Manila, Philippines – While admitting that everything is moving in the right direction, Top Rank chief Bob Arum is keeping his fingers crossed that the Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao super fight finally happens on May 2.
“Everyone’s optimistic and we hope to get a deal done in a couple of days or by the end of the week,” Arum told the Bulletin yesterday from his homebase in Las Vegas.
Arum acknowledged that the meeting between Pacquiao and Mayweather in Miami was a major boost in getting an agreement in place for the world welterweight unification title fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
But asked whether it’s already a done deal, the 83-year-old Arum remained hesitant to commit.
“I really don’t know, we’ll see what happens next,” Arum added.
Mike Koncz, the Canadian adviser of Pacquiao, sounded more upbeat as he was around when the Filipino icon and Mayweather discussed some terms for over an hour immediately after watching the Miami Heat vs Milwaukee Bucks game.
Koncz said the meeting was able to iron out a lot of issues and that all signs point to an accord involving the two parties very soon unless a last-minute deal-breaker emerges.
“I believe that the fight will be made if the two fighters want it to happen, and my belief, after watching them together, is that’s they both want the fight. So I believe that the fight is going to happen,” Koncz told the online edition of The Ring magazine.
Mayweather and Pacquiao found each other in one building during the Heat-Bucks game and it was the unbeaten Mayweather who approached Pacquiao to raise some issues.
Pacquiao said meeting Mayweather only made it even more realistic that they are going to fight each other.
Koncz said it was apparent during the unusual incident during the Heat home game that Mayweather wants to make the fight happen.
“He was sincere and the meeting between Manny and Floyd was pleasant,” said Koncz, who had doubted Mayweather’s sincerity.