Mayweather vs Pacquiao Fight News, Date: Mayweather Finally Agrees To Fight Pacquiao, May 2015?

At long last, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. has declared his intention to fight Manny Pacquiao – a fight the entire world has been clamoring for years, a fight that will decide once and for all who is the greatest boxer of their generation.

In an interview on the Showtime network Friday night, the 37-year-old Mayweather finally accepted Pacquiao's oft-repeated challenge, even offering a date.

"We are ready. Let's make it happen. May 2. Mayweather versus Manny Pacquiao. Let's do it," the pound-for-pound king of boxing said in San Antonio, Texas, where his own promotional company Showtime was putting on a boxing card at the Alamodome.

Although his camp has issued earlier statements that they're as keen on holding the fight as the rest of the boxing world, it was the first time Mayweather directly said he wanted to fight Pacquiao after negotiations for such a fight fell apart in early 2010.

The 36-year-old Pacquiao quickly reacted to Mayweather's statement, saying on Saturday that the unbeaten American boxer should stop making slur remarks against him and show that he is really serious to fight him this time by signing a contract.

"Let's sign," the Filipino boxing icon challenged Mayweather.

"I'm not after material things, so money won't be an issue," added the eight-time world division champion who recently inflicted the first defeat on promising American boxer Chris Algieri, knocking him down on the canvass six times on the way to a lopsided decision to retain his World Boxing Organization welterweight title.

Pacquiao appeared peeved at Mayweather's latest rants on him. During the Showtime interview, Mayweather described Pacquiao as a "desperate" fighter who suffered back-to-back losses to Juan Manuel Marquez and Tim Bradley in 2012. He likewise noted the decreasing numbers of Pacquiao in pay-per-view especially in the Filipino boxer's fights against Algieri and Brandon Rios, both of which were held outside of the U.S.

"I would love to fight Manny Pacquiao. We tried to make the fight happen years ago; we had problems with random blood and urine testing," Mayweather said.

"I just want to be on an even playing field. Now he's in a very, very tight situation. He's lost to Marquez, he's lost to Bradley. Pay-per-view numbers are extremely low. He's desperate. I wanted that fight a long time ago. I'm just waiting on them," said Mayweather.

Mayweather failed to mention though that Pacquiao eventually agreed to random blood and urine testing.

But Mayweather was right in saying that Pacquiao's pay-per-view figures have indeed gone down, according to boxing analysts. What Mayweather appeared to have ignored though, according to the analysts, was that his recent fights also saw declining pay-per-views. Three of the four fights he has had so far under his six-fight contract with CBS/Showtime failed to reach even 900,000 buys, the analysts noted.

In the Showtime interview, Mayweather tried to turn the tables on Pacquiao and the latter's boxing promoter Top Rank Promotions' Bob Arum.

"Manny Pacquiao, Bob Arum, you guys have been ducking us for years," the five-division world champion said. "We're tired of you guys fooling the public, fooling the critics. You guys didn't want to take random blood and urine testing, so that's why it didn't happen. Then I offered you $40 million, then you didn't want to make the fight happen. You lost twice, now you coming back begging for the same money. That's not gonna happen. Let's make the fight happen for the people and the fans. Mayweather versus Pacquiao, May 2nd, Cinco de Mayweather."

Mayweather then added a verbal jab on Pacquiao: "I know that he's (Pacquiao) not on my level. The fan would love to see the fight. And, of course, I want to go out with a bang."

Pacquiao responded: "He (Mayweather) should do what he says he wants and not just talk."

Arum earlier disclosed that quiet negotiations have been going on involving people close to both fighters to stage the mega-bout in the first half of 2015.

For his part, Arum said he has held talks with CBS president and CEO Leslie Moonves to finalize a deal under which Showtime and HBO, to which Pacquiao is under contract, would produce a joint pay-per-view. The competing companies did that once before during the 2002 heavyweight championship fight between Lennox Lewis, who was signed to HBO, and Mike Tyson, who was with Showtime.

Mayweather apparently was not aware of the Arum-Moonves talks. In the Showtime interview, he insisted that the fight will happen only on Showtime. In fact he failed to mention the reported negotiations between his camp and that of Pacquiao.

Boxing analysts are one in saying that a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight would be the richest in boxing history. They predict it would gross at least $250 million, with Mayweather getting more than $100 million.