Manny Pacquiao has offered to pay Floyd Mayweather Jnr $5million (£3.2m) if he fails a drug test in the build up to their proposed £200m mega-fight.
Pacquiao, who also revealed the fight is close to being announced, has agreed to Mayweather’s strict, Olympic-style testing.
Mayweather is expected to announce that he will face the Filipino star in Las Vegas on May 2.
Mayweather last fought when he beat Marcos Maidana in their rematch last September
Mayweather last fought when he beat Marcos Maidana in their rematch last September
‘(The fight) is near. The negotiations are nearly finished,’ Pacquiao told reporters on Monday during a break from parliament in his homeland.
‘We agreed that this fight has to happen. We are ironing out the kinks. He (Mayweather) said he wants the fight to push through.
‘We agreed to their [drug-testing] demand. In fact, I suggested a $5m fine if I test positive for drugs.’
Until now, the closest Mayweather and Pacquiao came to clambering through the ropes of the same ring was in 2010 when contracts were drawn up.
But Pacquiao refused to commit to a drug-testing regime overseen by the United States Anti-Doping Association (USADA) which would involve taking blood and urine samples at random right up until the day of the fight.
Pacquiao was last in action when he dominated Chris Algieri over 12 rounds in Macau last November
Pacquiao was last in action when he dominated Chris Algieri over 12 rounds in Macau last November
He was prepared to provide urine samples at any time but wanted three set days to give blood; one in January, one no more than 30 days before the fight, and one immediately after the fight.
Pacquiao was concerned that a blood test so close to the contest would weaken him, having blamed his 2005 defeat by Erik Morales on having to give blood two days beforehand.
The chances of two of the best boxers in the world finally touching gloves were enhanced last month when they came face-to-face at a basketball match in Miami.
Mayweather later spent more than an hour in Pacquiao’s hotel suite in a bid to thrash out the finer details although no official announcement has been forthcoming.
Mayweather said on Sunday that neither fighter had signed a contract but that he was ‘hopeful’ the fight would happen.
DailyMail
