Bob Arum Calls Mayweather Jr. "Delusional," Says No Way Will He Get Even A 50/50 Purse Split For Pacquiao Fight

by James Slater

It seems there will be a long, hard road of tough negotiating ahead if we are ever to get the much sought after modern day dream fight that is Manny Pacquiao Vs. Floyd Mayweather Junior. Both fighters and their teams feel that they are the star attraction and the greater fighter, thus both Manny and Floyd argue they should be paid the lion's share of the bout's purse when and if the match-up takes place..

Reportedly, Mayweather Junior has said it will be "a cold day in hell" before he agrees to a 50/50 split with the man who took over his reign atop the pound-for-pound rankings. And Pacquiao and his promoter Bob Arum have rejected all talk of a 50/50 fight, Arum going as far as to say Mayweather would have to take much less. This may not be a case of greed, more a case of ego. Will this ongoing feud stop one of the best and most important bouts of the decade from taking place?

Usually in boxing, common sense comes to the fore in the end, when all parties concerned realise that the fight has to happen due to the sheer size of the event and of the money to be made from it. Let's hope this turns out to be the case with Pacquiao-Mayweather just as it was with Hatton-Pacquiao - another fight that looked to be off for a while due to disagreements over the monetary share the two fighters were to be paid. In the end, both sides came to their senses, but in an interview today with The Philippine Star, Arum made it clear Mayweather and his team will have to make a big concession if the fight we all want to see is actually made.

"You can tell Floyd Mayweather that Bob Arum says he's delusional," Arum said. "Floyd is not the attraction. Manny is the attraction. Floyd's got no idea what he's talking about. Floyd must be hallucinating when he said he wants the bigger purse and wouldn't agree to a 50/50 split. Even a 50/50 split with Floyd Mayweather is nonsense."
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