Full Timeline of Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2015 Negotiations

Full Timeline of Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2015 Negotiations 

Can we finally see Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2015? With Mayweather recently calling out Manny Pacquiao for a bout on May 2nd, many people may not be aware of the full negotiations between Pac-Man and the Money Team. Here’s a full breakdown of the back and forth between the two juggernauts.

2009

Back in December 5, 2009 ESPN reported that Manny signed a contract to fight Floyd on March 13, 2010. Shortly after that, Pacquiao denied ever signing a contract to fight Mayweather, telling FanHouse, “There are still some things that need to be negotiated.”

According to Yahoo! Sports, on December 11, 2009 a detailed contract was sent by Golden Boy Promotions on behalf of Mayweather to Top Rank on behalf of Pacquiao which projected a 50-50 financial split down the middle, between the fighters for a fight that would have been slated for March 13, 2010.

The eight page document was apparently so detailed, that it stated which of the fighters would step onto the scale first at the weigh in (Manny), who would walk to the ring first (Manny), who would get the first introduction (Floyd) and who had the first choice of the locker room (Floyd). The fight would’ve been on HBO Pay-Per-View at the price of $59.95. Billing was stated to be “Mayweather vs Pacquiao, presented by Top Rank, Golden Boy Promotions, Mayweather Promotions and M-P Promotions in association with [approved sponsors and the site].” The contract also stated that both fighters would submit to Olympic-style drug testing.

The bout was expected to be the largest-grossing fight in history, where total revenues could reach $300 million. Experts predicted the fight would sell anywhere between 2.5 million and 3 million pay-per-views in the U.S.

In a video featuring Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach, Roach spoke on the Olympic style drug testing stating:

“I hear negotiations are a little shady. Schaefer and them are unhappy about something. They want Olympic-style drug testing. I said, ‘Yeah, no problem.’ I said, ‘Whatever you want.’ Since we accepted that, now they’re running scared again.”

Watch this short video below which goes into that interview further.

On December 13 Pacquiao’s adviser, Michael Koncz, stated Mayweather’s request for Olympic-style drug testing was a laughing matter and they had no concerns whatsoever about it. “Our reaction is, ‘So what?’ We know Manny doesn’t take any illegal drugs or anything. And none of this is getting under Manny’s skin or anything. I’m here with Manny, and to him, it’s like a joke. It’s a laughing matter,” said Koncz.

After reports had surfaced that both parties had agreed to all terms, Golden Boy Promotions released a press release on December 22,  revealing that Pacquiao was unwilling to comply with the Olympic-style drug testing requested by Team Mayweather. The following day, Bob Arum, Top Rank founder and CEO, announced the fight was off and Pacquiao would be facing a different opponent.

“We appeased Mayweather by agreeing to a urine analysis at any time, and blood testing before the press conference and after the fight. Mayweather pressed for blood testing even up to the weigh-in. He knew that Manny gets freaked out when his blood gets taken and feels that it weakens him. This is just harassment and, to me, just signaled that he didn’t want the fight.”

Not too long after say that the bout was off, Arum had a change of heart and offered Floyd Mayweather a 24-hour take-it-or-leave-it deadline to accept Team Pacquiao’s terms for the olympic style drug testing. Top Rank put out a press release explaining their place on Mayweather’s ask for random Olympic-style drug testing. In it, Arum said Pacquiao was willing to submit to as many random urine tests requested, but as far as random blood tests were concerned, he was only willing to subject himself to 3 tests: one in January, one 30 days from the bout (no later than February 13) and immediately after the fight. Arum stated:

“Let’s be very clear on the real issues we differ on. It’s not about being tested….It’s about who does the testing and the scheduling of the procedures….The major issue related to the testing rests with which independent agency will administer these tests. The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) cannot do it because they will not amend its procedures to accommodate the blood testing schedule we have outlined. USADA, under its guidelines, would have the right to administer random blood tests as many times as they want up to weigh-in day and that is ludicrous.”

Freddie Roach told Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times on December 22, 2009, that he would prefer for Pacquiao to give his last blood sample a week before the bout and no later than 72 hours before.

On December 28, 2009, video from an episode of HBO’s Pacquiao-Hatton: 24/7 surfaced on the internet showing Pacquiao giving blood in the weeks leading up to his May 2, 2009, bout with Ricky Hatton. Documents confirmed that the HBO video was recorded April 8, 2009, which was 24 days before the fight and past the 30-day cut-off date that Pacquiao had demanded for the Mayweather fight.

