Floyd Mayweather Jr v Manny Pacquiao: Ex-opponents urge boxers to sign 2015 showdown deal

Juan Manuel Marquez and Timothy Bradley, two of Manny Pacquiao's toughest opponents, have urged the Filipino fighter and Floyd Mayweather Jr to stop the talking and agree to a fight in 2015.

Calls for a long-awaited meeting between the welterweight kings have heightened following Pacquiao's emphatic win over Chris Algieri in Macau on Saturday 22 November.

Mayweather has remained silent following Pacquiao's latest demands for a showdown but did taunt the 35-year-old by posting a video on Instagram of his devastating knockout at the hand of Marquez in 2012.

Pacquiao responded with an online jibe of his own, challenging the five-weight world champion to "stop throwing punches on Instagram and get in the ring".

The Instagram spat has not impressed Marquez, who has shared the ring with Pacquiao four times and Mayweather once over the past six years and has called upon both fighters to drop the bad mouthing and agree a deal for the fight the boxing world has been waiting for.

"As a fan, I think the fight should get done and they need to stop the bickering over who wants to earn more than the other," Marquez told Boxing Scene.

"The most important thing here is that the fight is carried and [both of them] stop talking about nonsense and give the fans what they want."

Those sentiments were echoed by former world champion Bradley, who took the WBO welterweight title off Pacquiao in 2012 only to relinquish it again in a rematch between the two in April. And, having also sparred with Mayweather, he knows exactly what both are capable of.

"I think it's quite even," Bradley told Fight Hype. "I had been in the ring with Mayweather, I know he is the superior boxer but Manny's going to come all night. He's going to come and bring it.

"I think it will be a great exciting fight, I think it will be great for boxing, great for fans out there. I'm gonna be excited... If the fight happens, I'm gonna be a fan that night.

"I know the tickets will be expensive as hell, probably $40,000 for ringside seats. But you know I'm willing to pay that to see this fight, man."