Floyd Mayweather - Manny Pacquiao 2015: Yes, It’s Finally Happening As Floyd Announces Mega-Fight

After years of back-and-forth between the camps of boxing’s best pound-for-pound fighters, Floyd Mayweather Jr. (47-0) and Manny Pacquiao (38-5-2), a mega-fight between the two welterweights has been set for May 2. The holdup had been from Mayweather, who remained silent for several months despite widespread speculation that a fight was imminent.

Multiple sources had speculated that an official announcement was nearly finalized, but there was no confirmation from Mayweather. On Friday afternoon, the undefeated champion made the announcement on Shots, a social media platform in which Mayweather is an investor.

“What the world has been waiting for has arrived. Mayweather vs. Pacquiao on May 2, 2015, is a done deal. I promised the fans we would get this done, and we did. We will make history on May 2nd. Don't miss it! This is the signed contract from both fighters,” Mayweather posted.

The fight is expected to set pay-per-view records, as Mayweather and Pacquiao are boxing’s biggest stars. It is arguably the most high-profile fight since heavyweights Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson fought in 2002, but considering Mayweather and Pacquiao have owned a grudge against one another, it promises to be a more competitive and intense bout. And unlike the Lewis-Tyson bout, both Mayweather and Pacquiao are both still top fighters, though slightly past their primes.

Many boxing analysts and fans have wanted this fight since 2009, but drug testing and financial issues have been major stumbling blocks. Mayweather recently defeated Marcos Maidana for the second consecutive time, and previously held off Canelo Alvarez. The last opponent Mayweather knocked out was Victor Ortiz in 2011, and it was somewhat controversial since Mayweather used a quick start to stun his opponent.

Pacquiao has recovered from losses in 2012, after being surprised by a sharp knockout punch from rival Juan Manuel Marquez and a controversial decision against Timothy Bradley. Since then, the Filipino icon has earned convincing victories over Brandon Rios, Bradley and Chris Algieri.

In a pinned posting on Twitter on Jan. 20, Pacquiao wrote: “I can easily beat @FloydMayweather, I believe that.” On Friday, Pacquiao addressed the fight through Twitter.

Fight fans may get a highly entertaining fight, as Pacquiao is considered one of the more aggressive and hard-hitting welterweights, while Mayweather is a defensive specialist with excellent timing on his hard punches.

In a 2011 interview with International Business Times, Bert Sugar, the famed boxing expert known for his trademark cigar and fedora, claimed a fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao would “never happen." Sugar believed that Mayweather was too protective of his undefeated record. He described Pacquiao as “probably the greatest fighter I have seen in his style, in his weight class, since a fighter back in the 1930's, Henry Armstrong."

The fight is expected to take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, where Mayweather has fought his last 10 bouts. There had also been talk about the fight taking place in Abu Dhabi. The purse for the bout could exceed $200 million, according to estimates.

"It's hasn't been easy but I think in some strange way the inability to get the fight done before now enhances its value and this is one event that the public all over the world has been talking about and discussing for years," Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, who represents Pacquiao, told ESPN.com. "The interest in the fight will be absolutely red-hot. I've been promoting boxing for nearly 50 years and there is nothing that has come close to this because there has been nothing that has been so difficult to come to fruition. As interest is concerned, this akin to the first (Muhammad) Ali-(Joe) Frazier fight.

"You have to be grateful that this is finally happening. You can't bemoan the false starts and the inability to do this before. It's here now."