Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao Fight: ‘Big Surprise’ for May 2015, Mayweather Open to Facing Pacquiao?

By John Santisteban | Jul 05, 2014 12:56 PM EDT

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Floyd Mayweather Jr. recently announced that he will face Marcos Maidana in a rematch on September 13, but the reigning pound-for-pound king also had a striking statement - a "big surprise" for next year.

In a recent interview, Mayweather said that the rematch with Maidana is almost a done deal, while also adding that he will have a big surprise in May next year.

"September 13, back to business, Marcos Maidana vs. Floyd Mayweather part two," Mayweather said. "And then in May, I'm fighting in May, I'm going to have a big surprise for y'all."

Mayweather's intriguing statement created anticipation that the unbeaten champion is referring to a possible super fight against Manny Pacquiao, who is continuously being linked to Mayweather over the past several years.

Numerous negotiations about the fight happened before, but all talks did not materialized as both parties failed to reach a common agreement on different matters.

First it was the fight purse and who will be headlining the bout, including who will enter the ring and be introduced first. When both parties agreed to a 50-50 split on fight purse, Pacquiao's camp reportedly turned down the fight after Mayweather's camp demanded for a random drug testing.

Pacquiao has since submitted himself to random drug testing over the past several years, but Mayweather is now unwilling to agree a 50-50 split, demanding a bigger share of the purse because of his recent pay-per-view numbers, which are way superior than Pacquiao's.

Another factor that is preventing the fight from happening is Pacquiao's ties with Top Rank Promotions and Bob Arum, who recently signed a fresh two-year deal with the Filipino boxing icon.

Mayweather has made it clear that he won't face Pacquiao until he distances himself from Arum, which is unlikely at this point, considering Pacquiao's loyalty to the famed promoter.

Jeff Mayweather was recently asked in an interview with On The Ropes Boxing Radio if he thinks the Mayweather vs Pacquiao showdown will happen, and the trainer said that it could still happen, but will be a difficult fight to make.

"Fight probably still can happen but it's gonna be a very hard fight to make," Jeff Mayweather said. "It's not gonna be easy, it's gonna be a lot of ramifications and a lot of red tape and a whole lot of negotiations for that fight to even take place. Unfortunately Bob and Floyd just don't get along and Floyd don't want to do business with him."

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