KingRevolver
Born Rambler
Article @ ESPN.
Floyd Mayweather Jr., who for the past two weeks has been relentlessly calling for fellow welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao to fight him on May 5 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, raised the chase to a new level on Wednesday night -- he called Pacquiao on the telephone and spoke directly with him in the Philippines.
"They spoke," Leonard Ellerbe, one of Mayweather's advisers, told ESPN.com on Thursday.
However, Ellerbe would not go into the particulars of the call -- what was said or how long they spoke.
"Floyd called him last night and the context of the conversation is between the two of them," said Ellerbe, who said Mayweather told him the specifics after making the call but did not want Ellerbe to go into details.
However, in an interview with a Filipino television network, Pacquiao also said that they spoke and that it was about making the fight and doing it on a 50-50 purse split.
Their proposed showdown looms as the richest fight in boxing history if it takes place while both are universally considered the two best fighters in the world.
Ellerbe said Mayweather placed the call from Las Vegas, where he lives, to the Philippines, where Pacquiao lives and serves as a member of Congress.
"I can't say what exactly was said but I know," Ellerbe said. "But Floyd wants to fight Manny Pacquiao on May 5 and he went as far as to reach out to Manny Pacquiao personally last night. Floyd has shown more than a willingness to get this fight done and this is really, really what he wants to do and what he wants to give to the fight fans."
Ellerbe said he was unsure how Mayweather obtained Pacquiao's direct line but added, "I'm sure that's not hard to get or find out because there have been members of Manny Pacquiao's camp who have reached out to me and other members of our team in the past. It wouldn't be that hard."
It has not been a secret that Mayweather has spoken multiple times with Michael Koncz, Pacquiao's adviser, in recent weeks.
Mayweather is insisting on May 5 because he is due to serve an 87-day jail sentence at the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas after a plea deal on domestic violence charges.
Floyd Mayweather Jr., who for the past two weeks has been relentlessly calling for fellow welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao to fight him on May 5 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, raised the chase to a new level on Wednesday night -- he called Pacquiao on the telephone and spoke directly with him in the Philippines.
"They spoke," Leonard Ellerbe, one of Mayweather's advisers, told ESPN.com on Thursday.
However, Ellerbe would not go into the particulars of the call -- what was said or how long they spoke.
"Floyd called him last night and the context of the conversation is between the two of them," said Ellerbe, who said Mayweather told him the specifics after making the call but did not want Ellerbe to go into details.
However, in an interview with a Filipino television network, Pacquiao also said that they spoke and that it was about making the fight and doing it on a 50-50 purse split.
Their proposed showdown looms as the richest fight in boxing history if it takes place while both are universally considered the two best fighters in the world.
Ellerbe said Mayweather placed the call from Las Vegas, where he lives, to the Philippines, where Pacquiao lives and serves as a member of Congress.
"I can't say what exactly was said but I know," Ellerbe said. "But Floyd wants to fight Manny Pacquiao on May 5 and he went as far as to reach out to Manny Pacquiao personally last night. Floyd has shown more than a willingness to get this fight done and this is really, really what he wants to do and what he wants to give to the fight fans."
Ellerbe said he was unsure how Mayweather obtained Pacquiao's direct line but added, "I'm sure that's not hard to get or find out because there have been members of Manny Pacquiao's camp who have reached out to me and other members of our team in the past. It wouldn't be that hard."
It has not been a secret that Mayweather has spoken multiple times with Michael Koncz, Pacquiao's adviser, in recent weeks.
Mayweather is insisting on May 5 because he is due to serve an 87-day jail sentence at the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas after a plea deal on domestic violence charges.
