Top Rank head Bob Arum re­mains upbeat that Manny Pac­quiao and Floyd Mayweather will eventually fight each other. The date: November 2012. Even though Mayweather is embroiled in legal troubles follow­ing his sentencing to 90 days in jail for domestic violence, the Hall of Fame promoter told InterAKTV from his Los Angeles residence that the two are going to slug it out in 2012. Now that Mayweather will be out of commission for the first half of 2012, Pacquiao will likely fight sometime “in the spring” against an opponent to be named in January. Arum will meet up with Pac­quiao when the Filipino spends the new year in Las Vegas.

“I would like to see him fight in the spring,” said the 80-year-old Arum, who has been promoting Pacquiao for the last six years. Probable opponents are Juan Manuel Marquez, Timothy Brad­ley and Miguel Cotto.
Marquez and Bradley are the favorites to land the lucrative Pac­quiao payday. Arum said that had it not been for the conviction, Mayweather and Pacquiao would have reached an agreement. Pacquiao has given in to two of Mayweather’s major demands: Olympic-style drug testing and a smaller revenue share.

Arum said that in the event Pacquiao and Mayweather get it on, the fight will probably end up being held in a sprawling space near the end of the Las Vegas Strip. Arum said the 45,000-capacity arena that will be built can also be leased for concerts and other big events.

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