Everything We've Heard About the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao Fight So Far

Is Mayweather-Pacquiao finally happening?

Image via Phil Ivey on Twitter / @PhilIvey

Yesterday, professional poker player Phil Ivey tweeted out the above picture of reigning welterweight title holders Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather together in a room somewhere doing...something. What, exactly, we can't say, though Ivey's tweet indicated that Mayweather and Pacquiao were trying to "work their deal out."

As of late, "their deal" has concerned the supposedly impending fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather. Y'know, the one we were promised in 2010, but fell apart due to drug testing issues prior to the bout. 

However, a renewed push by Pacquiao and Mayweather's camps has resurrected the long-dead championship showdown. Nothing is completely certain yet, but as rumors and reports have flooded in, a clearer and clearer picture of the event has begun to form. It's looks like a May 2nd fight might decide the true welterweight champion of the world. 

But there are a lot of parties and a lot of players involved here, so to sort everything out for you, we've decided to compile everything we've heard about the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight so far

Manny Pacquiao: "I Want That Fight"

Date: 11/13/2015

Speaking with the press on November 13 during the lead-up to his fight with Chris Algieri, Manny Pacquiao re-ignited the discussion about a potential fight between Floyd Mayweather and himself.

"I do have one specific goal," he said at the time, "and that is to give the boxing fans the fight they have always asked for. I want that fight [with Floyd Mayweather], too."

Yeah, c'mon, give the people what they want, Floyd. Please? 

Regardless of how much we all may have wanted the fight to happen, though, Pacquiao's words still seemed to hold little weight. If anything, his talk seemed like a marketing ploy to stir interest for the Chris Algieri fight. But was there actually something to it? 

Rumors Surface About HBO and Showtime Broadcasting the Fight From AT&T Stadium

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Date11/18/2014

Perhaps! Though Pacquiao's boxing promoter Bob Arum had initially expressed doubt about the chances of a fight happening between Pacquaio and Mayweather, he broke the story on November 18 that HBO and Showtime were "already talking" about the possibility of broadcasting the fight together. Arum even said that he was "optimistic" about the chance of the two sides finally reaching an agreement. 

But that wasn't even the best part of the news. The most intriguing angle was the potential venue for the long-awaited bout: AT&T Stadium.

Yes, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquaio, squaring off in Jerry's World. Somewhere, Jerry Jones is like: 

After Dominating Chris Algieri, Pacquiao Calls Out Mayweather

Mayweather Tells Showtime He Wants to Fight Pacquiao, Rips Bob Arum

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Date: 12/12/2014

After staying mum about the rumored fight for a few weeks, Mayweather finally broke his silence, speaking with Showtime's Steve Farhood about the on-going negotiations to schedule the bout. 

"I would love to fight Manny Pacquiao," Mayweather said before discussing the controversial "blood and urine" tests that took talks off the rails years ago. Of course, Mayweather is Mayweather. So you know that he wasn't about to speak about Pacquiao without firing off a few rounds.

"He's lost to Marquez, he's lost to Bradley, Pay-Per-View numbers are extremely low, so he's desperate," said Pretty Boy Floyd. 

"Floyd Mayweather is not ducking or dodging any opponent," he continued. "Bob Arum is stopping the fight. We've been trying to make this fight happen for years." 

"We want to fight, we're ready, let's make it's happen. May 2: Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao. Let's do it."

Pacquiao Tells Mayweather to "Sign the Contract," Doesn't Want to "Drop the Ball on Fighting Each Other"

Date: 12/31/2014-1/5/2015

Negotiations seemed slow. Reports about the fight were even slower to emerge. But after a few weeks of back-and-forth chatter and shade, Pacquiao ended 2014 with yet another challenge to Mayweather:


In the following days, Manny continued to provoke Money Mayweather by posting an Instagram of himself, patiently waiting for Floyd to "sign the contract." 

 

C'mon, Floyd, we're all waiting...

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Pacquiao Tells Filipino Newspaper An Announcement Shoud Be Made "Before the End of the Month"

Date1/12/2015

Continuing to campaign for the fight, Pacquiao spoke with the Manila Standard, a Filipino newspaper, and claimed that an announcement about the fight would be made "before the end of the month." 

