Top Rank CEO Bob Arum told RingTV.com on Wednesday that he hopes to finalize a clash for June 9 between WBO welterweight beltholder Manny Pacquiao and WBO junior welterweight titleholder Tim Bradley as soon as this weekend.
Arum said that he is looking to complete the Pacquiao-Bradley deal in San Antonio, Texas, where he will be promoting Julio Cesar Chavez Jr's HBO-televised defense of his WBC belt opposite Marco Antonio Rubio, and Nonito Donaire's 122-pound debut against Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. at the Alamodome. Donaire-Vazquez will be for the vacant WBO junior featherweight belt.
Arum will discuss the fight with Pacquiao's adviser, Michael Koncz, and Bradley's manager, Cameron Dunkin.
"Michael Koncz and Cameron and everybody will be in San Antonio. We're going there and I'm meeting with Cameron and Michael Koncz to see how far we can go toward wrapping up a Tim Bradley fight," said Arum, who promotes both fighters.
"We're holding the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. It's not finalized yet, but they're both our fighters, and we're hoping that we can get it done, and we think that we can get it done."
The Pacquiao-Bradley fight may be closer to fruition now that WBA junior middleweight Miguel Cotto is out of the picture, having been chosen on Wednesday by Floyd Mayweather Jr. as his May 5 opponent.
Mayweather already had been dismissed by Arum and Koncz as an a potential opponent, given that Mayweather is slated to begin serving an 87-day jail sentence on June 1 and Pacquiao's desire to fight on June 9.
Koncz, however, agreed that Bradley is not a definite.
"We will be talking about the fight this weekend, however, we have not committed to Bradley," said Koncz. "We still have the three of them. We've got Bradley, we've got Marquez and we've got Peterson."--continue
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