by James Slater – Floyd “Money” Mayweather would have us all believe he is not in any way as excited about the possibility of a showdown with pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao as the rest of us are. At least this is the impression Mayweather gave while speaking on the subject of a lucrative clash with the sensational Filipino hero.
Speaking exclusively with Sky Sports at the weekend, the 32-year-old boxing master said he is more than willing to fight Pacquiao, but that after he has done so, and beaten him as he is sure he will, he will not get any genuine credit for having done it. Amazingly, Mayweather, one of the most self assured prize fighters of all-time, has referred to “Pac Man” as a one-dimensional fighter who has been KO’d before, therefore he himself will get no plaudits if he manages to stop the southpaw dynamo..
“The thing is with Pacquiao I don’t see any versatility as a fighter,” Mayweather told Sky’s Adam Smith. “He’s a good puncher but just one-dimensional. I’m in a no-win situation. If I beat Manny Pacquiao do you know what they [the critics] are going to say? ‘You are supposed to beat him, you are Floyd Mayweather. You are the bigger man.’ I I knock him out they’ll say, ‘You’re supposed to knock him out, he’s been knocked out before.’
“I’m in a no-win situation and when I beat him no-one is going to be surprised, because he’s been beaten before. He’s been beaten on three occasions.”
Staggering! All fighters as talented as Floyd is have a right to be hugely confident, but to brush aside the superb talents of Pacquiao like that! Fans, and indeed experts, the world over want to see a Pacquiao-Mayweather meeting next year, and why is that? Because Pacquiao has proven himself to be one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighter in history, that’s why. And the only fighter left for him to beat is Mayweather. Yet for some reason, the 32-year-old wishes to downplay the fight – a fight that would be one of the most important in the sport’s history.
Does Mayweather really believe what he’s saying? Or has his ego got the better of him? Sure, Pacquiao has been beaten three times – by Rustico Torrecampo and Medgoen Singsurat, both down at flyweight and both over ten years ago, and by Erik Morales at super-feather back in 2005, the loss subsequently avenged twice – but how much has Manny improved as a fighter since? Pacquiao was a mere novice by comparison when he lost his two bouts at flyweight, and the loss to Morales was eleven fights ago.
There is no doubting “Pac-Man’s” talents, and deep down I believe Floyd knows this himself. Still, the 40-0 star feels Pacquiao is reluctant to face him.
“When they asked Manny Pacquiao,’Would you like to fight Floyd Mayweather,’ he said talk to my promoter. Manny Pacquiao was asked the same question, ‘Do you want to fight Floyd Mayweather?’ three times. This is something the world is trying to force on him.
“If he wants to fight Floyd Mayweather all he has to do is step up to the plate.”
While it’s true Pacquiao did give the “ask my promoter” answer when asked about who he’d like to fight next, that is merely Manny’s humble attitude – not a sign of his fear of facing Mayweather.
Let’s hope Floyd does indeed want the fight, and that any money issues can be resolved to allow the super-fight to take place. Make no mistake about it; Manny Pacquiao is not afraid of “Money” Mayweather.