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Clamor for Pacquiao-Mayweather duel rages


LAS VEGAS – As Manny Pacquiao was basking in the glory of his remarkable win over Miguel Cotto Saturday night (Sunday in Manila), the capacity crowd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena chanted, with all clarity, the name of the fighter it wanted the pound-for-pound king to face next. “We want Floyd! We want Floyd!" were the words that reverberated throughout the packed stadium. Floyd of course, is “Money" Mayweather, Jr., the unbeaten, former five-time world champion, whom Pacquiao supplanted as the world’s P4P king upon his retirement in 2008. He has since un-retired and fought Juan Manuel Marquez two months ago in a bout Mayweather thoroughly dominated. Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach has been vocal from the very beginning that he wants a piece of the 32-year-old American. “I think that’s the fight the whole world wants to see. I want Mayweather. I want Manny to kick his ass," said the three-time Trainer of the Year. The split in the prize purse, though, is what’s preventing what many projects as the biggest boxing fight from ever happening.

I think that’s the fight the whole world wants to see. I want Mayweather. I want Manny to kick his ass.
– Freddie Roach
“If Floyd wants a 65-35 split, he’s not gonna get it," Roach stressed. Top Rank Promotions’ Bob Arum butted in and said, “we’ll offer him that, Freddie," to which Roach snapped back, “we’ll get the 65 and give him 35." But a ray of hope for the highly-anticipated fight to take place is fast gaining grounds. Ross Greenberg, president of HBO, announced during the post-fight press conference that Golden Boy Promotions Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Richard Schaefer will be calling Arum next week to possibly serve as the third party to make the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight possible. Golden Boy and Mayweather Promotions combined together to put up the Marquez-Mayweather encounter last September. The fight was a big draw, earning more than a million in Pay-Per-View hits. “He (Schaefer) plans to come in and meet with Bob next week to make the Mayweather fight. So I think you can all hope and pray that a fight of that magnitude and importance to the sports of boxing can truly be made because it is time to capitalize on all the hard work that was done over the last three months and we can look forward to one of the biggest events in boxing history. “Let’s see what happens. Stay tuned."

My job is to fight in the ring. It’s my promoter’s job to make the fights.
– Manny Pacquiao
For Pacquiao, who cemented his status as among the greatest fighters of all time with a 12th round TKO of Cotto and a historic world title in a seventh weight division, it’s all up to Arum to make the call. “My job is to fight in the ring. It’s my promoter’s job to make the fights," said Pacquiao, who made Cotto the latest in his string of A-list victims alongside Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, and Marquez. Arum said the line is open if Mayweather really wants to take on Pacquiao. “If Mayweather wants to fight Manny Pacquiao, he knows who to call. Period. Period. No baloney. Not that I hate him or he hates me. That doesn’t matter. If he wants to fight Manny Pacquiao, let him call me," said the 78-year-old boxing promoter. - GMANews.TV
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