Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao Talk at Miami Heat Game, But Will the Two Fight in 2015?
For the first time ever, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao met face-to-face.
No, it wasn't in a boxing ring.
The two welterweight champions attended an NBA game between the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday, at the American Airline Arena in Miami. Reports have indicated that it was a coincidence that both fighters were there on the same day, not calculated.
Mayweather attends many Heat games, whereas Pacquiao was serving as a judge in the Miss Universe contest on Sunday night, and he is also an NBA fan.
At halftime, Mayweather and Pacquiao approached each other face to face.
"He gave his number to me and said we will communicate with each other," Pacquiao said. Pacquiao's adviser, Michael Koncz, said afterwards: "We did meet and chat but I don't want to say what we discussed. It was a private discussion. They had a private, friendly discussion, and that's all I really want to say."
We'd like to welcome @floydmayweather & @MannyPacquiao to tonight's game! pic.twitter.com/APMMeSCwat
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) January 28, 2015
Mayweather and Pacquiao have talked on the phone in the past, but haven't met face-to-face on future fight negotiations until now. From contract disagreements, location, drug testing and disputes with promoter Bob Arum, the fight that everyone wants to see has been put on hold since 2009. Pacquiao has called out Mayweather on social media platforms such as Twitter, saying he could "easily beat" Mayweather.
Pacquiao, the current WBO Welterweight champion, has 57 career victories and just turned 36 years old last December. As for Mayweather, he remains unblemished with 47 career wins and zero losses as the WBA Welterweight champion, but he will turn 38 years old in February. We should have seen these two great boxers duke it out at least twice, but with time becoming limited, squaring off just once would be a miracle.
If Mayweather chooses not to face Pacquiao, most likely he will take on either Miguel Cotto Amir Khan. Last year Mayweather faced Marcos Maidana in both of his fights.
Both Mayweather and Pacquiao plan on fighting on May 2 in Las Vegas, Nevada. A potential fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao would gross an estimated $300 million. Mayweather and Arum have a history with each other, and their past feud has come into play with this fight. Mayweather doesn't want Arum to see any part of that $300 million in a super-fight between the two of them.
Recently, Pacquiao imposed a deadline for the Mayweather camp.
"My promoter and I, we've already agreed to the terms and conditions of whatever he wants. We're just waiting on the signed contract from him. We have to know soon, because if they will not fight, we can move on and choose another opponent. We have a deadline, this month" said Pacquiao.
Now, meeting someone else at an NBA game and exchanging words doesn't necessarily mean a fight is imminent, but it is a step in the right direction. Obviously, people in both camps want this fight to happen for numerous reasons. There's just too much money to walk away from, win or lose.
For Pacquiao, he truly believes he can beat Mayweather despite being the underdog. The veteran Filipino is one of the most popular boxers in the world, and a legend in many Asian countries. For "Money" Mayweather, what better way to get to 50-0 then to go through the WBO Welterweight champion? Mayweather (and Pacquiao) has seen his pay-per-view numbers drop, and he knows nobody wants to see Khan or Cotto come May.
In case you were wondering, the Bucks won the game, 109-102.
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