Staples Center offers $20 million to host Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight

Staples Center has made a guaranteed $20-million offer to host the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. mega-fight that has been verbally agreed to be fought March 13.

Fabforum "This is the biggest boxing event ever, and we're prepared to step up in a big way," said Dan Beckerman, AEG's chief financial officer. Beckerman said his pitch to Mayweather promoter Richard Schaefer and Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum is to "activate the entire L.A. Live campus" on fight week.

New J.W. Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels would serve as media headquarters, a fan-fest would be staged at Nokia Plaza, a large closed-circuit audience could watch the bout at Nokia Theatre and 20,000 would fill Staples Center, Beckerman said.

"We know there's interest in this fight across the world, but we're very interested and honored to make the most impressive offer possible," Beckerman said. "It's our biggest guarantee ever, and we hope it wins the day. We wanted to push as far and as hard as we could."

Schaefer, chief executive of Golden Boy Promotions, which counts AEG as a partner, declined to immediately comment on any site deals. He canceled a planned trip to tour Dallas Cowboys Stadium on Wednesday, but declined to explain why, other than repeating he was busy working to finalize the fight deal.

One of the barriers to staging the bout in California, promoters say, are the state taxes required from the boxers -- payments not required in Nevada and Texas.

"That's certainly a factor in the overall economics, and one thing we'd have to overcome," Beckerman said.

Staples has at least won the right to stage another fight of interest, the fourth chapter between Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez, on May 22, Beckerman said.

The classic trilogy had two fights at AEG's Home Depot Center, with both bouts won by Huntington Park's Vazquez.

"That's a great L.A. fight and the fourth installment appropriately needs to step up to the bigger venue," Beckerman said.

-- Lance Pugmire

Photo: Staples Center. Credit: Los Angeles Times.

The copyrighted work at issue is the text that appears on http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2009/12/staples-center-offers-20million-to-host-manny-pacquiaofloyd-mayweather-jr-fight.html

Pacquiao-Mayweather is almost a go

Manny Pacquiao, above, is expected to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. on March 13 at a site to be determined. (Isaac Brekken/associated Press)

Manny Pacquiao is likely to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. on March 13 after agreeing to a proposal from promoter Bob Arum in Manila on Friday.

Arum presented "what he thought was the best proposal he can bring" during a two-hour breakfast meeting with Pacquiao, said Michael Koncz, an adviser of the Philippine boxing idol.

"Manny has some additional requirements, requests, which Arum didn't think was a problem," Koncz said. "The requests of Manny were so realistic that Arum doesn't feel it's a problem and it's pretty much a done deal."

He said the contract still needs "fine tuning," declining to elaborate.

Pacquiao is running for a congressional seat in May 2010 elections and official campaigning won't start before April.


The copyrighted work at issue is the text that appears on http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/04/AR2009120404116.html

Pacquiao-Mayweather bout closer

The proposed super-fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather is getting closer.

Mayweather agreed to terms for the welterweight title bout on Tuesday, multiple sources with knowledge of the negotiations told ESPN.com.

The proposed date is March 13, although there is a chance it could move to May 1, sources said. Mayweather, according to a source close to him, is OK with either date.

Pacquiao and Mayweather have fought recent bouts at catch weights. However if they complete their deal, the bout would be contested at 147 pounds, the maximum for a welterweight fight, a source said.

Top Rank's Bob Arum, who promotes Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs), was flying to the Philippines on Tuesday night to meet with Pacquiao and try to close his side of the deal.

Arum spent much of Tuesday getting open issues resolved in his negotiations with Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer, who represents Mayweather, sources said. Once Arum was able to do that, he left for the Philippines and is expected back on Monday.

If the HBO PPV fight happens on March 13, it would force the tentative HBO PPV fight between light heavyweights Roy Jones Jr. and Bernard Hopkins to move to another date. Hopkins and Jones both fight Wednesday and must win for their fight to go through.

