Top-Rank promoter Bob Arum declared the much-awaited showdown between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. will happen in spring of 2015, believing Money May won't have a choice but to accept the fight with the Filipino slugger.

Arum, who has promoted several all-time boxing greats such as Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson and Oscar De la Hoya, is still optimistic the mega-buck slugfest between five-division world champ Mayweather and eight-division titlist Pacquiao will eventually push through next year.

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"With Showtime wanting the fight and HBO wanting it and Manny and Top Rank wanting the fight, there is one little step to take and that's to see where Floyd stands and we're optimistic that this time, Floyd will bite the bullet and do the fight on equitable terms",  Arum told the San Francisco Chronicle.

Arum pointed out that Mayweather may have no choice but to accept the showdown with Pacquiao because of his diminishing appeal in the market.

After racking up millions of dollars in his lopsided win over Canelo Alvarez Jr. last year, Money May's latest encounter with Marcos Maidana only generated 900,000 pay per view buys - making the second time in three fights Mayweather failed to surpass the 1M PPV threshold.

"The May 3 fight between Floyd Mayweather and Marcos Maidana generated an estimated 900,000 pay per view buys, multiple industry sources told SI.com," Sports Illustrated writer Chris Mannix reported.

"The 900,000 buys represent a precipitous drop from the 2.2 million buys Mayweather generated in his fight with Saul Alvarez last September and is comparable to the number of buys Mayweather got in his May, 2013 fight against Robert Guerrero, which also failed to eclipse 1 million."

The Top-Rank head honcho believed the PPV result of his rematch with Maidana could influence Mayweather and his team to book a fight date with Pacquiao, who is also set to fight undefeated American Chris Algieri on Nov. 22 at Venetian Macao in Macau, China.

According to analysts, a fight between the top two pound-for-pound fighters could generate between $200 million to $300 million payout, making the showdown still the most lucrative fight in boxing history.

TagsManny Pacquiao news, Floyd Mayweather news, Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, Boxing News, Manny Pacquiao next fight