Floyd Mayweather Jr's adviser has set the date for the WBC world welterweight champion's next fight and said he hopes it is against Manny Pacquiao.
The boxing world has long called for the two men, who are widely considered to be the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet, to meet in the ring - but negotiations have never successfully led to a fight.
The Mayweather camp in particular has been reluctant to get in the ring unless Pacquiao conducts strict Olympic style pre-fight drug testing on their terms, but the American's next fight has now been confirmed for May 5, 2012 - and they hope Pacquiao will be the opponent.
"We're looking to make the biggest fight possible and everyone knows what that fight is, the little fella," Mayweather's adviser Leonard Ellerbe told ESPN in clear reference to Pacquiao.
"In order to maximise the exposure you want to plan as far in advance as you can to make your event as big as possible. We have secured May 5 at the MGM."
Mayweather's promoter, Richard Schaefer, the chief executive of Golden Boy Promotions, added: "We have informed the pay-per-view industry and I have the arena on hold."
Mayweather ended a 16-month hiatus from the ring in September when he knocked out Victor Ortiz in controversial fashion.
Pacquiao, meanwhile, is widely expected to beat Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez when the third part of their trilogy of fights takes place later this month.
However, on hearing the news that Mayweather finally wants to fight Pacquiao, the Filipino's promoter Bob Arum said that he thought the whole thing was a big joke.
"Listen, we're not going to consider anything until after the Marquez fight," Arum told ESPN.
"The way they are going about it seems like a bizarre way to go about it. If you want to put it together, you meet, you talk. You don't just come out and say, 'The fight is May 5 at the MGM'. What kind of negotiation is that? So I don't take what they said seriously.
"I think it's Floyd's way of trying to grab a little bit of the spotlight away from Manny. I'm not going to get upset. I take it with a grain of salt.
"For me it's sort of funny, amusing. It's noise and it probably helps my Pacquiao-Marquez event. I'm happy with it. It's out there. But it's a joke. You don't negotiate this way. The reason I don't take it seriously is why make an announcement now? Why now? How do you justify it? What's the hurry?
"Either they're just amateurs and not thinking or they thought I would go ballistic. There is some Mickey Mouse agenda."
Eurosport
SOURCE: Yahoo Sport
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