Dubai: Whether or not its headed for Dubai, the long-awaited boxing classic pitting Floyd Mayweather against Manny Pacquiao is not happening until November, at least. The official clarification came yesterday after weeks of speculation.
Mayweather, who refused Manny Pacquiao a 50-50 fight revenue split, will now fight Miguel Cotto instead on May 5 in Las Vegas for the WBA super welterweight belt. Meanwhile Pacquiao has a June 9 date set aside possibly for the WBC junior welterweight belt against Timothy Bradley; the fight will be confirmed by Tuesday.
Conditional licence
Mayweather was granted the necessary conditional one fight licence by Nevada athletic commissioners yesterday. They ruled that, provided Mayweather can stay out of trouble between now and the Cotto fight, the undefeated seven times world champion (across five weight divisions) can fight on May 5 and start a 90-day jail sentence for domestic abuse later than planned on June 1.
Mayweather said: "I'm just happy to be fighting on May 5. They granted me one fight. I need to conduct myself like a gentleman and do everything that the court ordered and then come back in front of them and show them that I deserve to have a licence for a whole year."
Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum, said of the Pacquiao-Mayweather match-up: "It's dead for May, so we should let Mayweather fight someone else May 5 and we'll fight someone else June 9, and then lets get a signed contract for Mayweather-Pacquiao in November. That's win-win for everybody."
In recent weeks everyone from Freddie Roach to Evander Holyfield and Marvin Hagler has spoken in support of Dubai as a possible venue for the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight but the forced delay may actually give local entities time to launch a successful bid to stage the match.
