MANILA, Philippines - Despite his tax issues with the IRS, Manny Pacquiao said a couple of days ago he’d be flying to the United States this month for a family vacation.
On the side, the Filipino superstar said, there are possible talks with the camp of Floyd Mayweather Jr. regarding them doing a fight for 2014.
But the American pound-for-pound champion said there’s no certainty to that.
“I don’t really know what the future holds for me, but, you know, it’s different names everybody keeps hearing about,†he told www.fighthype.com.
The first name that comes out as Mayweather’s opponent for his scheduled May 3 return is Amir Khan. Then of course, there’s Pacquiao.
But Mayweather is leaning more on Khan. He hinted a few times that it’s not the time to fight Pacquiao despite the latter’s unanimous victory over Brandon Rios.
Mayweather, undefeated in 45 fights, keeps on reminding people that Pacquiao lost two in a row against Tim Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez.
And that following those two losses people were also asking if it was time for Pacquiao to call it a day.
“He comes back and he fights a lightweight (Rios),†Mayweather said.
Pacquiao reportedly owes the IRS some $18 million in unpaid taxes from 2006 to 2010 and the BIR in the Philippines a lot more than that for certain periods, too.
Mayweather said these tax problems must be driving Pacquiao toward him.
“He has problems; some real, real big problems, you know, and it’s three letters, and the first one begins with an ‘I,’ so I be trying to get a potential fight with Mayweather if I’m in a very, very bad predicament from what I hear. Absolutely I would,†Mayweather told www.fighthype.com.
Mayweather once offered Pacquiao $40 million all-in just to do the fight. But the Filipino turned it down, saying he wanted an fair share even if it doesn’t mean a fifty-fifty split.
Mayweather’s fight with Canelo Alvarez last September recorded 2.2 million pay-per-view fights worth a staggering $150 million while Pacquiao vs Rios did less than 500,000.
A Mayweather vs Pacquiao fight may generate over $200 million in revenues, and if Pacquiao is really in a tight fix as it seems, then he needs Mayweather.
Pacquiao can’t make as much money fighting anyone else.
For the right price, he will fight Mayweather – as soon as possible.