Floyd Mayweather Jr. has said he wants to fight Manny Pacquiao in May, and it didn't take Pacquiao long to respond. The Filipino took to Twitter to let Mayweather know he's ready to go.
Fans have wanted to see Mayweather-Pacquiao since 2009, but for various reasons the bout has never come about. Now, with Mayweather set to retire after his next two fights, fans may finally get their wish.
"We are ready. Let's make it happen. May 2. Mayweather versus Pacquiao," Mayweather said Friday during a Showtime interview, via ESPN. "Let's do it."
First, Pacquiao responded earlier in the week with a subtle barb at Mayweather's defense-first fighting style.
"He (Mayweather) has reached a dead end," he told Skysports.com, via ESPN. "He has nowhere to run but to fight me. I will try my best to make this a thrilling and entertaining fight, but I doubt if he's gonna engage me in a slugfest. You all know his fighting style. Most of his previous fights, if not all, induced us to sleep."
Mayweather has drawn criticism for his duck-and-dive style of fighting, in which he typically lets the opponent tire out while dodging and evading punch after punch. But Pacquiao didn't let it rest at that.
"(Mayweather), don't be a boxing humbug," he tweeted Tuesday. "Let's give the fans the fight they want. They have awaited long enough."
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum has been saying the fight would happen for a few months now, and he indicated Showtime and HBO - the networks that have Mayweather and Pacquiao under contract, respectively - had already begun negotiations on how to televise the fight and would likely be able to reach a deal without any problems.
If the fight happens in May, there would likely to be a rematch in September.
