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Manila. Manny Pacquiao’s camp has said there is no economic sense in setting up a bout with Floyd Mayweather on May 5 after the unbeaten American publicly challenged the Filipino champion via Twitter.

Pacquiao’s financial adviser, Michael Koncz, said on Thursday that a 45,000-seat boxing arena being built in Las Vegas would not be finished before the end of May, and staging the fight in a smaller venue would be “foolish from an economic standpoint.”

Mayweather challenged and taunted Pacquiao to a May 5 bout in a tweet on Tuesday.

Mayweather is available for a fight in May at the MGM Grand Garden after a judge agreed last week to postpone his jail sentence for domestic violence until June.

The MGM Grand only seats about 17,000, which could fetch around $20 million in sales, but the larger arena could raise an additional $30 million, Koncz said.

“Why would I tell Manny to fight on the 5th and throw away a percentage of 30 million? That’s crazy,” he said.

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum has told the Philippines’ GMA television the only reason the fight won’t happen is if there is an “economic problem.” He said the fight “could happen very, very easily” at the end of May, enough time to build the outdoor arena “the fight so badly needs.”

“I will also guarantee Manny’s purse,” he said. “Manny doesn’t want to go into the ring and just fight out a percentage.”

In a separate interview with GMA, Pacquiao said that if Mayweather agrees to a “50-50 sharing, there will be no problem.”

A Pacquiao-Mayweather fight could be the most lucrative bout in boxing history.

Associated Press