The light at the end of the tunnel is starting to flicker and fade but Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum is holding on to the thinnest fiber of hope that the super fight will be held.
Admitting that the clock is ticking fast, Arum told The Bulletin yesterday that the next few days will be crucial whether the colossal clash between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather set for May 2 in Las Vegas will happen or not.
“I am still focused on making this fight happen,” said the 83-year-old Arum from his homebase in Sin City.
But asked about Pacquiao and Top Rank’s fallback position, Arum said there are a few possibilities down the road, including a mouth-watering matchup with British star Amir Khan on May 30 possibly in London.
Still, Arum said he would devote the succeeding hours and days to save Pacquiao-Mayweather from getting scuttled for the nth time although he is beginning to doubt the sincerity of Mayweather’s desire to fight.
“When we resolve one thing, ten things come back to us,” said Arum without going into specifics.
Even HBO, which has telecast rights of Pacquiao’s fights, has broken its silence, saying that it is doing everything to make the fight happen.
“We are not an impediment to this fight,” said HBO in a statement released yesterday.
HBO continues to hold talks with Showtime, which broadcasts Mayweather’s fights, and insists it is fully supportive of efforts to make the fight happen.
“We stand ready to go,” added HBO, which teamed up with Showtime in the landmark world heavyweight title fight between Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson in June 2002 at the Pyramid Arena in Memphis.
Pacquiao adviser Mike Koncz said Khan has expressed willingness to face Pacquiao in London and their recent visit there bore very positive results.
“We’ve told them (Khan group) that they choose the venue to hold the fight,” said Koncz.
As efforts continue to make it happen, oddsmakers in Las Vegas have posted the latest numbers on the fight with Mayweather listed as a 3-1 favorite at -300 ($300 wins $100) and Pacquiao at +230 ($100 wins $230).