Last-minute dispute: Venue status ruffles feathers between Mayweather, Pacquiao camps
Something was bound to come up.
Less than a month before Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are set to step into the ring for the most highly anticipated boxing match in recent memory, promoters aren't seeing eye-to-eye.
Pacquiao's promoter, Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, said no contract exists between MGM Resorts and the promoters.
Asked by Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports if the fight is in jeopardy, Arum couldn't give a straight answer.
"I don't know any more," Arum said. "I've never been in this area before."
But Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe, who's been dealing with the MGM, said everything is under control and that Arum is out of line.
Both fighters signed off on a deal terms memo in February. Typically, the memo is then translated into a contract for both parties to sign.
Arum said that in his half century of promoting the sport, he's never encountered a scenario in which there was no signed agreement with the venue on the cusp of a major event.
"Fight? We've got nothing. They're (the MGM) going around saying, 'The fight, the fight, blah, blah, blah,' but they got nothing. They have no contract. Nothing," Arum said. "We haven’t even seen a draft. … What is happening now is absolutely intolerable.
"For the MGM to think that everything is resolved and so forth, when nobody has even discussed terms, is the most insane thing ever."
Ellerbe, on the other hand, believes there is nothing to worry about, going as far as saying Arum is just upset because he's not the lead promoter for the fight.
"The reason this fight is in Las Vegas is because Floyd Mayweather insisted it be in Las Vegas," Ellerbe said. "It's no secret that Bob is the one who wanted to shop the fight around. You have to remember, he went on a profanity-laced tirade ridiculing the MGM and its management. We're not falling for those tactics.
"Every time he doesn't get his way, he goes running to the press misrepresenting the facts."
Arum retaliated, saying he just wants to be sure that everything is locked down before legions of fans travel to Las Vegas for the fight.
In his opinion, a deal can be reached between all three parties in a half hour.
"The point is, this is a whole smelly situation that the MGM has gotten themselves into," Arum said. "And what else is there? Well, what about rooms? How many rooms are you allocating to us? We have people coming in from the Philippines, Manny and so forth.
"How many rooms are we getting? We’re three weeks out. How can we not know that?"