Less than a month after bluntly stating his disinterest in pitting Manny Pacquiao against Terence Crawford in a WBA/WBO welterweight unification match, Bob Arum now tells iFL TV that the fight is “a real possibility” and “one of the things that we’re working on.”
Top Rank’s head honcho does have some qualifiers, though, namely the need for a site fee or other compensation from the hosting country due to the ongoing worldwide economic struggles. They would also need to lower the stateside pay-per-view rates, which Arum calls “too high to begin with,” as asking for $80 is a hard sell in these times.
If they do manage to get the necessary funds, though, Arum claims “Pacquiao wants to fight Crawford and Crawford wants to fight Pacquiao.”
Crawford (36-0, 27 KO) spent 2019 running roughshod over Amir Khan and Egidijus Kavaliasuskas, while Pacquiao’s (62-7-2, 39 KO) sole outing saw him drop Keith Thurman en route to a January split decision. Pacquiao, who turned 41 in December, would face a seven-inch reach disadvantage.
