Thursday, 19 January 2012

Arum Says May Not for Manny


Promoter Bob Arum has said the next time Manny Pacquiao steps into a ring it will not be with Floyd Mayweather Jnr.

Arum said there was 'no magic' in making the fight on May 5, preferring a November date for what would be the biggest showdown this century.

"The fight is not going to happen. We will do the fight in November. There is no real magic in doing it in May." 

Mayweather has had a 90-day jail term put back to June 1 in order to allow him to fight on May 5, but if he does make that date it will not be against Pacquiao.

"Economically it is a problem that Floyd created," Arum told Sports Illustrated. "The amount that would be lost by moving it to May 5 is enormous.

"The fight is not going to happen. We will do the fight in November. There is no real magic in doing it in May."

Arum said Pacquiao's next fight would be on June 9 in an outdoor arena in Las Vegas to accomodate up to 38,000 spectators.

Contractors said they would be unable to complete construction before the end of May.

Mayweather says he only has Pacquiao in mind, but if he is unavailable for May 5 then middleweight champion Sergio Martinez would be his next choice of opponent.

"Manny Pacquiao is the only fight I want," he told a media gathering in Las Vegas. "But if he won't fight me then I will have to fight someone else. I have to make a living.

"If Sergio Martinez can make 150lb, we can make the fight. There are no excuses. If he can make 150, lets make it happen."

Martinez, the WBC 'diamond' champion at the 160lb limit, defends the belt against Matthew Macklin on March 17, just seven weeks before Mayweather's May date.