The site for Pacquiao-Mayweather remains up in the air. There is interest from Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to bring the fight to his new stadium. There is also interest from venues in Las Vegas, including the MGM Grand (which has hosted several Pacquiao and Mayweather fights), and the Superdome in New Orleans in hosting a fight many believe will break the all-time record for pay-per-view buys, which is the 2.44 million units sold for Mayweather's 2007 split decision victory against Oscar De La Hoya.

The fight moved front and center with heavy public demand for it following Pacquiao's dominant 12th-round knockout of Miguel Cotto to win a welterweight title on Nov. 14. The victory gave Pacquiao a title in a record-breaking seventh weight division and 1.25 million pay-per-view units.

Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs), who has won titles in five divisions, came out of a brief retirement in September to dominate Juan Manuel Marquez in a fight that generated 1.05 million buys.

Just a few days after Pacquiao's win over Cotto, Arum and Schaefer began negotiations.

One wrench in the talks was the date. Arum, Schaefer and HBO wanted to slot the fight on May 1. However, Pacquiao announced his candidacy for a congressional seat in the Philippines on Tuesday. With the election scheduled for May 10, it rules out a May 1 fight unless Pacquiao runs unopposed. Pacquiao lost the election for a congressional seat in 2007.

If Pacquiao-Mayweather isn't finalized, Arum has talked about matching Pacquiao with junior middleweight titlist Yuri Foreman, which would give Pacquiao an opportunity to win a title in an eighth division. Foreman defeated Daniel Santos to win a 154-pound belt on the Pacquiao-Cotto undercard.

Schaefer has talked about bringing Mayweather to England to match him with Matthew Hatton in the event Pacquiao-Mayweather isn't made. Hatton is the brother of Ricky Hatton, the former junior welterweight and welterweight titlist whom Mayweather knocked out in 2007.

Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com

The copyrighted work at issue is the text that appears on http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=4705330

Bob Arum seeks Manny Pacquiao's OK on Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight

The promoter travels to Manila to talk with the Filipino boxer and advisors on a super-bout that would be on HBO pay-per-view.

Negotiations continue in an attempt to make a fight between Manny Pacquiao, left, and Floyd Mayweather Jr. a reality. (Bullit
Marquez / Associated Press; Ethan Miller / Getty Images)

Promoter Bob Arum arrived in the Philippines and expected to start face-to-face talks Wednesday with Manny Pacquiao to try to reach terms for a mega-fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Despite reports Tuesday that Mayweather agreed to terms and that a Pacquiao fight was virtually set, Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach cautioned Wednesday that that idea was premature because the Filipino star hadn't reviewed any contract terms.

Roach, in a telephone conversation from England, said, "Manny believes he should get a 60-40 [purse] split too, because he did better in pay-per-view than Mayweather this year. Manny's the bigger draw."

Roach is referring to the 1.25 million pay-per-view buys for Pacquiao's 12th-round technical knockout of Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14, compared to the 1 million buys for Mayweather's fight against Juan Manuel Marquez in September. Yet Mayweather's December 2007 bout against Ricky Hatton generated more pay-per-view sales than Pacquiao-Hatton in May.

"I'm obviously over here to talk to Manny," Arum said from the Philippines. "At this point, I've got to find out what my fighter wants to do."

By being there, Arum may avoid the drawn-out theatrics that occurred when Pacquiao handlers complicated the negotiations before his Hatton fight. Arum and Roach were kept at arm's length, and several Arum proposals and Hatton offers were met with delayed counterproposals that nearly led Hatton to walk.

Alone, Arum boarded a flight to Manila, where he was to meet with Pacquiao and his business advisors.

"Bob will sit there and walk everybody through it, so Manny has a full grasp of the situation," Arum's lead matchmaker, Bruce Trampler, said. "He has to respect the culture. Everybody will have eaten and had their libations, and then Bob will start talking turkey."

Roach said his agent, Nick Khan, told him "Arum had a [Mayweather] deal together" when he left the U.S.

This could be a game of leverage too. Mayweather's camp may want to appear more receptive to a deal, casting Pacquiao as the one holding up the welterweight super-bout for more money.

