Mayweather still hopeful for the Pacquiao fight

Hope springs eternal, and for Leonard Ellerbe, a close associate of unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr., somehow, a fight with boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao is still very much possible.

Notwithstanding the accusations made and a lawsuit filed, Ellerbe said he remains hopeful of finding a way for a deal to be made.


Floyd Mayweather Jr.
“We’re still trying to make a deal," said the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Mayweather Promotions in an interview with FanHouse. “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."

Negotiations for the March 13 bout reached an impasse following disagreements by both parties on the drug-testing procedures to be used.

The matter got even worse when Pacquiao filed a lawsuit against Mayweather Jr., his father Floyd Sr. and Golden Boy Promotions executives Richard Schaefer and Oscar De La Hoya for suggesting that he’s been using steroids in his previous fights.

Ellerbe clarified that he didn’t accuse the Filipino boxing champion of taking performance-enhancing drugs.

From Day One, I've never accused Manny Pacquiao of anything. All that I've said is that we want to ensure that there is a level playing field because this is what the fans deserve.

“Boxing has a great opportunity to be out front before the whole world and to say, 'We have a wonderful sport, and this is a clean sport, and we have the two best fighters in the world going head-to-head to find out and to prove who is the best.'

Check out egos at the door

The Mayweather Promotions official added that they already acceded to the terms of the Pacquiao camp for a hefty penalty in case either one of the fighters exceeds the 147-pound welterweight limit, ditto with the use of the 10-ounce gloves.

“On our side, we checked our egos at the door. That’s why we asked Richard Schaefer to represent us in these negotiations. So 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."

Source: gmanews.tv