Money still stumbling block to Pacquiao-Mayweather bout

Top Rank Boxing and Golden Boy Promotions continue to disagree about how to split the purse in a theoretical Manny Pacquiao versus Floyd Mayweather bout, as the two sides' CEOs took to HBO to air their differing views. On the debut episode of "The Fight Game with Jim Lampley" last Saturday (Sunday, PHL time), Bob Arum, CEO of Top Rank Boxing, which handles Pacquiao, agreed with the Sarangani congressman, saying, "Let's do it 45 percent to Mayweather, 45 percent to Pacquiao and 10 percent to the winner. We've got to have parity. "If Mayweather really believes that he can beat Pacquiao, which I don't think he believes, he'll pick up more than 50% that way. But it's up to Floyd [Mayweather]." But in a separate segment of the episode, Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer disagreed vehemently, saying, "I think he [Mayweather] should get the lion's share. "I think that what we should do is have one of those big three accounting firms account the last fights, going back to let's say 2007, since we've been involved with Floyd Mayweather, account the pay-per-view numbers, account the live gates, accumulate all of these numbers. "If you do the same with Pacquiao and then you see what kind of ratio it is. If, in fact, they're the same, they produce the same amount of pay-per-views, the same amount of live-gate revenues, then you know what? Yes, it should be a 50-50 split. But if they don't then why should it?" Less than two weeks ago, Floyd Mayweather said in a press conference after beating Miguel Cotto that "Bob Arum is in the way" of a bout between himself and Pacquiao, adding, "He's stopping the fans from getting what they want." Mayweather also insinuated that Pacquiao was taking steroids, saying, "I want to fight Pacquiao but he has to take the test, and I'll fight him." Mayweather has long wanted Olympic-level drug testing in a Pacquiao bout, which the Filipino was initially reluctant to do. However, Pacquiao has since softened his stance and is willing to take the test as long as it is not done by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Last January, Mayweather famously called Pacquiao and offered a flat $40 million dollar fee to fight him, with Mayweather reaping the profits of the pay-per-view and gate, among others. That offered was quickly rejected by the Pacquiao camp, who have since come up with different offers, all of which were thumbed down by the Mayweather side. In addition to the aforementioned 55-45 split with the winner earning the larger amount of the pot, the Pacquiao side has reportedly offered a 70-30 split to Mayweather last March, but that proposal seemingly went nowhere as well. - Adrian Dy/RSJ, GMA News