Arum revealed only that he has negotiated with Mayweather's designated promoter, Richard Schaefer. Schaefer declined to comment.

Arum and Roach both said they are uncertain whether a Pacquiao-Mayweather bout has to be fought by March 13 because of Pacquiao's planned run for a congressional seat in the Philippines in May. HBO, which will televise the bout on pay-per-view if it occurs, instructed promoters to make the fight on whatever date is possible.

Roach prefers a Pacquiao-Mayweather bout on May 1.

"March 13 is too fast a turnaround," Roach said. "Manny has a broken [right] eardrum" suffered in the Cotto fight. "I'd like to have more time. I hope the fight happens, yes, but I want us to be in the best possible shape."

Sports book directors in Las Vegas are already posting odds on the unsigned fight. Jay Kornegay of the Las Vegas Hilton has opened the fight as a pick-'em after two other books split by making Mayweather or Pacquiao nearly 2-1 favorites.

"I love Pacquiao, but people forget how good Mayweather is: He never gets touched and rarely looks like he breaks a sweat," Kornegay said. A Pacquiao-Mayweather fight "is obviously a huge event, and doing it right before [college basketball's] March Madness would be a great time."

The copyrighted work at issue is the text that appears on http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-pacquiao-mayweather3-2009dec03,0,4326739.story

Mayweather-Pacquiao fight nearly finalized

The much-anticipated bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao is all but set for March 13, a source told Yahoo! Sports.

Mayweather has agreed to terms and promoter Bob Arum is making a trip to Manila, Philippines, to finalize a deal with Pacquiao, the source said.

Las Vegas, Dallas and New Orleans are the front-runners to host the bout, which is expected to become the highest-grossing boxing match in the sport’s history.

Pacquiao is the top pound-for-pound fighter in nearly every major ranking, including Yahoo! Sports. Mayweather is No. 2 in most rankings and was No. 1 in nearly all of the polls before he briefly retired in June 2008.

Pacquiao is coming off a 12th-round stoppage of Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, a bout in which he won the World Boxing Organization welterweight championship and erased fears that he is not a legitimate welterweight.

Cotto was a legitimate welterweight in his prime and Pacquiao dominated, knocking him down twice and cruising to the one-sided victory.

Mayweather routed Juan Manuel Marquez, who had previously been ranked No. 2 in the Yahoo! Sports poll, in a Sept. 19 fight at the MGM Grand.

The public demand for the fight has been enormous, putting pressure on Arum and Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer, who represents Mayweather, to get a deal done.

Promoters had targeted May 1 for the fight almost from the moment that Pacquiao stopped Cotto. But Pacquiao filed Tuesday to run for Congress in the Philippines and the election will be held on May 10.

Given that, the bout with Mayweather had to be moved up to March 13 or pushed back until September.

Though there were reports that Arum was considering matching Pacquiao with new WBO super welterweight champion Yuri Foreman on March 13 in Dallas, that was a diversionary move and was never serious, the source said.

A survey team from Top Rank will inspect Dallas Cowboys Stadium as a possible venue. The MGM Grand Garden Arena and the New Orleans Superdome are also in the running to host the mega-fight, the source said.


The copyrighted work at issue is the text that appears on http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news?prov=yhoo&slug=ki-floydpac120109&type=lgns

Pacquiao-Mayweather in negotiations

Let the talks begin.

Formal negotiations in an effort to make a megafight between pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the first part of 2010 will open Monday, Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer told ESPN.com.

Schaefer was on his way Monday morning from Los Angeles to Las Vegas to meet Top Rank's Bob Arum, Pacquiao's promoter, for lunch at the MGM Grand, which has hosted several Pacquiao and Mayweather fights.

"Floyd and me want to see if we can get the fight done," said Schaefer, who, although he doesn't have a promotional contract with Mayweather, has represented him in his past three fights and was asked to represent him in these talks. "The fact that I am flying to Las Vegas to meet with Bob shows you how serious our side is about making the fight.

