MACAU – Manny Pacquiao is willing to sacrifice a lot in the pursuit of getting Floyd Mayweather to face him in 2015.
Mike Koncz, the Canadian adviser of Pacquiao, said on Monday that while talks are taking place to put together a super fight between the Filipino and the brash and unbeaten US fighter, he is quite unsure if it’s going to happen.
“Until I hear something from Floyd, I don’t hold high hopes,” said Koncz just before Team Pacquiao headed back to General Santos City on an AirAsia chartered flight.
Koncz knows that Mayweather holds a slight edge in the negotiations that is why they are amenable to compromise some aspects.
But it doesn’t mean Pacquiao is coming in cheap.
“I don’t wanna to throw numbers out because that’s going to hurt our negotiations. We are not expecting to take the lion’s share. Do we have to give a little bit to get the fight? We’ll do that,” he said.
Koncz said Pacquiao has gotten tired of being asked by questions not only from the media but by ordinary people just wherever they go.
Of course, fighting Mayweather will give him substantial money. But that’s not the driving force behind it. He’s an entertainer. He wants to entertain people. That’s why he wants to get that fight.”
Pacquiao said he has given in to many of Mayweather’s demands that he doesn’t know of any other reason why he wouldn’t agree to meet him in what will turn out to be the richest fight in history of the sport.
“The public is demanding for it,” said Pacquiao, who has other options in case the Mayweather match doesn’t take place.
Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum sees the 80,000-seat Cowboys Stadium in Texas as the perfect venue to stage the Mayweather encounter.
Koncz readily agrees.
“It can actually accommodate more than 100,000,” said Koncz, stressing that it can hold an additional 20,000 (standing room) as shown by its hosting of the NBA All-Star Weekend in 2010 when close to 110,000 packed the $1.2 billion venue.