Floyd Jr to Pacquiao: Let's fight on May 5

Floyd Mayweather Jr. has hurled the challenge. It will be up to Manny Pacquiao and Top Rank CEO Bob Arum to call it or not. The unbeaten American, Pacquiao’s chief rival for the world’s top pound-for-pound title, dared the camp of the Filipino ring icon to sign the contract to set the fight believed by many as the one likely to go down as the biggest and richest in boxing history. The fight date: May 5, 2012. “May 5 is the date, sign the contract. I’m waiting,” Mayweather Jr. posted on hisTwitter account. The shout-out by the 34-year-old reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight champion came just as reports were confirmed that both camps had returned to the negotiating table on the possibility of the two fighters meeting in the ring, hopefully, by next year. Pacquiao himself confirmed over the weekend the initial talks made so far on making the fight happen, a likelihood which Arum said will start to roll once the financial issue has been settled. But for Mayweather, holder of a 42-0 record including 26 knockouts, his signature and Pacquiao’s are the only things needed to seal the fight. “I can’t be sitting waiting all day, you want to fight, let’s make it happen,” said the native of Grand Rapids, Michigan. “I’m here. I’m waiting, what’s going on? I can sign today. If I sign today, you better sign tomorrow.” The brash talking former Olympic bronze medalist also took a dig on Pacquiao’s last fight against rival Juan Manuel Marquez, which Mayweather said the Filipino southpaw obviously lost. “Losing is in Pacquiao’s mind, because he lost to Marquez three times,” he said. Two previous negotiations for a Pacquiao-Mayweather meeting bogged down owing to disagreement in the drug testing procedure to be administered to both fighters. It was Mayweather who suggested that he and Pacquiao undergo random drug testing 14 days before the scheduled fight following insinuations that the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight king is into performance enhancing drugs. Pacquiao had since filed a civil suit against Mayweather and his camp for such allegations. But of late, Pacquiao appeared to have softened his stance and disclosed he’s willing to take the drug test just for the fight to get done. No problem with Mayweather. “You said you're a clean athlete and you said you'd take the test, so let's do it.”  — JVP/OMG/KG, GMA News