Pacquiao gets mum’s nod for Mayweather bout

MANILA, (Reuters) – Manny Pacquiao has been given  permission to fight for the final time by his mother and plans  to take on undefeated American Floyd Mayweather Jr. later this  year when the Filipino is likely to be a politician.

Pacquiao, a world champion in seven divisions, is leading  the count for a seat to represent his home province in the  Philippine Congress after Monday’s elections. Earlier this year  he had said he was considering his mother’s request to retire.

“Many fans really want me to fight Floyd Mayweather, so I  asked my mama if we can give them one more fight. She said  okay,” 31 year-old Pacquiao told a local television network.

Fight fans have been dreaming of a bought between the  sport’s two best fighters but have been thwarted by the  Filipino’s refusal to submit blood testing.

“Manny is ready to fight Mayweather in November, but under  the rules sanctioned by the state commission, not by any other  body,” Pacquiao’s lawyer Franklin Gacal told Reuters by phone.

“Our position stays the same, we will only abide by the  rules set by the state commission sanctioning the fight,  whether in Las Vegas or in Texas,”

The two fighters were expected to fight early this year but  negotiations collapsed over the undefeated American fighter’s  demand for random drug testing, which Mayweather said earlier  this month still stood.

On Monday, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) urged  Pacquiao to agree to Olympic-style drug testing to remove the  stumbling block to a bout with Mayweather.