Floyd: Manny Pacquiao you’re next !

Mayweather gave Ortiz plenty of credit, insisting he would never lose sight of his next fight, but still, his comments came back to the Philippine congressman.

"I’m never going to overlook a guy like Victor Ortiz," Mayweather said. "He’s young, he’s strong and he’s the WBC welterweight champion of the world. ... To be the best, you got to beat the best in front of you.

"We only want to fight the biggest and the best out there, and yes, Manny Pacquiao you’re next."

Mayweather last fought May 1, 2010, defeating Shane Mosley in Las Vegas. Ortiz’s layoff has been drastically shorter, winning the WBC belt from Andre Berto in April.

Source: bostonherald.com

Mayweather: I never said Pacquiao is on steroids!

NEW YORK (AP)—It seems Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao will be forever linked, regardless of whether they ever face each other in the ring.

The two have danced around the richest fight in boxing for several years, unable to come to terms. Meanwhile, their animosity has grown to the point that Pacquiao has a pending defamation lawsuit alleging Mayweather unfairly accused him of using performance-enhancing drugs.

So it’s not surprising that Mayweather spent just as much time answering questions about Pacquiao on Tuesday as he did about Victor Ortiz, the welterweight champion whom he’ll face in his next fight on Sept. 17 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“I’ve never said that Manny Pacquiao was taking steroids, I never said he was taking enhancement drugs,” said Mayweather, who failed to turn up for a court-ordered deposition in Las Vegas earlier this month involving the defamation suit.

“I want to fight the best they got out there, not just him, the best they got out there,” Mayweather said, “and if he’s on the list as one of the best guys, then absolutely.”

Mayweather said he’s willing to fight Pacquiao if there is random blood and urine testing, which is more stringent than the protocol used by most state athletic associations. Mayweather said Pacquiao’s team would only agree to blood and urine testing at certain times.

“It’s not just Pacquiao, it’s sports, period,” Mayweather said. “If you look at sports in the Olympics, they’re cheating. Everyone is cheating. And I never once said Manny Pacquiao was cheating, only thing I said was this: Me and any other opponent I face must take the test.”

Mayweather will be returning to the ring for the first time since defeating Shane Mosley in May 2010, though the undefeated former champion has made plenty of news since then.

Last Friday, 21-year-old Anthony Cliff filed a lawsuit accusing Mayweather of ordering his bodyguards to attack the man outside the Palms Casino Resort on March 27, 2010.

The lawsuit accuses Mayweather of assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligent hiring, training, supervision and retention of employees.

Mayweather also faces felony charges stemming from a domestic argument and misdemeanor harassment and battery charges in separate cases.

“When you’re young, black and rich, you go through things in life,” Mayweather said. “But I’m a strong individual. I can survive through anything.”

Mayweather’s adviser, Leonard Ellerbe, declined to discuss the litigation.

“We focus on the business part and the boxing part,” Ellerbe said. “We let the attorneys handle the legal stuff.”

Mayweather and Ellerbe joined several hundred fans inside the Hudson Theater in New York City to kick off a promotional tour for the fight against Ortiz, who is coming off a career-defining victory over Andre Berto that made him the WBC welterweight champion.

Ortiz said he doesn’t mind that people want to talk about Pacquiao—even if that person is Mayweather—because he’s staring at the opportunity of a lifetime.

“I’m supposed to be a piece of nothing, I’m not supposed to be here, according to the statistics,” said Ortiz, whose parents abandoned him when he was young, forcing him and his five siblings to live in foster care. “I’m tired of, ‘You can’t do this, you can’t do that.”’

Early in his career, Ortiz was anointed the next Mexican-American superstar by Oscar De La Hoya, whose company promotes him. But his meteoric rise met a wall when he fought Marcos Maidana two years ago. Ortiz was losing after six rounds and essentially quit in the ring, one boxing’s cardinal sins, and fans and the media were quick to write him off.

Ortiz has been spectacular on the slow road to redemption, though, and in April climbed off the canvas twice to beat Berto as the heavy underdog and win the welterweight championship.

“I realize he’s a great fighter, but since I was 9 years old, I always said I’d fight Mayweather one day as champion of the world, and check it out,” Ortiz said. “It’s crazy.”

Ortiz said he asked to fight Mayweather or Pacquiao after his most recent fight, even though he heard whispers from people—including some in his own promotional company—who said he was overmatched or out of his mind. But he wanted to fight the best in the world, and depending who you ask, he may have achieved that by landing a shot at Mayweather.

As for Mayweather’s plan to fight Pacquiao next?