"Bob and I will approach this without egos and try to get it done under fair terms. Floyd gave me his marching orders and I will see today how it goes and report back."

A pairing of Pacquiao and Mayweather is the biggest fight boxing has to offer and could break all sorts of revenue records.

In the year's biggest fight earlier this month, Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) beat Miguel Cotto on a technical knockout in the 12th round to win a welterweight title, his seventh title in a record seven weight divisions.

The fight sold 1.25 million units on pay-per-view and generated more than $70 million in domestic television revenue.

Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs), the former welterweight champ and pound-for-pound king before a short-lived retirement, returned on Sept. 19 to dominate lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez in a lopsided unanimous decision.

That fight generated 1.05 million buys on pay-per-view.

The all-time pay-per-view record is the 2.44 million buys generated by Mayweather's 2007 win against Oscar De La Hoya.

"I can confirm I am meeting with Richard, but I'm not going to talk about the specifics," Arum told ESPN.com. "It's a meeting where we will try to make the fight. Whether it can be made or not in this meeting, I don't know. We'll see what we will see."

Schaefer said he hopes he and Arum can make the fight quickly, rather than dragging the talks out for weeks.

"As part of the negotiations both Bob and I had to agree to keep all discussions confidential," Schaefer said. "No further comments will be made until such time that we either have a deal or the negotiations fall apart."

Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com.

The copyrighted work at issue is the text that appears on http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=4682772

Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather need each other

Would anybody argue with the assertion that Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather jnr are the two best pound-for-pound boxers on the planet right now?

You can add further spice to that by making Manny Pacquiao the world’s best active offensive fighter, and Mayweather the best active defensive boxer. You’ve got the irresistable force against the untouchable target (one can’t call Mayweather the unmovable object).

Fans should be relishing the prospect of a match-up between these two men. Until Mayweather retired, after hammering Ricky Hatton, he was the pound-for-pound king. In his absence, that title has been usurped by Pacquiao.

How often has boxing really seen two fighters at their prime facing off? When last did pugilism see the world’s two best fighters trading blows legitimately in the same division?

Probably not since the 1980s – when Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran and Marvin Hagler fought each other in a stunning series of battles. They fought, they won, they lost … and they all became legends! The winners needed the losers.

In the 1970s it was the same in the heavyweight division, with Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman and Ken Norton all winning and losing. That’s how they became legends.

Sure, I may have overlooked some fights along the way, but in boxing it is rare to get top performers in the same weight division at the same time. Think about it, Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson were past their best when they met Lennox Lewis.

Joe Louis was an old man when he got smashed by Rocky Marciano, although if you examine the damage on Marciano’s face by the end of the fight, you have to wonder what might have happened if Louis had been at his best.

More often than not, fighters are not at their peak. Bernard Hopkins was still relatively wet behind the ears when he took on Roy Jones jnr. In the 1990s we had Oscar De La Hoya, Felix Trinidad, Ike Quartey, Shane Mosley and Vernon Forrest, but none of them quite reached the heights of Leonard, Hearns and Duran before them (at least in my eyes).

As a mainstream sport boxing has lost much ground in the past decades. The worst thing that can happen is if the promoters and TV bosses fail to organise the Pacquiao v Mayweather showdown. Boxing needs this fight to happen.

And both Pacquiao and Mayweather need this fight. The winner will earn bragging rights as the pound-for-pound champion, but he can only do that with the other guy in the ring.

Greatness beckons both; Pacquiao and Mayweather need each other.

The copyrighted work at issue is the text that appears on http://blogs.timeslive.co.za/longdrop/2009/11/19/manny-pacquiao-and-floyd-mayweather-need-each-other/

Pacquiao-Mayweather fight must wait

LAS VEGAS--Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather each made their claims as the world's best pound-for-pound fighter on Saturday but a big-money showdown to decide the issue will not happen any time soon.

Philippines southpaw Pacquiao knocked out British junior welterweight Ricky Hatton with a devastating left hand in the second round for his 10th triumph in a row and claimed a world title in a record-tying sixth weight class.

