MAYWEATHER ADVISER BELIEVES PACQUIAO WILL TELL ARUM HE WANTS MAYWEATHER
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 18 Nov 2011
The Chief Operating Officer of Mayweather Promotions, Leonard Ellerbe says pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao is an honorable individual and believes he would tell Top Rank promoter Bob Arum he wants to fight Mayweather next.
David Mayo of the Grand Rapids Press who is a close friend of Ellerbe and an admirer of Mayweather Jr quoted Ellerbe as saying "I think Manny Pacquiao is going to step up and say, 'I want to fight Floyd Mayweather.He is an honorable guy, his country admires him, and I think he'll step up. Otherwise, he'll disappoint his own fans, and I don't think he'll do that.?
The Mayweather adviser added that in his opinion Pacquiao ?needs to step up and tell the promoter, 'This is what I really want to do,' if it's really what he wants to do. I know what the fans want. I truly believe Manny Pacquiao will step up and make the fight happen. At the end of the day, the fighter should have the say-so on who he gets in the ring with."
Filipino reporter Francis Ochoa who covered the fight against Juan Manuel Marquez quoted Pacquiao after the Marquez fight saying ?Let?s make it happen on May 5.Let?s give the people a good fight. Let?s get it on.?
However, Arum put a damper on talk of a Mayweather megabuck fight in the aftermath of last Saturdays trilogy with the Mexican legend stating that he was looking at a fourth fight with Marquez and said, he deserved it following his close but controversial loss to Pacquiao in a fight many media people and fans thought he deserved to win.
Ellerbe insisted Arum could make another Marquez fight ?anytime? adding, in his usual cocky fashion "When Floyd knocks out Manny Pacquiao, that fight will still be there. They can still make that fight after the chapter on Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao is closed."
Retired federal judge Daniel Weinstein, the arbiter in the contractual and other issues between Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions involving Pacquiao, had been requested by the Mayweather camp to try to bring both sides to the negotiating table to discuss a Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown but claimed Weinstein sent an email to Golden Boy Promotions stating that Arum had no interest in negotiating a Mayweather fight at this time.
Mayo quoted Ellerbe who said "As business people, our team, we've put egos and everything aside, and we want to make a deal for the good of the sport.The fans deserve a fight like this. You have to put egos aside. But when someone has a different agenda, it makes it difficult. I've challenged them, personally, to give the fans what they want."
The best hope for the fight, Ellerbe said, is for Pacquiao to assert control over his own matchmaking and tell Arum to negotiate for a Mayweather fight, adding "I'm still optimistic. I'm pretty confident that Manny Pacquiao is going to step up and say he wants to fight Floyd Mayweather."
Should a Pacquiao fight not materialize Ellerbe said they will go ahead with plans for a Mayweather return to the ring at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 5 and would try ?to make the biggest fight that's out there."
Arum claimed earlier that when the Mayweather side announced they wanted to fight ?the little fella? they were referring to Erik ?El Terrible? Morales and not Pacquiao who demolished the Mexican in two of their three fights with a 10th round TK and a 3rd round knockout after losing the first bout 115-113 on the scorecards of all three judges.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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