MANILA, Philippines– No amount of taunting tweets from Floyd Mayweather Jr. could sway promoter Bob Arum from agreeing to a May 5 fight between the flamboyant American and Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao.

If ever, the earliest Arum sees the megabuck bout happening is late May, though he’d prefer it to be in June. On June 9 to be exact to maximize its financial windfall.

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Arum was reacting to Mayweather’s challenge for Pacquiao posted on his Twitter account Tuesday.

“Manny Pacquiao I’m calling you out let’s fight May 5th and give the world what they want to see.”

Mayweather’s next tweet was even degrading.

“My jail sentence was pushed back because the date was locked in. Step up Punk,” Mayweather dared Pacquiao, who was unavailable for comment yesterday.

Pacquiao, however, has repeatedly said that he’s willing to fight Mayweather, even agreeing to Olympic-style blood testing just to entice the American to put his unbeaten record on the line.

Mayweather was supposed to start serving his three-month jail term on Jan. 6, before a US judge granted him a reprieve and moved it to June 1.

The 80-year-old Arum, a Harvard-educated lawyer who’s in Manila to confer with Pacquiao regarding his next opponent, insisted that May 5 is out because it isn’t economically sound.

Interviewed on television yesterday, Arum said he wants Pacquiao-Mayweather to be held either end of May or, if possible, June 9.

By that time, added Arum, the makeshift arena that could accommodate at least 40,000 and generate $25 million in additional gate revenues will be ready.

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For Pacquiao, the date isn’t of paramount importance as long as it’s Mayweather he’ll have to fight next.

The Sarangani representative, bared in an earlier TV interview that he’d try to convince Arum to give Mayweather priority over other fighters being floated as possible adversaries.

According to estimates, Pacquiao-Mayweather could generate at least $50 million each for the world’s top pound-for-pound boxers and pay-per-view cash cows.

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