Floyd Mayweather Jr's lead advisor and confidant Leonard Ellerbe recently informed the Los Angeles Times that Team Mayweather is open to negotiating the Pacquiao fight through their co-promoter's CEO, Golden Boy Promotions Richard Schaefer. Ellerbe told The Times during a telephone interview, "Team Mayweather/Mayweather Promotions have been discussing our options and when we're finished, we'll let (co-promoter) Richard Schaefer express our position to Top Rank." This commentator supports that idea and believes that this is a fair and productive step, creating positive momentum that could possibly lead towards good faith negotiations in order to finalize this historic confrontation. Schaefer, who represents former super lightweight champion Ricky Hatton, is the gentlemen who effectively worked with Arum in arranging a deal to put together Pacquiao vs. Hatton.
Ellerbe continued, "It's no secret the camps don't see eye to eye, but this is bigger than boxing. We understand the magnitude of this." Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, whose relationship with Mayweather has deteriorated ever since their split in 2006, clearly does not see eye to eye professionally with Mayweather Promotions. Ellerbe is correct in noting the magnitude of this fight; I believe he is sending a good message. Such a potentially historical event is indeed considerably greater than any feud or discrepancy that might be ongoing. Golden Boy Promotions, on the other hand, has a constructive working relationship with Mayweather. Golden Boy has been successful in coming to terms with Top Rank, after a prolonged dispute between Arum and Golden Boy Promotions founder Oscar De la hoya had been preventing those two promotional companies from doing business.
Ellerbe failed to disclose the purse split that Mayweather is requesting, but assured The Times that if a fight with Pacquiao can not be made, Team Mayweather would purse a match with welterweight champion Shane Mosley if he is successful against WBC welterweight titlist Andre Berto on January 30.
photo courtesy: Las Vegas Review Journal
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