Manny Pacquiao made it clear: he wants to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. in May. Ahead of his upcoming bout against Chris Algieri, Pacquiao reiterated his desire to be the undefeated champion's next fight.
Pacquiao and Mayweather have exchanged words for years, but the two have never gotten into the ring to fight. With Mayweather indicating he would retire after his next two fights, Pacquiao made it known he wants a shot at the champion before that happens.
"I do have one specific goal, and that is to give the boxing fans the fight they have always asked for," Pacquiao said this week, via ESPN. "I want that fight [with Mayweather], too."
The long-awaited Mayweather-Pacquiao bout has been rumored to be on the way, with their first match in May and a rematch in September. Top Rank CEO Bob Arum indicated this summer HBO and Showtime - the two networks who have deals with Pacquiao and Mayweather, respectively - had reached an agreement on how to handle the mega-fight if it were to happen.
Although one anonymous source in Mayweather's camp said the fight would happen, Mayweather has been mum.
"I don't even think about Pacquiao," said Mayweather. "I don't even know him, actually. But I wish him nothing but the best. But that's not my focus. I could care less what Pacquiao does. I don't wish anything bad on the man. I try not to focus on no one else's business.
"If it happens, it happens. You guys can keep asking the same questions over and over. I move when I want to, where I want to and how I want to. Hopefully, it's next."
The biggest holdup between the two sides now appears to be the split of the fight. According to Pacquiao, Mayweather's team hasn't even come to the table to discuss the potential multi-million dollar fight.
"I believe good-faith negotiations could produce that fight," he said. "But it is impossible to negotiate when you are the only one sitting at the table. Two fights who want to fight each other have never been kept from fighting each other."
