Manny Pacquiao's 79-year-old promoter Bob Arum has gone on record as saying that he believes a mega-fight between Pacquiao and WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr will never, ever happen.

"That fight will never, ever happen." Arum told ESPN. "Ever, ever happen because of Mayweather. What Mayweather hates is Manny's right hand. Mayweather has no chin and Manny will knock him out. Pacquiao and Mayweather is a three or four round fight. Period.''

Officially, 34 year old Mayweather has only been knocked down once in his 15 year professional career. In a 2001 WBC super featherweight title defense against Carlos Hernandez, Mayweather broke his hand on Hernandez's head in the sixth round, and touched down immediately after, grimacing in pain.

He looked to have been floored in the second round of his 2006 IBF welterweight title fight against Zab Judah, but the referee chose to call it a slip. He was unquestionably rocked by a booming right hand from Shane Mosley in the second round of their bout last May, but Mayweather covered up masterfully, and Mosley was unable to capitalize on his brief window of opportunity.

As Mayweather has been such a defensive master in his 42 bout career (42-0, 26 KO's), he has been able to come through fights against such renowned sluggers as Diego Corrales,  José Luis Castillo, Arturo Gatti, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Juan Manuel Marquez and Victor Ortiz unscathed. The reality is, the jury is still out on just how good Mayweather's chin really is because it has so rarely been tested.

Nevertheless, Arum continued with his assertion that a bout with Mayweather would be an easy night's work for the Filipino: 

"He (Pacquiao) understands boxing and Mayweather cannot compete with Manny. It's the right hand of Manny that is preventing that fight from happening. If Manny agreed just to jab with the right hand the fight would be made in 30 seconds."

Prior to teaming up with his current trainer Freddie Roach in 2001, southpaw Pacquiao  had been criticized for ''lacking a right-hand'', and relying too heavily on his powerful straight left. Under Roach's expert tutelage, Pacquiao has developed his right hand into a potent weapon. His jab is fast and powerful, and his right hook is as devastating as is his straight left. It is this improvement of his right hand that has made the Filipino the fearsome fighting force that he is today.

Arum, whose promotional company Top Rank will promote 32 year old Pacquiao's (53-3-2, 38 KO's) upcoming November 12 WBO welterweight title defense against WBA/WBO lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, has been involved in boxing since the 1960s. A Harvard graduate, Arum worked as an attorney in the United States Department of Justice under Bobby Kennedy until 1965. 

Arum promoted the first fight he ever attended; Muhammad Ali's world heavyweight title defense against George Chuvalo in 1966. Arum would go on to promote 25 of Ali's fights, as well as bouts featuring such boxing superstars as George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Larry Holmes, Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar De La Hoya and many more.

It was Arum who had the foresight to start promoting major fights in Las Vegas casinos with the first Muhammad Ali v Leon Spinks fight in 1978 at the Vegas Hilton - changing the landscape of big-time boxing forever. 

Among the many accolades he has received during his career in boxing include being inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1999, and being named Promoter of the Year by the WBO in 2005.