"I think it will happen," he said. 

Unfortunately, as we all know, January came and went. And, well, we've haven't been given a complete confirmation...yet. What's taking so long, you guys?

Bob Arum Claims Mayweather Responsible for Delaying Fight

Floyd Mayweather Shuts Down Fight Talk: "Everything Is Just Rumors"

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Date: 1/20/2015

Once Arum got involved with the media, the bout gradually seemed to fall apart. After the hot stove had seemed to reach a boiling point, Floyd Mayweather eased off the burners, shutting down the talk of a done deal while speaking with DJ Whoo Kid on Shade 45. 

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Mayweather started the interview by immediately clearing the air about the supposedly forthcoming bout: "Hey, Whoo Kid," he said, "as of right now, everything is just rumors." 

Later in their discussion, Mayweather called out Pacquiao for speaking too soon throughout the course of their negotiations, saying, "You're not a boss. On the chessboard, you're a pawn."

Pacquiao: The Ball Is In Floyd's Court

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Floyd Mayweather's Strength Coach Disses Bob Arum, Denies May 2 Fight Date

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Date: 1/21/2015

Unfortunately, Mayweather's camp wasn't feeling so warm and fuzzy about the whole thing. While speaking with Fight Hype, Mayweather's strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza ripped the media for their irresponsible reporting and Bob Arum for fueling the fire. 

"It's not gonna happen. Let's not kid ourselves," said Ariza. "It's deceptive, it's just straight lying what Bob Arum is doing. To me, it's just revolting that the fans have to get their hopes up for something that doesn't exist." 

"You look at Oscar de la Hoya, he had to get away from Bob to get the big fights. You look at Miguel Cotto. You look at Floyd Mayweather," he added. "You have to look at the history of [Arum], who's known for not being honest, not being truthful...it's absolutely disgusting. But, you know what? You guys [the media] perpetuate it. Because you write the same vomit that he spews...You're telling us everything but you're showing us nothing." 

It was a serious mic drop in the entire ordeal, and Floyd was happy to see his team standing behind him.

In closing, Ariza stated, "We're fighting May 2, but it's not going to be Manny Pacquiao. As soon as we get rid of [Arum], we can get it on."

Pacquiao and Mayweather Pictured at Same Miami Heat Game, Hold Private Meeting Together

Bob Arum Tells "New York Post" Fight Announcement Is Forthcoming

Date: 1/30/2015

As the media began to circle around the Mayweather and Pacquiao camps once more, Bob Arum thrust himself back into the picture by speaking with the New York Post to talk about the potential fight again.


“Everybody is doing the right thing,” Arum told The Post on Friday. “We’re looking to complete the paperwork. Everything is moving in the right direction. Hopefully, the next couple of days it will get done.”

According to the Post, the fight's major hold-up concerned Mayweather and Pacquiao's respective agreements with Showtime and HBO. Arum also credited the Miami meeting held between the two sides as a turning point in the negotiations: 


"I think it helped a lot because we were all putting papers together, and there was still a question as to whether Floyd really wanted to do the fight or not,” Arum said. “Based on the meeting with Pacquiao in the hotel suite, Manny and [Pacquiao adviser] Michael Koncz were convinced Floyd absolutely wants to do the fight."

It seemed so close, and yet...

Pacquiao and Mayweather Camps Finally Reach Agreement, According to TMZ; Mayweather Disputes Report

Date: 1/30/2015, 1/31/2015

...so far. Shortly after Arum's interview with the New York Post was published, TMZ reported that Pacquiao and Mayweather had reached an agreement for the fight. It was a done deal. Time to pop the champagne, right? 

In the words of Lee Corso, not so fast my friend. Tweets from ESPN's Dan Rafael and Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix indicated that TMZ's reporting was premature. The very next day, we were given word from Mayweather himself in form of a hashtag: "#FightNotMadeYet."


As we mentioned at the beginning, until yesterday, we'd received no more word about the fight's status and, as of now, we're still hanging in limbo. Will the bout finally make it onto boxing's calendar and into the record books? Or will Money Mayweather and the Pac-Man let us all down once again? 

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