Pacquiao-Mayweather bouts headed for Vegas

Promoters of the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather jnr bout cancelled a trip to Dallas on Wednesday, an apparent sign that the new Cowboys Stadium won't host the mega-bout next year.

The trip was called off at the last minute because Mayweather's promoter apparently decided he didn't want the fight at the new billion-dollar stadium that is home to the Dallas Cowboys NFL team.

The move left the MGM Grand arena in Las Vegas as the favorite to host the fight, expected to take place on March 13.

Co-promoter Bob Arum said he was surprised by the decision from Mayweather's promoter, Golden Boy chief executive Richard Schaefer, to call off the trip to Texas.

Both fighters have reportedly agreed to terms for the bout, but neither has signed contracts.

Jones said last week he hoped to bid for the fight for his stadium in suburban Dallas, while representatives of the Superdome in New Orleans were also interested.

An official of Staples Center, home of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers, told the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday that the arena had made a 20 million-dollar offer to host the fight.

However, the Los Angeles venue would likely need to offer more than a Las Vegas venue because California imposes state taxes that the fighters would have to pay, and Nevada doesn't.

Mayweather, 40-0 with 25 knockouts, was regarded as the world's top pound-for-pound fighter before a 19-month layoff that ended last September. LAS VEGAS, AFP