Pacquiao filed suit in U.S. District Court in Nevada on December 30, 2009, against Floyd Mayweather Jr., Floyd Mayweather Sr., Roger Mayweather, Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions executives Oscar De La Hoya and Richard Schaefer, asserting that they made false and slanderous statements accusing him of taking “performance-enhancing” drugs.

2010

Both sides agreed to enter into negotiation on January 7, 2010, in hopes of coming to an agreement on the blood testing situation. Retired federal judge Daniel Weinstein, who had previously resolved a prior dispute between Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions, would again act as mediator. Two days later, after hours of negotiating, Arum stated again that the fight was officially off after Mayweather refused to agree to a 24-day cut-off date. Mayweather revealed that he offered a 14-day cut-off date to Team Pacquiao, but it was rejected.

Leonard Ellerbe declared on January 18, 2010, that random blood and urine testing will be enforced in all of Mayweather’s future fights, regardless of who the opponent was. On February 13, 2010, in an interview with David Mayo of The Grand Rapids Press, Mayweather said:

“I gave him a chance, up to 14 days out. But my new terms are all the way up to the fight. They can come get us whenever, all the way up to the fight, random drug test. That’s what it is.”

After the failed negotiations again, both boxers faced other fighters. On March 13, 2010, Pacquiao beat Joshua Clottey on a unanimous decision, and on May 1, 2010, Mayweather beat Shane Mosley also by unanimous decision. 

On May 13, 2010, Arum proclaimed that he had penciled in November 13, 2010, as the date of Pacquiao’s next fight, possibly against Mayweather.

Pacquiao stated, “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.”

The same day, Mayweather stated that he would be taking the rest of 2010, and possibly 2011, off.

Arum announced on June 30, 2010, that there weren’t any issues and the decision was left up to Mayweather. “That’s all been resolved. There’s no longer any issues….The question is whether Mayweather is willing to fight this year.” He would reiterate that comment to the Manila Bulletin, stating, “It’s now up to Mayweather if he wants to fight.”

On July 13, 2010, Arum issued a July 16 midnight deadline for Mayweather. “Mayweather has until the end of the week. He could wait until the last minute. If it’s Friday [July 16] and it’s 11 p.m., and he says we have a deal, we have a deal,” Arum would explain to Dan Rafael of ESPN. On July 15, Top Rank’s website unveiled an official countdown to the deadline entitled “Money” Time: Mayweather’s Decision.

As soon as the deadline expired, Arum held a conference call. Arum revealed to the media that the negotiations he had referred to consisted of a series of conversations with HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg. He also revealed that there was no real direct communication with any representative from Team Mayweather or Golden Boy Promotions stating:

“I had a couple of conversations with Ross and I laid out all the terms that would be acceptable to our side and I also informed him about the concession that Manny had made regarding drug testing. He got back to me in a couple of weeks and told me that he had discussions with Al Haymon, representing Floyd Mayweather, and that everything looked good and we were nearing a resolution. The subsequent conversations with Ross detailed to me conversations he had with Al Haymon. Nowhere was the name Richard Schaefer or Golden Boy mentioned, although I read, as you all did, Oscar’s statement that a deal was close, so I assumed from that Haymon was keeping Schaefer and Golden Boy abreast of the situation.” During a Q & A session following his opening statement, Arum further explained, “We have never talked to anybody on the Mayweather side and all conversations on our part were through Ross Greenburg and he reported on all conversations on the Mayweather side from Al Haymon.”

On July 19, 2010, Ellerbe denied these negotiations stating:

“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 nor was there ever a deal agreed upon by Team Mayweather or Floyd Mayweather to fight Manny Pacquiao on November 13. Either Ross Greenburg or Bob Arum is not telling the truth, but history tells us who is lying.”

Three days later, Schaefer backed Ellerbe’s statement that negotiations never took place.

When asked via e-mail for his response to Ellerbe’s denial that negotiations ever took place, Greenburg would respond to ESPN’s Dan Rafael with the following reply: “As always we have no comment.”

Regarding comments he made suggesting that contracts for the mega-fight were close to being finalized, De La Hoya told BoxingScene.com on July 26, 2010, “I think I said it because I get the question asked so many times that, obviously, I was fed up and tired of it and I just said like, yeah, yeah, it’s gonna get made. So it was a quick answer that I should have obviously thought about. But, obviously, negotiations weren’t going on. Nothing was going on.”

Also on July 26, 2010, Greenburg released a statement saying he had negotiated with a representative from each side since May 2, 2010. “I had been negotiating with a representative from each side since May 2, carefully trying to put the fight together. Hopefully, someday this fight will happen. Sports fans deserve it,” Greenburg revealed in a prepared statement sent out to select members of the media.