“There’s only one problem,” Ortiz said. “I’m fighting Pacquiao next.”

Source: sports.yahoo.com

Paquiao keeping an eye on Mayweather

MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao is taking Floyd Mayweather’s scheduled fight with Victor Ortiz as a sign of good things to come.

“Maybe he wants to fight me now,” said Pacquiao in a recent interview with ABS-CBN before he took off for a quiet vacation with his family in Boracay.

The pound-for-pound champion has been in the island paradise for almost a week now, staying in a place owned by his close friend Luis “Chavit” Singson.

Pacquiao was supposed to leave for the United States last Sunday for a previous commitment. But there was a change of plan, and instead the entire family flew to Boracay.

Pacquiao said Mayweather choosing Ortiz, a 24-year-old southpaw, as his opponent on Sept. 17 could be taken as a sign that the American is gearing up for the Filipino congressman.

Mayweather hasn’t fought since May of 2010, when he outpointed Shane Mosley, and coming out of his shell to fight Ortiz is something that left a lot of people guessing on his immediate plans.

“Maybe that’s why he chose to fight a southpaw,” said Pacquiao.

Twice over the last couple of years, a superfight between Pacquiao and Mayweather came close to happening. But for various reasons it never happened, and others have given up on it.

But there’s too much money on the table that sooner or later, perhaps by the first quarter of 2012, it might happen.

Pacquiao vs Mayweather would be the richest fight in boxing. Both fighters stand to earn no less than $40 million each for the fight, even as recent stories said Mayweather is asking for $100 million or the fight won’t happen at all.

Pacquiao has been busy through the years beating up bigger foes like Miguel Cotto, Joshua Clottey, Antonio Margarito and Mosley. He said he’s ready to fight Mayweather anytime, anywhere.

It’s just a matter of the promoters agreeing to do the fight, according to Pacquiao, and both fighters agreeing on the drug-testing procedure.

Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, felt the same way when it was announced that the undefeated American, now 34, had chosen Ortiz (29-2-2 with 22 knockouts) as his next foe.

“Of course, that’s the first thing I thought,” Roach was quoted as saying of Mayweather’s fight with the reigning WBC welterweight champion and fellow American.

Pacquiao said he can only wait and see what the future holds, what Mayweather wants.

For the meantime, he’s enjoying Boracay with his wife and kids, and looking forward to his November clash with Juan Manuel Marquez.

“Good luck sa kanya (Mayweather),” said Pacquiao.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. skips deposition

Floyd Mayweather Jr. defied a court order Friday when he failed to appear for a deposition in the defamation lawsuit filed in Las Vegas by pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao.

Mayweather tried to postpone the deposition at the last minute, but federal magistrate Judge Robert Johnston denied his request Thursday and ordered Mayweather to appear Friday.

Pacquiao is suing Mayweather, along with his father, Floyd Mayweather Sr., and uncle and trainer Roger Mayweather, over statements they made accusing him of using performance-enhancing drugs for his fights.

Pacquiao, boxing's only eight-division champion and a reigning welterweight titleholder, denies he has ever used PEDs.

"Mr. Mayweather maliciously leveled false accusations about Mr. Pacquiao. We are anxious to examine him under oath about those statements," Daniel Petrocelli, Pacquiao's attorney, said in a statement. "He is just dodging his deposition because he is afraid to testify, but he has no right to defy a court order."

Leonard Ellerbe, a Mayweather adviser, told ESPN.com, "This is a legal matter and we're not allowed to comment on it."

Source: sports.espn.go.com

Mayweather ordered to testify in Pacquiao case

Pacquiao vs Mayweather will not be in the ring anytime soon. As Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been ordered by a judge to testify starting Friday in a case involving pound-for-pound champion Manny Pacquiao.

On Thursday, Federal Magistrate Judge Robert Johnston denied an emergency motion filed by Mayweather, who is being sued by Pacquiao. Mayweather is being led to court for allegedly using defamatory statements accusing Pacquiao of taking performance-enhancing drugs.

The news comes nearly three weeks after Pacquiao settled his defamation lawsuit against Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy chief executive Richard Schaefer over allegations that Pacquiao used PEDs. The lawsuit against De La Hoya and Schaefer was settled on confidential terms and dismissed.

Mayweather was also named in the original suit, filed in December 2009, which stemmed from the contentious leadup to a possible fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao the following year.

Mayweather and Pacquiao never fought, at least in part because Pacquiao wouldn't agree to the Olympic-level drug testing suggested by Mayweather.

