Pacquiao-Mayweather laban na!

MANILA, Philippines - Nagkasundo na sina Floyd Mayweather, Jr. at Manny Pacquiao para sa kanilang salpukan sa Mayo 2 sa MGM Grand sa Las Vegas, Nevada pati na ang mga cable networks na HBO at Showtime.

Nagsagawa ang HBO at Showtime ng madaliang joint press confe-rence para sa Pacquiao-Mayweather fight.

“We each have our businesses to run and we’re going to continue to compete the way we do, but if something of this magnitude presents itself and we can collaborate in this way, we will,” sabi ni HBO Sports president Ken Hershman. “It doesn’t always work out, but this time it did.”

Ang magkaibang cable networks ang isa rin sa naging problema para sa pagpaplantsa ng laban nina Pacquiao at Mayweather.

Sinabi ni Showtime Sports EVP at GM Stephen Espinoza na hindi biro ang gawin ang isang napakalaking laban na kagaya ng Pacquiao-Mayweather mega showdown.

“Every side of this negotiation bore some of the pain, and that’s how it got done,” wika ni Espinoza.

Si Pacquiao ay nasa HBO, samantalang si Mayweather ay may dalawa pang laban na natitira sa pinirmahan niyang exclusive contract sa Showtime.

Ang Pacquiao-Mayweather bout ang inaasahang magiging highest-grossing pay-per-view boxing match.

Noong 2012 ay humakot ang laban nina Mayweather at Saul Alvarez ng $150 million viewers na may total fight reve-nues ng halos $200 mil-yon kasama na ang sponsorships, international TV rights at blockbuster $20 million gate.

Kaya ang Maywea-ther-Pacquiao matchup ay naging top priority para sa Showtime at kay CBS Corp. president at CEO Leslie Moonves. (RC)