Schaefer again supported Ellerbe’s denial of negotiations, and challenged both Greenburg and Arum to take lie detector tests. “I think it’s unfortunate that Ross made that statement. I fully stand behind the statement I made. I have not negotiated with Ross and I am not aware of any negotiations that have taken place,” Schaefer told ESPN.

On September 2, 2010, Mayweather unleashed a profanity-filled racist Internet rant against Pacquiao via Ustream. He was misquoted as referring to Pacquiao as “a yellow chump” but he actually called him a “little young chump” and said, “Once I stomp the midget, I’ll make that queer make me a sushi roll and cook me some rice.” In addition, he said, “I’m going to cook that [expletive] with cats and dogs. Have some rice with a little barbecue dog.” He also referred to Pacquiao as a Fag.

The following day Mayweather apologized. “I want to apologize to everybody. They felt it was a racist comment that came from me. I don’t have a racist bone in my body, you know. I love everybody,” Mayweather said. ” I was just having fun. I didn’t really mean it, nothing in a bad way.”

2011

On July 8, 2011, ESPN reported that Pacquiao was willing to agree to random drug testing—but not by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). “We have agreed in the Pacquiao camp to unlimited random testing done by a responsible, neutral organization,” Arum told Yahoo. “We don’t believe USADA is a neutral organization. I don’t think anybody’s test is as vigorous as the test administered by the Olympic Organization. And we can arrange for the Olympic Organization to handle the test under the supervision of the Athletic commission respective of the state where the fight is going to be held.”

However, the following day, Pacquiao’s top adviser, Michael Koncz, stated that Pacquiao had never agreed to testing until fight day. “Will we give blood five days, seven days before the fight? You know, that’s something I have to talk to Manny about, but we have nothing to hide,” Koncz said.

2012

ESPN reported on January 20, 2012, that Mayweather called Pacquiao on the telephone and spoke directly with him in the Philippines. “He ask about a 50/50 split and I told him no that can’t happen, but what can happen is you can make more money fighting me then you have made in your career,” Mayweather said. Mayweather offered to pay him a flat fee of $40 million for a proposed fight but would not allow him to share in the revenue. Pacquiao said, “I spoke to Floyd…and he offered me an amount,” Pacquiao said. “He didn’t talk about the pay-per-views here and that’s it. I can’t agree with that. I told him I agree with 55 and 45 (split).”

Pacquiao appeared on the ESPN program First Take on September 20, 2012, and said he had no problem with the drug-testing issue. “No problem,” Pacquiao said. “Whatever he wants to do.” Pacquiao said he was willing to be tested even on the night of the fight. “No problem,” he said. “Even the night of the fight. No problem”.

Watch more of the interview below.

On September 25, 2012, Mayweather and Pacquiao reached a confidential settlement in their federal defamation case. In a statement released through the mediator in the case, the Mayweathers said they “wish to make it clear that they never intended to claim that Manny Pacquiao has used or is using any performance-enhancing drugs, nor are they aware of any evidence that Manny Pacquiao has used performance-enhancing drugs.”

2013

The Telegraph reported on December 20, 2013, that Mayweather said Pacquiao’s association with promoter Bob Arum is the reason the bout will not happen. “We all know the Pacquiao fight, at this particular time, will never happen, and the reason why the fight won’t happen is because I will never do business with Bob Arum again in life, and Pacquiao is Bob Arum’s fighter,” Mayweather said.

2014

On January 7, 2014, Fighthype.com published an interview with Mayweather where he called Pacquiao a “desperate dog” who is chasing a megabout due to his tax problems. In response, Pacquiao challenged Mayweather to a fight for charity. “I challenge him to include in our fight contract that both of us will not receive anything out of this fight,” Pacquiao said during a phone interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer. “We will donate all the proceeds from the fight—guaranteed prize, should there be any, gate receipts, pay-per-view and endorsements—to charities around the world.” In a final taunt, Pacquiao said, “Floyd, if you’re a real man, fight me. Let’s do it for the love of boxing and for the fans. Let’s do it not for the sake of money. Let’s make the boxing fans happy.”

On December 12, 2014, Mayweather proposed a May 2nd, 2015 fight with Pacquiao, stating that Pacquiao had lost to both Marquez and Bradley, and that Pacquiao is “not on his level”. He ended his comments with, “Lets make this fight happen for the people and for the fans. Mayweather vs Pacquiao. May 2nd”.

So after all this, do you still think we’ll get Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2015? Leave some comments below!