The next fight for Mayweather is scheduled for September 17 against Victor Ortiz for the WBC welterweight title.

Source: miamiherald.com

Pacquiao vs Mayweather will happen after all

After Manny Pacquiao agreed to fight Marquez this November, Floyd Mayweather was just silently negotiating for a fight. It was reported first on the forums after a poster had seen it on boxrec.com that Mayweather vs Ortiz will be fighting. At first I didn’t believed it since boxrec.com is sometimes not really credible. Second, Mayweather’s choice was really Andre Berto but he was upset against Ortiz. And lastly his court hearings that will be his hindrance in getting back to the ring.

Not until Mayweather announced this week via his Twitter account that he will fight Victor Ortiz for WBC 147 Belt this September. And that is the reason why Mayweather is preparing for Pacquiao bout next year. Ortiz just like Pacquiao is a lefty and packs a power. Though Pacquiao has a blinding speed, Ortiz is not fast but they have similarity in weapons of choice the STRAIGHT LEFT.

Mayweather has really problems against lefty especially with a straight left, which his shoulder roll cannot block it. Picking Ortiz will be a good tune up for Mayweather thought slightly dangerous on the paper but it will be totally mismatch on the fight night.

Once Pacquiao and Mayweather dismantle their dance partner this year they could meet next year for 100 million each and could be the biggest fight in boxing history.

Floyd Be Floyd, Stop Begging Him To Fight Pacquiao!

So he turned up his nose at $65 million bucks. Floyd Mayweather, with $65 million reasons to say yes, instead said no, I will not at this time fight Manny Pacquiao.

Difficult to believe, isn't it? We've all played the game "what would you do for a million dollars?" game with pals, and suffice to say, the bulk of us would allow ourselves to be semi debased and disgraced in exchange for securing a fat pile of loot. $65 million, even chopped up into portions for the taxman, and management types, is actually an obscene pile of loot.



The liberal softie in me does some math calculations in my head, dreams of all the good that $65 million could do. Starving kids in Africa could get plenty of nourishment for a long spell with that dough. You could build a real nice cancer wing in a big city hospital for that. And the jokester in me points out that you could get the IRS off your back if you owed him back taxes, if you said yes to $65 million.

But Floyd said no.

Promoter Bob Arum told videographer Elie Seckbach that despite his being an optimist, he now believes Mayweather will never fight Pacquiao. Arum said last week "legitimate people" from Signapore put $65 million on the table for Mayweather to meet Pacman, and "he turned it down...What does that tell you? It tells you he doesn't want to fight Manny Pacquiao."

"Everybody who knows boxing knows Manny Pacquiao would clean his clock," said Arum, skillfully speaking to Mayweather's ego, trying to get him to take the bait, and spurn all those people who know boxing. (By the way, count me out in this Arum scenario...I still lean toward Mayweather, one of if not THE best defender boxing has ever seen, if and when he and Pacquiao meet. I thought Manny took a half step back against Mosley, and wasn't impressed at times with his footwork as he tried to track down Mosley, who was in "not be hit" mode for 95% of the night.)

Arum said Floyd's legacy will take a hit if he doesn't fight Manny, that his record should be 41-1, because he has ducked Manny.

You might think that I will now delve into conjecture, and ponder reasons why Mayweather hasn't embraced the challenge. You might suspect that I will offer my belief that Mayweather enjoys the thrill of the chase as much as the actual preparation and combat, that he gets off on being wooed, on being romanced. You might think I'll offer some speculation on his psyche, talk about his fear of losing, of a fragility of ego. But I won't.

It's time for all of us to ditch the speculation, end the water cooler chats, cease the discussion as to why Mayweather won't fight Pacquiao.

Mayweather has made up his mind, and we have reached the point where the situation is ludicrous. Too much time has been wasted on trying to convince this man to do something he's not inclined to do. For two years, the keyboard tappers have churned out column after column, talking about blood tests, and PED allegations, and played amateur shrink as we covered the "will he or won't he" drama...Well, the drama has become stale, played out. The plotlines have been exhausted. There is nothing new, nothing fresh to be reported. What's next, Floyd will be offered $100 million to fight Pacquiao, and will turn that down?

Let's move on and deal with the concrete, with athletes who unabashedly seek the the challenges that make great sportsmen into legends. Let's focus on the people who don't shrink from the possibility of failure, for whatever reason, and luxuriate in what it is that makes them what they are. Let's let Mayweather fade away, build his brand, brag about his bets, however he wants to spend his time, and if and when he's ready to rock, and sign on to meet Manny, then we'll play along.

Source: thesweetscience.com