Somebody's lying.
But who?
The promoter of WBO welterweight (147 pounds) champion Manny Pacquiao, Top Rank's CEO Bob Arum, told reporters in a recent national conference call that he had been negotiating a Nov. 13 fight between the seven-division titlist and unbeaten Floyd Mayweather.
Arum said that he had been doing so for the past two months with HBO President of Sports, Ross Greenburg, acting as the intermediary between himself and Mayweather's manager, Al Haymon.
Arum said that the talks were exclusive of anyone else other than himself and Haymon, whom he said was reporting and forwarding Mayweather's thoughts and opinions.
Arum said that Pacquiao had imposed a July 16, midnight deadline for which Mayweather was to sign for the bout, or else, the Filipino would move on with plans to pursue his record eighth crown in as many different weight classes against either WBA junior middleweight (154 pounds) champ, Miguel Cotto, or WBC No. 1 contender, Antonio Margarito.
On Sunday, one day after an imposed, deadline, Mayweather broke what had been a two-month long silence by his camp, speaking as if oblivious to the urgency of the situation.
"I'm not really thinking about boxing right now," said Mayweather. "I'm just relaxing."
On Monday, however, Mayweather's adviser, Leonard Ellerbe, issued a statement that was first reported by BoxingScene.com's Rick Reeno denying that the talks have ever taken place, mentioning Greenburg as well as Golden Boy Promotions' CEO, Richard Schaefer, who assists in promoting Mayweather.
"Here are the facts. Al Haymon, Richard Schaefer and myself speak to each other on a regular basis, and the truth is, no negotiations have ever taken place," stated Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions.
"Nor was there ever a deal agreed upon by Team Mayweather or Floyd Mayweather to fight Manny Pacquiao on November 13," said Ellerbe. "Either Ross Greenburg or Bob Arum is not telling the truth, but history tells us who is lying."
Neither Greenburg nor Arum is commenting on the recent development.
Is it possible that Mayweather was telling the truth when he spoke about taking a couple of years off in this video below?
"At this particular time, Floyd Mayweather is going to take probably a year off, or a couple of years off from the sport of boxing," Mayweather said in the video. "I don't really know what the future holds for Floyd Mayweather at this particular time. You know, I'll probably take a couple of years off."
But Arum and Pacquiao's adviser, Michael Koncz, said that Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 knockouts) will go ahead with plans to pursue bouts against either Cotto (35-2, 28 KOs), or Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs), with Margarito and Pacquiao fighting for the WBC title vacated by Sergio Martinez.
It appears that either The Dallas Cowboys' Stadium or the MGM Grand in Las Vegas would be more suitable for a bout between Pacquiao and Cotto, while the MGM and Monterrey, Mexico, would be more appropriate for a Margarito fight, according to Arum.
Abu Dhabi could play host to either fight if the money is right.
Read More: WBO Golden Boy Promotions Boxing Rumors HBO Top Rank Promotions Al+Haymon, Antonio+Margarito, Bob+Arum, Floyd+Mayweather, Leonard+Ellerbe, Manny+Pacquiao, Maywheather+Promotions, Michael+Koncz, Miguel+Cotto, Ross+Greenburg
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