MANILA, Philippines - Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao finally came face to face yesterday – in a basketball game in the United States.
The two boxing superstars were at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida to watch the Heat play the Milwaukee Bucks.
During a break, Mayweather came up to Pacquiao. They met at center court.
They had a “nice little talk” and swapped mobile phone numbers, according to Pacquiao’s adviser Mike Koncz.
The fighters were both sitting courtside, directly across from one another, at the Miami Heat game on Tuesday night. Mayweather went over to Pacquiao at halftime; the men shook hands and chatted briefly, then exchanged phone numbers.
“He gave his number to me and said we will communicate with each other,” said Pacquiao, adding that he had never before met Mayweather in person.
Asked to clarify if the exchange meant the two would negotiate directly about meeting in the ring, Pacquiao said that was the case.
Mayweather did not respond to a question asked by an AP reporter. “Not now,” one of his security guards said, as Mayweather fiddled with his phone.
A couple of years ago, Mayweather called Pacquiao on the phone and offered him $40 million so they could make the fight happen.
Nothing came out of it.
This meeting opens the line of communication personally between Mayweather and Pacquiao, and should boost hopes that they will face each other on May 2 in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao and Mayweather tapped each on the shoulder as they parted.
Reading Pacquiao’s lips in a short video posted by Yahoo! Sports, he must have told Mayweather, “No problem.”
And as Mayweather walked away, Koncz tried calling Mayweather’s attention.
The undefeated American looked back. But that’s as far as the video went.
The STAR asked Koncz if the fight was on. “Not yet,” he said.
According to a close friend of Pacquiao, the meeting did not end there because later in the night, the two boxers met again.
Bernard Cloma, a close friend of Jinkee Pacquiao, told dzMM Teleradyo that Mayweather visited Pacquiao at the hotel where the Filipino was staying.
The two fighters had another chance to talk. No other details of the meeting were divulged.
It was reported that Mayweather asked Pacquiao that they “work this fight out among themselves – boxer to boxer.”
Mayweather said last month that he’s ready to make the fight happen May 2. Asked Tuesday if that date can finally be the one, Pacquiao – who has said it’s time to give boxing fans what they want – nodded and said “yes.”
When Mayweather said he wanted the May 2 fight to happen, he said Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum had been the main obstacle for it not coming together in the last five years. Mayweather repeated his old charges about Pacquiao not wanting to do blood tests prior to the fight for it not happening five years ago.
He also has no doubt that he could beat Pacquiao. – With AP