MANILA, Philippines -- The warring camps of Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. are set to meet on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) in an effort to thresh out their differences and save the March 13 mega-bout between the two fighters.
A report by USA Today said representatives of both boxers will get together in the office of retired federal judge Daniel Weinstein in Santa Monica, California.
The retired judge, who previously successfully mediated a dispute between Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions over a promotional tiff in 2006 involving Pacquiao, will mediate the talks as both camps try to end the impasse in the negotiations.
The negotiations have hit the wall after Mayweather’s camp demanded Pacquiao undergo an Olympic-style drug testing before the fight.
The 7-time world champion thumbed down the demand and has filed charges against the Mayweathers and Golden Boy Promotions for insinuating that he was using performance-enhancing drugs.
Public apology
Top Rank chief Bob Arum and Top Rank President Todd DuBoef will attend the meeting on behalf of Pacquiao.
Arum said the only way the negotiations will push through is if the other side drops its demands for random blood-testing and makes a public apology for implying that Pacquiao is taking illegal performance-enhancing drugs.
"Absolutely, [we expect apology] from every single one of them," Arum said. "Everybody."
Arum said he could not say if mediation will save the March 13 fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
He also declined to answer if Pacquiao's lawsuit against the Mayweathers and Golden Boy Promotions would be discussed in the meeting.
Pacquiao, through his lawyer Daniel Petrocelli, filed a lawsuit last week seeking $75,000 in compensatory and punitive damages. Petrocelli will also be present at the mediation.
Mayweathers still want the Pacquiao fight
Meanwhile, Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe told Boxing.Fanhouse.com they are still willing to make a deal with Pacquiao despite the drug testing mess.
Ellerbe said they wanted to present the fight, considered to be the biggest in recent years, to boxing fans.
“Things are still at an impasse, but we're still ready, willing and able to try to make a deal. We feel that this is the biggest fight in the history of boxing. We want to give this fight to the fans,” he said.
Ellerbe added that it also doesn’t make sense for Pacquiao to fight anyone else except Mayweather at this stage of his career.
“Freddie Roach and I might not see eye-to-eye on a lot of different things, [but] Freddie has done a great job with guiding Manny's career… I can't imagine Freddie advising Manny Pacquiao to take a fight with Yuri Foreman for a quarter of what he would make by fighting Floyd,” he said.
However, Ellerbe maintained that the Mayweathers remained firm on demanding random blood and urine testing.
He explained that a fight at this level would require nothing less from both boxers.
“I just think that at the end of the day, Manny Pacquiao will put his country on his back and eventually step up to the plate and agree to the random blood and urine testing,” said Ellerbe.
He also denied claiming that Pacquiao was using performance enhancement drugs.
“From Day One, I've never accused Manny Pacquiao of anything. All that I've said from Day One is that we want to ensure that there is a level playing field because this is what the fans deserve,” said Ellerbe.
“We've done everything on our part to try to make this fight come to fruition. Now, the other side just has to check their egos at the door and make a deal and give the fans what they deserve,” he added.
Source:abs-cbnNEWS.com
http://abs-cbnnews.com/sports/01/04/10/pacquiao-mayweather-camps-meet-revive-fight
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