Pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao has expressed confidence that he will fight Floyd Mayweather Jr sometime next year.
Pacquiao made the statement in a wide-ranging interview with the Daily Inquirer and Australia?s KO Boxing television host and multi-titled promoter Peter Maniatis at the Sofitel Hotel on Thursday evening.
Pacquiao who was special guest and inducting officer at the Manila Rotary Club District 101 where Ms. Liza Elorde was installed as president said ?I will fight Mayweather next year? apparently confident that Top Rank promoter Bob Arum can negotiate an eagerly awaited megabuck fight.
Following public statements made both by Pacquiao and Arum that the ?Fighter of the Decade? is willing to undergo the blood tests demanded by the Mayweather camp, what seemed to be a stumbling block to an epic showdown was removed.
However, to the chagrin of Arum, he said Mayweather?s ?crazy father (Floyd Mayweather Sr) says ?yes? but he (Pacquiao) is not allowed to train in the Philippines. This is bizarre.?
Despite the seeming setback Arum said he is ready to do whatever he can to make a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. happen.
In an interview with the Daily Inquirer, Arum noted ?We are certainly not the impediment for that fight to happen. We will do whatever we can to make that fight happen. But you can?t chase this guy because of you chase this guy (Mayweather) you?ll accomplish nothing.?
Arum said ?this is not something that you can read like a normal situation.
Pacquiao also indicated he plans to have ?maybe two or three more fights? before hanging up his gloves and concentrating on his duties as a congressman and his commitment to help the poor people of the country enjoy a better life.
He said he was ?looking into reports of corruption? in his home province of Sarangani and lamented the corruption at the local government level even as he vowed to do his best to eradicate if not minimize corruption.
Pacquiao said he expects another difficult fight in his trilogy with Juan Manuel Marquez on November 12 in Las Vegas and said he expected Marquez ?to be at his best? for the fight.
Pacquiao will welcome Marquez to Manila for the kickoff of their media tour on September 3 after which their roadshow will travel to New York and Los Angeles and wind up in Mexico.
He said he would begin training in mid September and after four weeks in Baguio City would train at the Wild Card Gym of Freddie Roach for another four weeks.
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