The Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather mega fight was almost dead in the water at the start of the fourth week of January 2015.
If not for the chance personal encounter of Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr during a Miami Heat game with the Milwaukee Bucks at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida on January 27, the touted richest boxing bout in history could have been history itself.
Now that the two best welterweight boxers in the world have finally met in person and started talking to one another, things seem to be happening faster than just merely allowing their camps or networks to conduct the negotiations on their behalf.
After the chance meeting at the Miami Heat game, Floyd Mayweather Jr. actually went out of his way to pay a visit to the hotel where Pacquiao is billeted and they talked for over an hour, reports Yahoo! Sports.
Willingness to make the fight happen
Contrary to speculations and reports that Mayweather is scared to face Manny Pacquiao in the ring, it seems that Money has been consistent all along with his pronouncements that he does not want to deal with Top Rank boss Bob Arum, and that the only way that the two boxers could meet in the ring is if they sit on it together without Arum.
And that’s what Mayweather did by coming over to the hotel where Pacman was staying. Michael Koncz, adviser of Manny Pacquiao, considers the gesture of Floyd Jr. quite commendable. He said the two boxers sat together and talked business for over an hour – just the two of them and no one else.
Koncz also disclosed that he can tell by the body language of the two boxers that they seem to have a positive result to their discussion. He said that only Pacquiao and Mayweather know what they talked about so the result would most likely be revealed in the next few days.
Pacquiao’s adviser also said that the meeting was purely business but it was not tense at all. There was no animosity whatsoever because the boxers mutually respect each other.
Plan Bs for both
Before the meeting between Pacquiao and Mayweather, each boxer was already mapping out their Plan B opponents in the event that negotiations for their fight fall through.
Mayweather was reportedly fighting Miguel Cotto on May 2 in the event that the Pacquiao match does not happen while the Filipino boxing icon is looking to book a fight with Pakistan-born British boxer Amir Khan sometime around the end of May or June.
With the talk between Pacquiao and Mayweather showing positive signs, it looks like the Plan Bs for both boxers would take the backseat as the world finally gets ready to the most awaited boxing match in history. May 2 is too close to call for the fight to happen. But it really looks like it is finally going to happen.