HBO executive: Megafight negotiations took place

MANILA, Philippines - The president of HBO Sports has finally spoken. He said yes, there were negotiations that went on in an attempt to make the fight happen between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Ross Greenburg spoke to Dan Rafael of ESPN.com, and went with Bob Arum’s story that for nearly two months, negotiations between Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions took place.

Arum called the shots for Pacquiao while Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, along with Leonard Ellerbe and Al Haymon, represented Mayweather in the aborted talks.

Greenburg always stood in between the two groups.

However, nothing came out of the talks, and for the second time, and for so many reasons that weren’t really that unreasonable, an attempt to make the biggest fight in history failed.

“Fights like Mayweather vs Pacquiao are significant because of these fighters’ ability to connect with sports fans around the world. It’s unfortunate that it won’t happen in 2010,” Greenburg was quoted as saying.

“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,” he added.

On May 1, Mayweather defeated Mosley. It’s been said then that was all that’s needed to seal the fight with Pacquiao, who just two months before that date outclassed Joshua Clottey in Dallas.

Greenburg said he’d always been relaying messages from Arum to Ellerbe, then back to Arum, back to Ellerbe.

A gag order was even put in place, and neither side would talk to the press. Until Golden Boy chief Oscar dela Hoya came out with a statement sometime a month ago, that they are close to reaching a deal.

But Schaefer came out with his own statement the day after, saying his boss was misquoted even if great boxer who was annihilated by Pacquiao in 2008 said it on video, over a Spanish network.

Arum said it’s Mayweather’s failure to meet a deadline for him to agree to Pacquiao’s terms and call the fight was the last straw even though the Top Rank chief said it could still happen next year.

Mayweather said he’s just enjoying his vacation, probably counting the millions he made in two successful fights against Juan Manuel Marquez and Shane Mosley, and wants to get off boxing for a while.

But his representatives had an entirely different story to tell, instead of saying that Mayweather won’t fight Pacquiao at a 50-50 split or that he continues to stand firm on his demand of random drug testing.

They said there was no negotiation that ever took place, and therefore, no fight between the two superstars will take place on Nov. 13.

Arum was also asked about the latest on the matter, now that the gag order is definitely not in place.

“The one you should all be taking to task is Schaefer for lying to the press,” Arum told Rafael. “You don’t do that. You can say ‘no comment’ or say nothing. Richard Schaefer owes an apology to the press, not to me, because I’ve written him off a long time ago.

“But now anything he says will be suspect. I don’t feel vindicated by Ross’ statement because that’s what happened. I knew what happened because I know I lived through the negotiations. I knew what I said about them was absolutely truthful so I didn’t give a damn who believed me. No skin off my back,” said Arum.