source: Nick Giongco | mb.com.ph

With the deluge of fans expected to come in case the fight materializes in 2012, Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum revealed that a 45,000-capacity venue is being envisioned to rise on the famed Las Vegas Strip to host the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather pound-for-pound clash.

The idea of building a site for the super showdown was broached by Arum to the Los Angeles Times in a story that appeared Tuesday.

Erecting a temporary location makes a lot of sense because Las Vegas doesn’t have a massive arena that can host such a big event.

The biggest venue in Sin City is the Thomas and Mack Center inside the University of Nevada-Las Vegas campus, which can seat almost 20,000, while the MGM Grand Garden Arena has a capacity of 18,000.

The Sam Boyd football stadium can do 40,000 but the venue is located far from the heart of the action, compelling Arum to ponder about the construction of a makeshift arena.

Arum added that the likely date in case Pacquiao and Mayweather get it on is June 2012, noting that the proposed date of May is too early given the heavy tasks that are needed to be completed.

It appears that all major roadblocks have been cleared following Pacquiao’s recent announcement that he is even willing to take a smaller share in the prize money as long as the fight everyone wants to see finally becomes a reality.

Pacquiao, who turned 33 over the weekend, has also agreed to Mayweather’s demand of Olympic-style blood and urine testing.

Pacquiao is coming off a hard-earned 12-round majority decision over Mexican nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez last month, while Mayweather stopped Victor Ortiz last September.

source: Dennis Gasgonia | abs-cbnnews.com

ESPN sports analyst Skip Bayless agrees with Bob Arum’s reason why Floyd Mayweather Jr. is eluding Manny Pacquiao.

“I completely concur, the right hand is why Floyd doesn’t want any part of Pacquiao,” Bayless said in ESPN’s First Take.

Bayless said Pacquiao’s much improved right hand will force Mayweather to suffer his first career loss in boxing.

“The right hand is why Pretty Boy Floyd would get cut for the first time in his career. And the right hand is why I think Floyd, as Bob Arum suggests, would be dropped in this fight by the 3rd and 4th round,” said Bayless.

ESPN: Mayweather afraid of Pacquiao?

Pacquiao, who used to rely solely on his left hand, was developed by boxing coach Freddie Roach into a two-fisted fighter.

Arum earlier said that the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight will never take place because Mayweather knows he will lose.

Arum said Pacquiao’s right hand will be the antidote to Mayweather’s defensive style.

Bayless said that a loss to Pacquiao will be extremely humiliating for someone like Mayweather.

“It will be over quickly, painly and humiliatingly for one Floyd Mayweather,” Bayless said.

The ESPN analyst said, however, that Mayweather can disprove this by taking the Pacquiao fight.

Bayless said that if Mayweather can show true defensive skills then the latter won’t have any problems handling an offensive fight like Pacquiao.

“If Floyd will be the defensive technician and boxing savant that Mayweather’s fans have said over the years, he wouldn’t be afraid of anyone,” said Bayless.