MANILA, Philippines – Senator Manny Pacquiao on Monday, September 17, said his fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr is set to be finalized this week.

Pacquiao said it was Mayweather who pitched the fight when the two met at a concert in Tokyo, Japan on Saturday, September 14. This was more than three years after they fought in Las Vegas.

“Malaking laban yan. ‘Yun lang nagtagpo kami ni Mayweather sa Japan, grabe na yung reaction ng mga fans. Sabi nya ‘Easy fight, easy fight.’ Sabi ko, ‘Let’s get it on and get back to the ring. I have the belt’,” a smiling Pacquiao told reporters on Monday.

(It will be a big match. When Mayweather and I ran into each other in Japan, fans had a huge reaction. Mayweather told me: ‘Easy fight, easy fight.’ I told him: ‘Let’s get it on and get back to the ring. I have the belt.)

On Instagram, Mayweather said that he will be coming out of retirement to face the Filipino boxing superstar in what is expected as another blockbuster bout.

“I’m coming back to fight Manny Pacquiao this year. Another nine-figure payday on the way,” the undefeated American boxer wrote.

Pacquiao said they have yet to discuss the conditions, details, and schedule of the fight.

“Aayusin pa… Pag-uusapan pa. Gusto n’ya bumalik eh, gusto n’ya agawin daw belt ko,” Pacquiao, who snatched the World Boxing Association regular welterweight belt from Argentine Lucas Matthysse, said in jest. (We have yet to fix and discuss it. He said he wants to go back and to steal my belt.)

“Ma-finalize this week yung (This week we will finalize the) fight with Mayweather or with somebody else,” Pacquiao said.

Senator-slash-boxer

The senator said Mayweather wants the fight to be held in December.

Asked how he could prepare when the Senate would be busy with budget deliberations from now until December, the athlete-turned-senator said:

“Isa rin yan sa considerations natin. Titignan natin na di maapektuhan ang trabaho natin. Madaming trabaho ngayon dito. May break naman ng October so titignan din natin,” he said.

(It is also one of my considerations. We have to make sure that our work won’t be affected. There are lots of work here. But there is a break come October so we’ll see.)

Congress is set to go on recess from October 13 to November 11 before it resumes session on November 12 to December 14. It would then go on Christmas break from December 15, 2018 to January 13, 2019.

Pacquiao said there are also talks of fights with Amir Khan, Terrence Crawford and Adrien Broner, among others. – Rappler.com