoing legal problems with his on-and-off girlfriend and solve private affairs before considering
terms for a fight.
“Clearly, Floyd needs to deal with his legal and personal issues at the moment,” Greenburg said. “When he resumes his boxing career, our hope is that he will want to cement his legacy as one of the all-time greats and meet his top challenge: Manny Pacquiao.
The sport needs it, and we remain hopeful this mega-fight can happen in 2011."
Greenburg has come under controversy in recent years with promoters and fighters over which fights ought to be broadcast on HBO. It’s no secret that the broadcasting company has become more selective in the fights they are willing to broadcast live. But
the boxing world feels that be-all-end-all decisions pummel an already injured sport.
Last year Greenburg confirmed HBO was no longer interested in showcasing heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko to an American audience, stating that the unified champion’s style didn’t appeal to American fans.
Greenburg said: “Certain heavyweight fights in this country would intrigue, like if [David] Haye or [Tomasz] Adamek were to fight Klitschko, we’d be in business. We only want big fights that intrigue the American public. I don’t feel like the Klitschko-Povetkin
fight, in Germany on a six-hour delay, register in this country.”
As goes Pacquiao and Mayweather there is no doubt that HBO would be interested. The fight would be an HBO pay-per-view event and many believe it would be the highest grossing fight in the history of the sport.
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