• Boxing

Pacquiao says he 'will' fight Mayweather during 2012

ESPN staff
August 12, 2011
Manny Pacquiao: 'I will fight Mayweather next year' © PA Photos
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Manny Pacquiao is in no doubt that his hotly-anticipated showdown against Floyd Mayweather Jnr, which will determine the planet's pound-for-pound king, will take place during 2012.

The barriers preventing the clash have been broken down in recent weeks, with Pacquiao's promoter confirming that the Filipino is willing to agree to Mayweather's demands for Olympic-style drug testing.

Talks collapsed last year when Pacquiao refused to have blood drawn from him in the days prior to the bout, claiming that it would sap too much strength from him ahead of the clash.

Pacquiao has also moved to bring an end to the legal proceedings he brought against Mayweather, urging a judge to deliver a verdict on the defamation case launched in the wake of the sampling dispute.

"I will fight Mayweather next year," said Pacquiao, according to boxingscene.com.

Amir Khan's desire to fight Mayweather, apparently reciprocated by the American, threatens to complicate matters further. Khan intends to take to the ring against Mayweather in late 2012 after moving up to welterweight.

The clamour for the Pacquiao-Mayweather bout would evaporate if either suffers a shock defeats in their next bout. Mayweather enters the ring for the first time in over a year against Victor Ortiz on September 17 in a WBC welterweight title clash, while Pacquiao takes on Juan Manuel Marquez on November 12.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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