Manny Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, thinks fight with Floyd Mayweather ‘will happen’

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Manny Pacquiao might soon turn his attention from campaigning for Congress to negotiating the details on the richest fight in boxing history.

Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, told the Associated Press on Monday that discussions could begin as early as Tuesday for a bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr., once results are in from the Philippine elections. Pacquiao is running for Congress for the second time.

The matchup involving boxing’s two most high-profile fighters was discussed at length this winter, but negotiations fell apart when the sides could not agree on a drug testing protocol.

“I think the fight will happen,” said Roach, who was in New York with another of his fighters, Amir Khan, who defends his junior welterweight title against Paulie Malignaggi on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.

“It will probably be November, maybe October,” Roach added. “November’s not a great pay-per-view month, but I think it will happen.”

Roach wouldn’t say whether Pacquiao would budge on the drug testing dilemma. Mayweather has said that every fight he takes, beginning with Shane Mosley, will include Olympic-style blood testing along with the typical urine tests required by most athletic commissions. That means the fighters could have blood drawn in the days leading up to the fight.

Pacquiao believes giving blood makes him weak and refused to do so within 24 days of a fight.

“If Manny Pacquiao can take a blood and urine test then we have a fight,” Mayweather said shortly after his victory of Mosley on May 1. “If not, no fight.”

Both fighters months ago agreed to what is usually the major sticking point in negotiations with a deal to split the proceeds evenly. That may not happen the second time around, though, depending on how the pay-per-view numbers shake out from their other bouts. Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey generated about 700,000 buys while Mayweather-Mosley is expected to be more than 1.1 million.

That could give some additional leverage to Mayweather, even though his opponent was much better known. Other than the stadium venue, Pacquiao was the only real draw in his bout.

-- Associated Press