"Manny is unbelievable. He's the best fighter in the world," Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach said. "He is in his prime right now. Anyone in the world, he could beat them all."

Former undisputed welterweight champion Mayweather put himself atop that list a few hours earlier by announcing the end of his 17-month retirement and a comeback fight July 18 in the same arena against Mexico's Juan Manuel Marquez.

Mayweather abdicated the pound-to-pound throne that Pacquiao has claimed by winning four fights in a row in as many weight classes, but the International Boxing Organization's new junior welterweight champion likes his current size.

"I'm very comfortable at 140 pounds. You could see it in my performance," Pacquiao said. "I want to stay there."

That's the weighty matter that might delay a showdown with Mayweather, who would not say what weight he will fight the smaller Marquez because talks are still ongoing between 143 and 144 pounds.

Roach said Mayweather feared facing Pacquiao at a similar catch weight so announced his fight before the Filipino star won to make himself the obvious top opponent for Mayweather to prove he is still the ring king he claims to be.

"Mayweather, he just had to wait one day and he could have fought Manny. I think he's afraid of Manny," Roach said. "He made the fight maybe not happen. We're not going to wait for him. There are other great fighters out there."

US veteran Shane Mosley and Puerto Rico's Miguel Cotto, two fighters who have tried in vain to make a deal to fight Mayweather, were mentioned by Roach as possible next foes for Pacquiao.

Asked to predict how Pacquiao-Mayweather would end, Roach said he expected the fight to go the distance.

"We win on points," Roach said. "He doesn't like to engage. He's going to run from us."

Roach also made it clear they would not make the leap for a chance to fight Mayweather at his prime weight if he would not step down to face Pacquiao at 140.

"At the right weight? No problem. At 147? Forget it," Roach said. "Why? Manny doesn't need it. Manny's best weight is 140. He should take some time off and make a good decision. He needs some time off."

Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum said no decision about who Pacquiao faces next will be made until after Cotto's next fight in July, just one week ahead of Mayweather's return to the ring.

One person who thinks Pacquiao-Mayweather will happen sooner rather than later is Mayweather's estranged father and Hatton's trainer, Floyd Mayweather Sr. He doubted there would be much talk about his son fighting Pacquiao.

"They probably aren't going to be talking about it a long time," he said. "They are probably going to be doing it."


The copyrighted work at issue is the text that appears on http://sports.inquirer.net/professional/professional/view/20090503-202803/Pacquiao-Mayweather-fight-must-wait

Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao: The only fight fans want to see

HBO president of sports says actions already taking place to make fight happen

As of Saturday night, can anyone think of a single reason why Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao shouldn’t fight?

It kind of seems silly at first. Of course, there has to be some minor, highly insignificant, but ultimately negative thing about the two fighting one another.

But then really think about it. Is there?

Floyd Mayweather Sr. says there is. But he’s not telling anybody.

“Lil Floyd would whoop (him), but to tell you the truth, I don’t think he should fight him,” Mayweather Sr. said. “That would be my advice to him.”

If he’d have no problem beating him though, then why not take the fight?

“I have my own reasons,” he said. “I’ll let you think about it for a second.”

Whatever Mayweather Sr.’s reasons are, chances are they’d have a hard time stacking up against the reasons for why the two should meet in the ring in early 2010.

As Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, described it, it’s a fight the world wants to see. Moments after Pacquiao’s historic win over Miguel Cotto for his world title in a seventh weight class, fans from inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena started chanting, "We want Floyd."

Roach says that he’ll take whatever fight is the best deal for Pacquiao, but his pick is Mayweather.

“We’ll fight whoever we negotiate with the best. If Floyd wants a 65/35 split, he’s not going to get that,” Roach said. “We’ll take the best deal that Bob negotiates for, but personally, I want Mayweather.”

Back in September, following Mayweather’s unanimous decision win over Juan Manuel Marquez, his manager and close friend Leonard Ellerbe said that Pacquiao was the next obvious choice from a marketing standpoint.

