Mayweather, Pacquiao met again after Bucks-Heat game
Not long after their courtside meeting Tuesday night at halftime of an NBA game, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao met again, this one in a more private setting and apparently more meaningful.
The boxing superstars talked for an hour in Pacquiao’s hotel room in Miami, trying to come to terms on a megafight May 2 at the MGM Grand Garden.
Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz was in the room and said the meeting went well.
“Floyd said he wants to see the fight happen, and I have no reason to doubt Floyd’s sincerity,” Koncz said Wednesday. “It was a very good meeting. Very positive. I think Manny and Floyd respect each other, so let’s see where it goes.”
Mayweather (47-0, 26 knockouts) and Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KOs) attended the Milwaukee Bucks-Miami Heat game at American Airlines Arena. Pacquiao was in Miami to help judge the Miss Universe Pageant on Sunday, and Mayweather has a home there.
They had a brief but cordial conversation at halftime and exchanged cellphone numbers. After the game, Mayweather called Pacquiao and went to his hotel.
“Floyd reached out to Manny to meet, and we were glad to have him come over and talk,” Koncz said.
Mayweather had two specific concerns regarding the pay-per-view broadcast of the fight, according to Koncz. He said those concerns were addressed but wouldn’t get specific about them.
Mayweather, 37, has two fights remaining on his six-fight deal with Showtime, and Pacquiao, 36, fights exclusively on HBO. The two networks have been involved in lengthy negotiations to work together to televise the fight.
Pacquiao had said that Mayweather had until the end of January to agree to the fight or he would move on, possibly with a fight against Amir Khan in late May. But Koncz said that deadline never was etched in stone.
“There was no solid deadline,” Koncz said. “But Manny wanted to make it clear he wasn’t going to just wait around for Floyd. Obviously, we’re hoping we can continue to make progress. We’ll see what happens in the next few days.”
Koncz said he remains optimistic that both sides will agree to a deal and give boxing fans what they want.
“I know Manny wants the fight, and I know Floyd wants the fight,” he said. “The fact they talked was very constructive toward getting a deal. Hopefully all the issues will get resolved and we’ll have a fight.”
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj