Pacquiao fight date and opponent will be known soon

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MANILA, Philippines – After weeks of speculation, the fight date and opponent of Filipino boxing icon Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao will be announced early this week, according to the fighter's promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank.
In an interview with Eight Count News last week, Arum revealed that they would decide on all the details by the weekend.
"I have had meetings with everyone and by Monday afternoon, we will announce the place, the opponent and the date," Arum said.
Pacquiao was initially scheduled to return to the ring on November 10, a date that has been in place since last June, even before his fight against Timothy Bradley.
But it was reported last week that the fight had to be moved to December 1 for various reasons, including Pacquiao's filing of candidacy for the upcoming elections.
"Don't go overboard on this statement that the fight has to be on December 1st because of Manny's election," Arum said.
"The election commission just ruled in the Philippines that Manny can authorize somebody to file for him. He doesn't have to be back in October. Manny can have an authorized representative file his papers for him," he added.
Arum confirmed that the November 10 fight date was still in play, but ended any speculation that Pacquiao could fight unbeaten American boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. this year.
"From what we best can gather, Mayweather is not going to fight this year," he said. "We hope to meet with them as soon as possible to work out an arrangement for a fight with him and Pacquiao for the spring of next year."
Pacquiao is choosing among rematches against Bradley, Mexican rival Juan Manuel Marquez and Puerto Rico's Miguel Cotto.
He is coming off a stunning split decision loss against Bradley last June, which followed a controversial win over Marquez in November 2011.

Rajon Rondo admires Pacquiao's dedication and passion

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MANILA, Philippines – Rajon Rondo, the Boston Celtics' All-Star point guard, still remembers the first time he watched Filipino fight king Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao in action.
"I met Pacquiao a couple of years ago," Rondo related in an exclusive interview with ABS-CBN News Monday at the Titan basketball store. "I think he beat up (Miguel) Cotto really badly."
Rondo is referring to Pacquiao's crushing 12th round knockout victory over the Puerto Rican Cotto in 2009, which for many people solidified the Filipino's standing at the top of boxing's pound-for-pound list.
"I went back to the locker room, and I saw Cotto walking back, and then I saw Pacquiao come back and he was smiling," Rondo said. "So from that point on, I started watching his fights and following him."
Rondo, like many of his teammates in the Celtics, is a fan of Pacquiao. The admiration is mutual as Pacquiao is a well-known supporter of the Boston squad, even reportedly watching the team's Game 7 against the Miami Heat prior to his fight against Timothy Bradley last June.
"Definitely, definitely," Rondo said when asked if he was a fan of Pacquiao. "He actually autographed a couple of gloves for our entire team, so we're big fans of Pacquiao, big supporters."
Rondo said that he watches Pacquiao when he is featured on the HBO reality series "24/7" and admires the boxer's work ethic.
"It's his competitiveness. He works hard at what he does," Rondo said. "I've seen '24/7,' so I've seen the time that he puts in, and the dedication and the love and passion for his craft."
Rondo is visiting Manila for the first time to check out the local basketball scene as a prelude to the Philippine leg of Red Bull’s King of the Rock tournament, which will kick off next year.
He will conduct a skills clinic for top UAAP and NCAA players today, and watch the game between the Ateneo Blue Eagles and the Far Eastern University Tamaraws Wednesday.
Rondo will also be the guest of honor in the unveiling of a restored basketball court in Corazon de Jesus in San Juan City.

Mayweather confirms fight with Pacquiao

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LOS ANGELES—Floyd Mayweather Jr. has spoken to Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao by telephone to discuss a possible megafight next May, advisers to each fighter confirmed to several media outlets on Thursday.

Mayweather adviser Leonard Ellerbe confirmed the call to ESPN while Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum did the same to BoxingScene.com and Pacquiao himself talked with ABS-CBN in the Philippines about the short conversation.

The Philippine report quoted Pacquiao as saying there would be no problem if Mayweather would agree to a 50-50 split of income from what is expected to be the richest fight in boxing history—as much as $100 million—if it ever comes off.

Unbeaten US star Mayweather and Pacquiao, regarded as the world’s top pound-for-pound fighters, nearly made a deal for a fight once before but the American’s insistence on unique antidoping blood tests helped kill the talks.

This time, Mayweather has a May 5 date booked at a Las Vegas arena while Pacquiao’s promoter wants a late May date to assemble a huge outdoor arena so tickets can be sold to boost profits by as much as $50 million.

“Floyd wants to fight Manny Pacquiao on May 5 and he went as far as to reach out to Manny Pacquiao personally,” Ellerbe said.

‘Step Up, Punk’

Ellerbe told ESPN that Mayweather called from Las Vegas to the Philippines after earlier this month calling out southpaw Pacquiao on Twitter, making taunts, “Step Up, Punk,” to the world welterweight champion.

“I can’t say what exactly was said but I know,” Ellerbe told ESPN. “Floyd has shown more than a willingness to get this fight done and this is really, really what he wants to do and what he wants to give to the fight fans.”

Mayweather has spoken with Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz several times in recent weeks, according to all reports.

Outdoor arena

Pacquiao, 54-3 with two draws and 32 knockouts, has won his past 15 fights over a span of nearly seven years while Mayweather, 42-0 with 26 knockouts, must serve a 90-day jail sentence starting June 1 after a domestic violence conviction.

Arum said that the issue of who Pacquiao would next fight would be resolved this coming week.

Arum, who is chair of Top Rank promotions, presented four other possible foes for “Pacman” as next opponents, including Puerto Rico’s Miguel Cotto, Americans Lamont Peterson and Tim Bradley and Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez.

Arum earlier said a fight with Mayweather at the end of May or even early June would give the Filipino champion time to heal from a 29-stitch cut he suffered in his fight with Marquez last November.

That would also give time for a 45,000-seat outdoor arena to be built—more than twice the capacity of the MGM Grand Garden Arena, where Pacquiao has fought before. MGM Grand can hold some 17,000 people.