That much is especially obvious, as the Mayweather and Pacquiao fights — although Saturday’s numbers aren't official, it’s certainly a reasonable assumption — marked the first time since 1999 that a single calendar year sold two pay-per-view fights that reached more than 1 million viewers each.

As Vice President of HBO Sports Operations Mark Taffet will enthusiastically attest, they are obviously the two most marketable fighters in the world.

“The two fighters’ persona and performance in the ring separates them from the pack,” Taffet said. “From a media aspect, they compliment each other. Pacquiao receives a tremendous following from the West and Southwest markets, whereas in Mayweather we see a lot of Midwest and East Coast activity.

“They are two megastars but to very different target audiences, which is what makes it almost a perfect storm from a marketing perspective.”

Even their styles are tailor-made for one another.

Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KO) is the aggressor, who has shown a willingness to take a punch to give one, as well as a constant desire to finish fights even when he’s well ahead on a scorecard.

Mayweather (40-0, 25 KO) is the tactical defender, whose elusive ability is often referred to as poetry in motion; always the type of fighter that looks to score points and attend a post-fight press conference free of damage.

The trainer in Roach says he has the blueprint to defeat Mayweather — something the undefeated boxer is constantly asserting doesn’t exist.

“We’d break him down and beat him up,” Roach said. “Floyd can’t break an egg; he’s fragile. He hurts his hands all the time. He has speed, but if he lays on the ropes and rolls his shoulders, we’ll take everything he gives us.

“I have a great game plan for Mayweather, and I know how to beat the guy.”

Mayweather Sr., on the other hand, remains unimpressed by the Filipino and the wins he has over opponents that aren’t on the same level as his son.

“We ain’t worried about that fight. Tell me where you see a 5-foot-5 (expletive) hitting someone who’s just standing right in front of him,” said Mayweather Sr., referring to the Cotto fight. “That’s what we saw tonight.

“He hasn’t fought the greatest fighter yet. That might be his next task, but I don’t know.”

One person who doesn’t care about Mayweather Sr.’s withheld reasons for the two not to fight is HBO President of Sports Ross Greenburg, who was already in the media center arguing with Mayweather Sr. on the subject immediately following Saturday’s fight.

Before any of the fighters had arrived for questioning, Greenburg was heard saying to Mayweather Sr. that he knew the fight should happen and that it was time to make it happen.

“I don’t want to say it’s just a question of money,” Grennburg said. “When you have a situation where you’ve created two big events in the last three months, basically to set up a semifinals in the 147-pound weight class, and the American public demands to see the fight it has to happen.

“And the way it happens is to induce all sides by getting everyone to check their egos at the door, sit down at a table and hash out the terms. Each side has to look at the big picture, which is there is a boat-load of money and a fight too important for this sport not to happen.”

Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, who promoted Mayweather until the fighter bought out his contract in 2006 because of a falling out, confessed that even he was more than willing to put their differences aside to make the fight.

“I’m not going to put up with any kind of nonsense — no trash talk, I’m not going to negotiate a fight in newspapers,” Arum said. “If Floyd Mayweather wants to fight Manny Pacquiao, he knows who to call. Period.

“There will be none of this, ‘I hate him, he hates me,’ — that doesn’t matter. If he wants to fight, let him call me.”

According to Greenburg, that was news Mayweather didn’t need to hear.

Right before Pacquiao emerged from his final medical checks in his locker room, Greenburg walked to the microphone to deliver news.

“I just got off the phone with (Golden Boys Promotions CEO) Richard Schaeffer,” Greenburg said. “He told me point-blank that Bob Arum would be getting that call on Monday and plans to come in and meet with Bob next to week to make the Mayweather fight.

“I think we can all hope and pray that a fight of that magnitude and importance to the sport of boxing can truly be made, because it is time to capitalize on all the hard work that was done over the last three months. We can look forward to one of the biggest events in boxing history. Let’s see what happens, stay tuned.”

Monday can’t come soon enough.

The copyrighted work at issue is the text that appears on http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/nov/15/manny-pacquiao-and-floyd-mayweather-jr-only-fight-/