People are following Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s every move these days as he is in camp to fight Canelo Alvarez at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas on September 14.
And after one of the workouts that took place at his gym, the Mayweather Boxing Club, he offered his own view on what it was going to take for Manny Pacquiao to get in the ring with him.
Mayweather’s position has always been that he is by far the biggest draw in the game, and for that reason he is not going to negotiate on even terms with him. Some have seen this, along with the demand for random drug testing, as a way of avoiding the fight, and it could be said that his answers after this particular workout, coming on his fourth day of official camp, was another way of doing such a thing.
“The only way he’s getting the fight with me is if he signs with Mayweather Promotions,” Mayweather said. The fighter/promoter wants for Pacquiao to give him a package of fights, which would mean leaving Top Rank, the organization that has Pacquiao under contract and has helped to propel him to iconic status around the world, achieving a higher level of recognition in many corners and more exposure to national and/or international advertisers.
Mayweather emphasizes that he is the “A side” of any proposed fight, although many ardent boxing observers would disagree, so he is the entity that is in control. Certainly the record-setting deal he inked with Showtime doesn’t do anything to tone down that attitude.
In a tidbit that has already been reported before, Mayweather reiterated that he offered Pacquiao $40 million and even offered to send him a bank wire for $20 million within 48 hours. But Pacquiao balked at such an offer, seeking instead to be embedded as a 50-50 partner on the bout, something many boxing experts might find relatively reasonable.
Floyd Jr. was not at all impressed by Pacquiao’s “advisor,” Michael Koncz, referring to him as “a little weasel.” He didn’t seem to accept the fact that Koncz could negotiate on his own for Pacquiao, without the direct involvement of Top Rank, which was the implication.
Perhaps he misinterpreted what was being presented to him, but it seemed to feed into what he wants Pacquiao to do, which is to either ditch Top Rank for all intents and purposes or let an agreement expire and bring him into his promotional fold, which doesn’t actually promote fights per se but is connected in a sense to the people at Golden Boy Promotions, who are bitter rivals of Top Rank.
Maybe he realizes that is never going to happen, which will add grist for the mill for those critics who don’t believe he is now, or ever was, interested in clashing with Pacquiao. For now, however, both guys are busy with opponents who are on the agenda. Mayweather has to face Alvarez (42-0-1), who is a naturally bigger competitor, while Pacquiao is going to be getting ready for a November fight against Brandon Rios, which will be taking place in Macau.
And as boxing fans know, Pacquiao is fighting in Macau because of what he considers to be an oppressive situation regarding taxes in the United States. Would Mayweather ever consider following the almighty dollar to the Far East, if a monster offer came for him to make the big fight happen?
One can only speculate at this point, because despite the time Floyd took to discuss the matter, a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight isn’t any closer to happening now than it was before.
