By DAVE SKRETTA, AP Sports Writer
Manny Pacquiao may soon turn his attention from campaigning for Congress to negotiating the details on the richest fight in boxing history.
Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, told The Associated Press on Monday that
discussions could begin as early as Tuesday for a bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr., once results are in from the Philippine elections. Pacquiao is running for Congress for the second time.
The matchup involving boxing’s two most high-profile fighters was discussed at length earlier this year, but negotiations fell apart when the sides could not agree on drug testing protocol.
Both took different fights, with Pacquiao soundly beating Joshua Clottey at the new Cowboys Stadium near Dallas, and Mayweather routing welterweight champion Shane Mosley in Las Vegas.
“I think the fight will happen,” said Roach, who was in New York with another of his fighters, Amir Khan, who defends his junior welterweight title against Paulie Malignaggi on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.
“It will probably be November, maybe October,” Roach added. “November’s not a great pay-per-view month, but I think it will happen.”
Roach wouldn’t say whether Pacquiao would budge on the drug testing dilemma. Mayweather has said that every fight he takes, beginning with Mosley, will include Olympic-style blood testing along with the typical urine tests required by most athletic commissions. That means the fighters could have blood drawn in the days leading up to the fight.
Pacquiao believes giving blood makes him weak and refused to do so within 24 days of a fight.
“If Manny Pacquiao can take a blood and urine test then we have a fight,” Mayweather said shortly after his victory May 1. “If not, no fight.”
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