Pacquiao sees Floyd showdown up in May

MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao said Floyd Mayweather may no longer be afraid to face him, and said that it’s highly possible now that the fight the whole world wants to see may happen in May.

Pacquiao said Mayweather must have felt better watching his recent fight with Juan Manuel Marquez, whose great counter-punching skills made the Filipino look bad inside the ring.

But Pacquiao pulled off in the closing rounds, earning a majority decision and yet another controversial victory over the crafty Mexican whom he’d faced three times now.

“Nakita niya (Mayweather) na pwede ko na labanan si Manny (He must have felt he can take on me now),” Pacquiao said during his return to Gen. Santos City the other day.

“Dahil medyo nahirapan siya kay Marquez, eh si Marquez, binugbog ko lang (He had a hard time against Marquez and I beat Marquez up),” Pacquiao told ABS-CBN.

Pacquiao said this is how Mayweather must be thinking right now.

Negotiations for a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight, one that could break all box-office records in boxing, have bogged down twice due to various reasons.

There’s the drug-testing procedure and the purse split, but Pacquiao had said before that Mayweather, the undefeated American, is simply afraid to face him.

Pacquiao said things may have changed following his fight with Marquez. But he welcomed the development because he himself wants the fight to happen.

“Let’s make it happen on May 5,” Pacquiao said inside the ring of the MGM Grand moments after his victory over Marquez.

Pacquiao also told ABS-CBN that negotiations are on regarding the Mayweather fight.

“Ongoing ang negotiation sa fight namin ni Mayweather, hindi pa final (Negotiations are ongoing but nothing is final yet),” said the fighting congressman from Sarangani.

“Yan ang pinaka-aabangan ng boxing fans (That’s what boxing fans are waiting for),” he added.

Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, said a fourth match with Marquez should happen in order to put a definitive end to their rivalry. Pacquiao said he’s open to this fight as well.

“I can take on Marquez or Mayweather. I don’t have any problem with that,” he said.