Mayweather-Pacquiao 'Megafight' Postponed to Late May?
Although a Clark County judge postponed boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s jail date, it seems he still may not meet rival Manny Pacquiao in the ring anytime soon.
Richard Wright, Mayweather’s attorney, convinced Justice of Peace Melissa Saragosa that his client’s January surrender date should be postponed due to a fight in Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena May 5. The judge complied with Wright’s request.
“Mr. Mayweather has an obligation to this court,” Saragosa said. “Given the fact that Mr. Mayweather has these obligations, I am going to grant your request."
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Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather’s promoter, admitted that the postponed date could be a reflection of the fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao in May.
“We are pleased that the judge granted postponement of his surrender date so he could fulfill his commitment to Las Vegas to deliver his promised megafight and the economic benefits it provides to the community,” Ellerbe said.
However, Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, did not seem to understand the judge’s ruling.
“It seems to me to be bizarre, but who am I to say," Arum said.
Pacquiao’s promoter, who also worked with Mayweather once, said the rivals would not meet in the ring come May.
“May 5 is out for us, it can't happen, because we want to explore the idea of getting a [temporary] stadium/arena up on the streets of Las Vegas that can seat 40,000, having the fight in a 40,000-seat arena rather than a 16,000-seat arena seems like a no-brainer." Arum said in a Los Angeles Times report.
"The end of May is a possibility," he added.
Arum also spoke about an injury that may prevent Pacquiao from training properly and fighting in early May. During a bout with Juan Manuel Marquez, Pacquiao suffered a deep eye injury.
"I don't know that he's on schedule to start sparring until the beginning of April," Arum said. "That's one of the things we'll discuss. If it is early April, we'll have to have the fight in late May."
Mayweather’s camp said they should have the name of his next opponent ready for fans this week.
“We'll make an announcement about who we're going to fight next week,” Ellerbe said Friday. “We just came out of the ... court hearing. Give us a chance to catch our breath."
