Top Rank CEO and Manny Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum has again stressed that Floyd Mayweather Jr. is reluctant and "afraid" to face Pacman inside the ring, noting that this is the only factor stalling talks of the fight.

Arum said in a Yahoo Sports report that the issues being raised by Mayweather's camp like drug testing regulations or splitting the purse money does not really have so much bearing on sealing the fight. Rather, the American boxer's fear that his untarnished reputation will now be smeared is taking a heavy toll in the decision.

In a similar report by Philippine local newspaper Philippine Daily Inquirer, Arum allegedly called Mayweather a "chicken" for making negotiations of the fight "difficult" for Pacquiao's camp.

"Everybody knows that Manny accepted the terms that were negotiated for the fight, including CBS and his management with Al Haymon, but Floyd Mayweather once again throw the fight because he's a chicken," the promoter said, noting that the boxer is not stupid but he is afraid to lose.

Just this month, talks about the fight started moving as it also involved other stakeholders like Les Moonves of CBS and Richard Pletter of HBO.

Pacquiao's camp said they already agreed to the terms set by Mayweather especially those concerning the purse like the revenue split, as well as the drug testing system.

According to another Philippine newspaper, Manila Bulletin, many fans are already waiting for this megafight and that the only thing missing is Mayweather agreeing to really fight Pacman. "We've signed off on every point. We've agreed to everything. But push comes to shove, there's one guy to blame."

Arum also explained that Mayweather's fear could be magnified by the fact that Pacquiao is a southpaw. "He doesn't want to fight southpaws. The worst possible opponent for him is Pacquiao. He's afraid to lose."

The Filipino fighter has already challenged Mayweather to fight him by the end of the month or he will have to move on and find other opponents. This was after talks about the fight stalled for weeks and Pacquiao's camp did not receive clear responses from Mayweather's side. The American boxer was, however, quick in noting that he is ready to face Pacman.

"I've been saying this for a long time, Pacquiao has no say because he fights for Top Rank Promotions. He's not in a position to call the shots right now; he's not the A-side. I have Mayweather Promotions, it's my company. Do I want to fight Pacquiao? Absolutely. Are we negotiating? Absolutely. Has the fight been made? Not at all," Mayweather was quoted as saying in a Latino Post article.

Last December, Mayweather announced that he is ready to fight Pacquiao and chose May 2 as the date of the megafight.