MANILA, Philippines — There is a possibility that Manny Pacquiao will bypass a Nov. 10 ring return in the event a megabuck match with Floyd Mayweather Jr. can be made for early 2013.
“That’s possible,” said Pacquiao lawyer Jeng Gacal.
Mayweather is set to be released from a Las Vegas prison anytime Friday after being convicted for domestic battery and the fact that the unbeaten US boxer has also formed an alliance with rapper-millionaire 50 Cent in the creation of TMT (The Money Team) Promotions is a sign that something’s going on.
Pacquiao has actually declined to say who it is going to be among the leading candidates – Tim Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez – telling a handful of scribes recently that he hasn’t made up his mind yet.
Promoter Bob Arum is arriving in Manila next week to discuss what’s on the horizon for Pacquiao.
Gacal said that if a Mayweather fight can be made for early next year, Pacquiao might decide not to proceed with a planned return in November to avoid any complications.
Mayweather’s decision to hook up with 50 Cent and form a new promotional outfit is seen as a positive sign towards making a fight with Pacquiao a reality.
One thing that also points to that is the mediation meeting set for Monday in Los Angeles involving the lawyers of Pacquiao and Mayweather. Pacquiao had filed a defamation suit against Mayweather owing to charges made by Mayweather that the Filipino uses performance-enhancing drugs.
But Arum believes the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight won’t happen until April or May 2013 and that it is very likely that Pacquiao will face Bradley, Marquez or even Miguel Cotto.
“I don’t think so,” said Arum when told about the prospects of Pacquiao foregoing a November fight and just wait for next year to resurface.
Arum said he has already talked with the camps of Bradley, Marquez and Cotto and that he expects to have something concrete before he heads back to the US from Manila.
Still, Arum acknowledged that the formation of TMT Promotions and the mediation are “positive” signs that the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight can be made.
source: mb.com.ph