by James Slater – It’s the super-fight the entire boxing world wants to see, and it seems Manny Pacquiao is willing to make a compromise in order to give the fans the mega-bout with Floyd Mayweather Junior. As has been reported today by a number of publications – The Manila Bulletin and The Philippine Star for two – the pound-for-pound king has verbally agreed to take the blood tests Mayweather has demanded, up to 14 days before the fight.
According to Manny’s comments, as taken by Philip Ella Juico, he will never agree to be tested on fight day, and he will not agree to give what he considers to be too great an amount of blood..
“As long as they’re not getting a large amount of blood, I am willing to give out blood as close to two weeks before the fight,” Pacquiao said. “It [the Mayweather fight] might push through now.”
This is the biggest concession the Filipino legend has yet made with regards to the demands “Money” has made of him. Will Floyd Junior and his team be happy with Pac-Man’s 14 day agreement, or will Team-Mayweather insist on random drug tests right up until a day or two before the actual fight, or maybe the day of the fight itself?
According to the news article that has appeared on The Philippine Star’s website, Pacquiao’s business manager, Michael Koncz, is fearful that now that Pac-Man has agreed to a 14 day testing concession, Mayweather will come up with “new demands” simply to prevent the fight from taking place. Koncz clearly feels that Mayweather is extremely reluctant to face the southpaw dynamo; as do some other people.
It seems the ball is now in Mayweather’s court, and we will surely get a response from him with regards to this breaking news. Will Floyd and his team agree to a 14 day cut off for the blood tests, or not? This could well be the question the whole boxing world will be asking itself right now!
Rumours persist that, if Pacquiao-Mayweather cannot be made, and if he is given a licence to box in the U.S, Antonio Margarito could be the man who winds up facing Pacquiao next. Whoever it is in the opposite corner of the ring, Pac-Man is down as fighting again in November. Fingers crossed it WILL be against Floyd “Money” Mayweather.