Fight proposal sent to Floyd for OK – Arum

Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum disclosed Wednesday that the secret negotiations between him and Floyd Mayweather’s handlers have ended and the final proposal has been submitted for the American boxer’s review – and approval.
“It’s now up to Mayweather if he wants to fight (Manny Pacquiao),” Arum told the Bulletin in a phone interview.
The talks between Pacquiao and Mayweather’s camp have been held in almost total secrecy with both sides not giving any detail regarding conditions for the fight.
But it is no secret that Mayweather has asked for Olympic-style blood testing for both boxers. Pacquiao’s refusal to undergo the test at so close to fight day has scuttled the planned fight early this year which many believe could have been the richest in boxing history.
Both camps are in agreement to fight on Nov. 13 in Las Vegas but the issues of blood test, the division of the purse and fight site have yet to be resolved.
But after the negotiations’ conclusion, it appears that Arum has put everything on the table and it’s now up to Mayweather to accept or decline the conditions.
Arum said that if Mayweather decides not to fight, he has no other recourse but to “look for somebody else.”
That somebody else could either be Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico or Antonio Margarito of Mexico, who are both under the Top Rank banner like Pacquiao.
Between the two, Cotto appears to have the edge even though he had been beaten by the Filipino late last year.
Cotto holds a portion of the world super-welterweight crown, a division that Pacquiao is aiming to capture to make himself an eight-division world champion.
Pacquiao’s adviser Mike Koncz said facing Cotto at 154 lbs is intriguing because the last time and only time they fought in Nov. 2009, it was at a catch weight of 145 lbs.
Los Angeles-based publicist Ricardo Jimenez, who works for Arum’s Top Rank Inc., said that while precious time is dwindling away, there is still enough time to make the Mayweather fight.
“If you can’t make a fight with three months left before a scheduled fight, then it becomes a problem,” said Jimenez. “Three months (before a fight) is enough time to promote a fight.”
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