Floyd Mayweather Sr. further fuels Mayweather Jr.-Pacquiao talk

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is on vacation and Manny Pacquiao still has a world title defense ahead of him next month, but the speculation that the pair are headed to a long-awaited superfight is heightening.

Mayweather’s trainer and father, Floyd Mayweather Sr., told fighthype.com that he believes Mayweather (47-0) wants Pacquiao as his next opponent.

“It’s gonna happen. That fight’s gonna happen. Trust me,” Mayweather Sr. said. “That fight’s definitely gonna happen. It’s a fight for the world, man, right there. It’s the biggest fight that has ever been in life, so like I said, man, that fight’s gonna happen.”

Mayweather Sr. was quick to note that his son “never told me the fight’s gonna happen, but ... the fight’s gonna happen. You mark my words, and we’ll see.”

Leonard Ellerbe, president of Mayweather Promotions, told the Los Angeles Times on Thursday that it’s premature to discuss Mayweather’s next opponent since the fighter is less than a month from his Sept. 13 unanimous-decision victory over Marcos Maidana at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“Floyd’s on vacation,” Ellerbe said.

Mayweather-Pacquiao, in on-again, off-again talks since 2009, has fallen apart in the past over drug testing, purse splits and personal grudges.

After the Maidana victory, Mayweather Jr. triggered the conversation to Pacquiao by saying in the ring, “Manny Pacquiao needs to focus on the guy in front of him [Chris Algieri, Nov. 22 in Macao, China]. Once he gets past him, he can look to the future. If the Pacquiao fight presents itself, let’s make it happen.”

Last week, Mayweather Jr.’s friend, actor Denzel Washington, said on Stephen A. Smith’s radio show that Mayweather Jr. has told him he plans to fight Pacquiao in June.

Ed Keenan, who assists in Pacquiao’s promotion, heard Washington’s comment and told a spokesman for Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum to inform Arum of the comments.

This “was not radio row,” Keenan said in reference to the loose-talking babble that transpires inside boxing media centers on fight week. “This was Denzel!”

Arum simply smiled, the spokesman said.

On Tuesday, at the funeral for promoter Dan Goossen that drew hundreds, including representatives of HBO and Showtime, the Mayweather-Pacquiao speculation continued.

While Showtime televises Mayweather fights and HBO has Pacquiao, the sides are apparently close to an agreement to stage a joint broadcast once Mayweather gives the OK.

Another boxing official, close to Mayweather but unauthorized to speak publicly on the matter due to the fighter’s wishes to keep his plans close to the vest, said a possible Mayweather-Pacquiao doubleheader could be in play.

Contacted Thursday, Arum said he’s “been asked not to [discuss the status of the Showtime-HBO talks], but I can tell you there have been discussions. Fruitful discussions.”

Regarding the comments of Mayweather Sr., Arum said, “All I have to say is, where there’s smoke, there’s fire.”

Arum said Pacquiao has “always been interested,” in fighting Mayweather, and the promoter and fighter will meet Oct. 20 in the Philippines to discuss his future.