Manila: Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao said a much-anticipated fight with unbeaten American Floyd Mayweather was “near” after he agreed to a key demand to undergo drug testing.
The eight-division world champion said negotiations were nearly complete after he dropped his opposition to drugs screening — and even suggested a $5 million (Dh18.36 million) fine if he tests positive.
“[The fight] is near. The negotiations are nearly finished,” Pacquiao told reporters on Monday during a break from evening sessions in parliament, where he represents one of his country’s poorest provinces.
“We agreed that this fight has to happen. We are ironing out the kinks. He [Mayweather] said he wants the fight to push through.”
Boxing fans have for years been clamouring for a showdown between Pacquiao and Mayweather, the two “best pound-for-pound” fighters of their generation.
Pacquiao is 57-5 with two draws and 38 knockouts, while Mayweather is 47-0 with 26 knockouts.
The mega-fight could go down in history as boxing’s biggest and most lucrative, with a British newspaper reporting at the weekend that the pair had agreed to a $250 million deal.
However, time is running out for fans to see them fight in peak form, with Pacquiao aged 36 and Mayweather 37.
In a brief television interview on Sunday, Mayweather denied a deal had been signed but said he was “hopeful” the fight with Pacquiao would happen.
In his comments on Monday, Pacquiao declined to say how much the deal would be worth and gave few other details. However, he said a rematch clause in the contract was unlikely.
