Manny Pacquiao and Freddie Roach have been positioning themselves for a Floyd Mayweather fight for months now, even before Pacman took care of Brandon Rios in Macau, China. Now, Top Rank CEO Bob Arum is joining the chorus calling for Mayweather to finally face Pacquiao, and said it would be "stupid" if the fight doesn't happen.
"Yes, if people stop posturing. Absolutely. It can happen," Arum told USA Today's Bob Velin. "It's stupid if it doesn't happen. They owe it to the sport. What, is Mayweather going to fight Amir Khan? Who gives a (expletive)? We've announced we're willing to make anything happen. Now somebody has got to contact us so we can sit down and explore how it can happen. Isn't that the way normal people deal? You can't wave a wand. I've said unequivocally, we're ready to sit down and see if a deal can be reached."
While some of the luster is off of this matchup, considering just a few years ago both men were considered equals atop the sport's pound-for-pound rankings, Pacman restored a big of his shine after looking sharp, quick and powerful in an easy win over Rios. Arum dismissed talk that a poor relationship between he and Mayweather would stand in the way of making the match, and said their relationship has always been good.
"This idea that Floyd hates me or I hate Floyd is poppycock. Maybe the people around him are saying that. But Floyd and I, and certainly Todd (duBoef, Arum's stepson and president of Top Rank) and Floyd, have always had a wonderful relationship. These so-called writers are saying, 'Well, it can't happen, because Floyd hates Bob Arum.' Floyd doesn't hate me, like I don't hate him."
Despite the bluster, a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight is a longshot at this point, with Floyd fighting exclusively on Showtime. The more likely scenario is a May fight with Amir Khan, as Showtime executive Stephen Espinoza seems fascinated by Khan's hand speed against Mayweather's crafty defense.
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