Phone numbers, not punches, were exchanged when Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather’s went face-to-face on Tuesday night — not in the ring, of course, but during a chance meeting at a basketball game in Miami.
The two welterweights, who were in attendance for the Milwaukee Bucks win over the Heat, took a couple of minutes during halftime to chat. Both Mayweather and the Pacman appeared to remain cordial during the exchange, despite years of trash talk and accusations in the absence of a deal that would allow the fighters to settle one of modern boxing’s most-debated rivalries.
“It was a private discussion. They had a private, friendly discussion and that’s all I really want to say,” said Michael Koncz, Pacquiao’s adviser, according to ESPN.
During the exchange, the two boxers also swapped phone numbers, indicating that they may begin taking a greater role in negotiating a deal for a potential showdown in early May, according to the Associated Press.
“He gave his number to me and said we will communicate with each other,” Pacquiao told the AP.