Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2: Could the rematch be back on?

Mayweather vs Pacquiao: timeline of a boxing soap opera

21 January

The prospect of a showdown between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao appears as remote as ever after the American boxer played down reports that a deal had finally been reached for a $200m mega-fight in Las Vegas later this year.

A clash between the two welterweights would be one of the biggest fights in history and has been on the cards for more than five years. But despite all the speculation and negotiation the two camps remain unable or unwilling to reach an agreement.

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The latest setback came after Filipino superstar Pacquiao claimed he and Mayweather would meet on 2 May in at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Mayweather responded by insisting that Pacquiao was "not in a position to call the shots" as it was his company, Mayweather Promotions, that was in charge of making the fight.

"Do I want to fight Pacquiao? Absolutely. Are we negotiating? Absolutely. Has the fight been made? Not at all," he said.

Fight fans are getting used to hearing both camps talk the talk with no result. But Pacquiao is now 36 and Mayweather turns 38 in February so time is running out to arrange a bout.

What's the problem?

Both fighters have accused each other of being afraid of losing and there has been plenty of posturing on both sides.

Mayweather has a record of 47 wins and no losses and Pacquiao believes he is scared of losing his unbeaten record, while Mayweather is famously preoccupied with money and is unwilling to split the pot with his rival.

Another stumbling block has been "Mayweather's insistence on a strict blood-testing programme during training", reports the BBC. "But Pacquiao said those demands cast him in a bad light as a suspected cheat."

Then there are the contractual issues. The two boxers' promoters, Top Rank and Golden Boy, have previously had problems agreeing the terms of the fight, which would be the biggest in boxing history.

Mayweather and Pacquiao also have different TV deals, but ESPN reports: "Both networks have said that they are willing to work together for what would be a joint pay-per-view telecast."

How close have they come before?

2009:

Mayweather announced his retirement in 2008 but made a winning return in late 2009 after almost two years out of the ring. During that time Pacquiao had enhanced his reputation with wins in different weight divisions, prompting calls for a showdown with Mayweather.

Negotiations were hampered by rows over dates, money, venue, weight and even glove size, but there was hope that a fight could still go ahead in spring 2010. However, it was comments from Mayweather's father about "supplements" and Mayweather's insistence on blood tests that finally undermined the deal.

Pacquiao refused to test right before the fight but said he would provide blood before the launch press conference and after the bout. "Mayweather's camp would not give in on the issue," reports Bleacher Report. "Pacquiao ultimately decided to pursue legal action based on what he believed were insinuations that he was on performance-enhancing drugs."

2010:

Pacquiao reportedly had a change of heart over the testing in early 2010, provided that he only had to donate a small amount of blood no later than two weeks before the fight. That prompted reports of a bout in November of that year, only for Mayweather to announce he would not fight again in 2010.

The year ended with Mayweather unleashing a homophobic and profanity-filled rant about Pacquiao on video sharing site Ustream, for which he later apologised.

2011:

Informal negotiations appeared to continue between the two camps, but no dates or concrete plans were ever put forward. In December Mayweather was convicted of domestic violence and eventually served two months in jail in 2012.

2012:

Amid rumours of a fight on 5 May in Vegas, the two men reportedly spoke over the phone about a deal. However, Mayweather told ESPN that he had refused to split the pot with Pacquiao.

"I told him no that can't happen, but what can happen is you can make more money fighting me then you have made in your career," he said. Pacquiao refused to the deal without an agreed share of the takings.

Hopes of a fight were made even more remote when Pacquiao lost two consecutive fights in June and December 2012 and Mayweather served his domestic violence prison sentence. However, the pair did settle the defamation case prompted by comments from Mayweather's father in 2009.

2013:

With Pacquiao's reputation still damaged by his 2012 defeats, Mayweather taunted him by suggesting that he was now "desperate" to fight him. But he also claimed that Pacquiao's promoter was the problem. "I will never do business with Bob Arum... and Pacquiao is Bob Arum's fighter," he said.

2014:

In January and after Mayweather's taunts about money, Pacquiao offered to fight him for free, with the proceeds going to charity. Mayweather did not take up the offer.

After a quiet 2014 Pacquiao, back to winning ways in Las Vegas, again called on Mayweather to fight him. "For the first time in years, Manny didn't play the 'I leave it to the hands of my promoter' card and even dropped the pretence as he called out Mayweather to fight him next year," notes FHM Philippines.

In December Mayweather offered 2 May as a date and Pacquiao has now said he accepts.

2015:

Fight fans are in a similar situation. Mayweather has called Pacquiao out, the Filipino has accepted and now the problems over money and terms will emerge. Deadlines and get outs already appear to be in place: "Pacquiao admitted he would look for another opponent if Mayweather did not agree to fight him by the end of the month," notes the Daily Mail.