Mayweather-Pacquiao Targeted For May 2011, Says Arum

While Manny Pacquiao recently issued a "November" challenge to Floyd Mayweather Jr., Top Rank's CEO Bob Arum, who promotes Pacquiao, feels it's way too late to stage the welterweight mega-fight in November.

Pacquiao penned an article where he called for Mayweather to sign a contract to fight him in November. Arum doesn't see a chance of that happening, even if Mayweather were to sign an agreement in the near future. A fight on the level of Mayweather-Pacquiao needs at least six months to properly promote, says Arum.

Arum also denied the rumors which claim Mayweather signed a promotional agreement with Don King. Mayweather and King have been spending a lot of time together in the last two weeks. King is trying to establish a working relationship with Mayweather. At this point, Arum would rather deal with King than Golden Boy Promotions, who worked with Mayweather on his last four fights. Arum believes a Mayweather deal can reached very quickly if King is negotiating for Floyd.

"It's too late for the fall. So Pacquiao-Mayweather would be something in the spring. Floyd has not signed officially with King, but when he does, I'm sure that Don will talk to me and we'll work it out," said Arum. "My recommendation is that we do the fight in May, in which case, if Pacquiao is successful in November, that will give us six months to promote the fight."

Top Rank is moving forward with Pacquiao-Margarito in full force. Arum plans to meet with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on Wednesday to discuss the likely possibilty of staging Pacquiao-Margarito on November 13 at Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The vacant WBC 154-pound title would be on the line. Interested parties in Abu Dhabi made a strong pitch to stage the fight, but Arum says the deal won't happen.

"I'm going to the Dallas Cowboys' Stadium on Wednesday with the intention of making a deal, and I'm very optimistic," said Arum. "Jerry Jones, I consider a friend. I think that we're going to make a deal. Jerry Jones knows that North Texas has a huge Hispanic population, and, particularly, a large Mexican American population.



"So Margarito will be a tremendous draw, and, as you know, Pacquiao was already a tremendous draw. So if the fight happens in The Dallas Cowboys' Stadium, the attendance will exceed the previous fight with Joshua Clottey, who really had no following in North Texas."

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