Pacquiao, who turns 35 on Tuesday, was made the mandatory challenger to Mayweather in December’s ranking list by the WBC, leading to instant speculation that the two could collide on the pound for pound king’s May 3 date.
According to WBC executive secretary Mauricio Sulaiman, who is standing in for his ill father Jose as he recovers from heart surgery, the move was made to make the fight more viable in the future. However, nothing is expected to be decided in time for Mayweather’s next outing.
Instead, Mayweather looks set to take up the voluntary option already agreed with the WBC, which means Pacquiao will almost certainly push ahead with his April 12 bout at the MGM Grand as announced by Bob Arum.
“The WBC convention made rulings for all the divisions, and it was conducted from November 3-8 that is Pacquiao’s return to the ring was successful, he would thus earn himself the #1 position in the division he is competing at,” Sulaiman told World Boxing News.
Sulaiman then added: “Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao would be a great fight which has no doubt been of great interest to the world,” to give a clearer indication of why the decision was made.
“We have been three months attending the health issues of our president, and we expect to look into this critical topic in the next few months, around February,” he added.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER vs. MANNY PACQUIAO
Opponents have already mentioned Floyd Mayweather as the 36-year-old prepares to participate in his third fight of a mega six-bout Showtime deal. Amir Khan, the long-time front runner to secure the spot in the opposite corner.
Marcos Maidana’s recent win over Adrien Broner has added more clout to his case for the fight, although Khan still looks the more likely after calling off a world title shot to give himself more time to prepare.
Official statements are expected to be made by Mayweather and Pacquiao on their respective foes in the coming weeks, with some even speculating that both could announce their next big Las Vegas fights before Christmas.
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