Mayweather insists on May 5 date

MANILA, Philippines - The latest from Floyd Mayweather Jr. is that he wants Manny Pacquiao on May 5 – this year.

Take it or leave it.

“I’m ready to fight Pacquiao 5/5/12,” Mayweather said in his Twitter account yesterday.

He’s begging for the fight against the Filipino superstar.

“First they say I am ducking the fight. But now it seems like I’m begging for the fight. What’s going on?”

Mayweather added in his tweets.

Mayweather and Pacquiao have both expressed their intention to stage the fight that the whole world wants to see.

The problem, however, lies in the date and the place the fight should take place.

Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, said May 5 may be too early to hold the fight that should generate over $200 million in revenues.

Each fighter should get no less than $50 million for the fight, and Arum said because of this, the promoters should maximize its potential.

One way to do this, Arum said, is to push the fight to the last week of May or the first week of June, not at the MGM which can only seat 17,000, but in a special open-air arena somewhere along the famous Vegas Blvd. because it can seat close to 45,000.

“We will leave $30 million behind (in gate sales) if we hold this fight at the MGM,” said Arum.

Now, Mayweather’s camp is insisting on May 5 because they say it’s the date they presented to the Las Vegas judge as the date of his next fight, and for this primary reason he was allowed to stay out of jail.

Mayweather was sentenced to 90 days in prison, with another 90 days extended, for pleading guilty to a battery case in 2010. He was supposed to start his jail sentence last Jan. 6 but the judge allowed him to fight on May 5 and go to prison in June.

If Mayweather doesn’t fight on May 5, whether it’s Pacquiao or anyone else Golden Boy Promotions puts in front of him, the judge may order him to go to jail anytime earlier than that day.

There is point in Arum wanting to push the fight to late May or June 9 because 3 1/2 months from now until May 5 may be too short to put up and stage the superfight.

One, both fighters may need more than two months to train, longer than what they would normally need, and two, the promoters will have to map out a promotional tour like no other.

The fight has to be sold the way it’s supposed to be sold, and if the promoters do it the right way, then they can count on this fight breaking all the existing records in boxing – pay-per-view sales, ticket sales, broadcast rights and merchandise.

Arum said a few days ago that the problem here is that no one can guarantee Mayweather’s purse, especially if it’s true that he’s asking more than $50 million.

But Mayweather said in his tweets he has the money in the bag.

“I have my guarantee,” he tweeted as if he was telling Arum. “Call (Richard) Schaefer and Al (Haymon), and stop lying to the public.”