After Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao's "chance" encounter at a Miami Heat game this week in which the pair of superstar fighters exchanged contact information, they had a private meeting in Pacquiao's hotel room to sort out details regarding a proposed super fight.
The matchup, which boxing fans have craved since the mid-to-late 2000s, appears closer than ever according to comments made by Pacquiao's adviser Michael Koncz.
"(The meeting) was very pleasant and very encouraging, and we give Floyd credit for coming over," Koncz said.
"That's the first time they ever sat eye to eye. I've met Floyd many times, but he and Manny had never had a chance to meet. They talked at halftime, but this was a longer, more serious meeting. You could tell by their body language that this was very positive.
"It was for a good hour or more. ... It was a business meeting, but it wasn't a tense business meeting. I think that's because they both have mutual respect for each other. We'll determine what will happen over the next couple of days."
While Mayweather and his "Money Team" associates have long held that Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, Pacquiao's promoter, was the real roadblock to the super fight all these years, Koncz said that broadcasting issues represented a major hurdle. Koncz also said that Pacquiao and Mayweather's Miami powwow may have settled those disputes.
While the blame has often been dropped at Mayweather's doorstep, with Pacquiao supporters claiming he fears Pacquiao's ability to hand him his first loss, Koncz said Mayweather appeared eager to make the fight happen.
Floyd said, 'I want the fight to happen,' and Manny said he does, too," according to Koncz. "If the fighters both want the fight to happen, who can stop it? They both said they want it to happen, and we're still looking to make it happen on May 2."
If the fight is agreed to for May 2, several other dominos will fall in kind. Canelo Alvarez's May 2 bout vs. James Kirkland will likely be re-scheduled, while welterweight Amir Khan and WBC middleweight champion Miguel Cotto will have to seek out opponents.
[ESPN]
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