There were still other talks going on between the two sides, but the odds of the fight happening were dimming with each day.Īt the core of the dispute is the insistence of the Mayweather camp of using Olympic-style drug testing for the fight, even though both fighters have never been linked to any performance-enhancing substances. Mayweather’s representatives could not be immediately reached for comment, but Arum said an effort Thursday by HBO Sports chief Ross Greenburg to reach a compromise had failed. “Can it be revisited in the fall? We’ll see.” “As far as I’m concerned the fight is over,” Arum said. He said there was still a chance Pacquiao and Mayweather could meet later in the year.

Neither side, though, appeared to be backing off its position on the biggest dispute: Who will do the testing?Īrum said he planned to move forward by having Pacquiao fight March 13 against Paul Malignaggi, a flashy but light-hitting 140-pounder. They’re so inflexible they can’t be used.”ĭespite Arum’s statements, there were some talks through intermediaries to try and salvage the bout. “They’re viewed by the Pacquiao side as being partisan,” Arum said, referring to USADA. Anti-Doping Agency to conduct the tests, Arum said there wasn’t much left to discuss. But with the Mayweather camp still insisting on using the U.S. dead Thursday, though efforts continued to find a compromise to a dispute over blood testing.Īrum had set a Thursday deadline for an agreement on testing, the only issue not resolved for the planned March 13 fight. LAS VEGAS - Promoter Bob Arum declared the megafight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.

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