By Sean Crose
Wearing a white t-shirt and a placid expression on his face, Floyd Mayweather told his favorite outlet, FightHype.com, that he would like to see Manny Pacquiao on the undercard of his next fight in September. That might be impossible, due to Pacquiao’s recent shoulder injury and subsequent surgery, but it’s what the man said, regardless.
Indeed, Mayweather made it clear that he feels in no way responsible for the fact that fans were disappointed with his May 2nd victory over the PacMan. “Y’all the ones who put him up on the pedestal,” he said of the media. “Now you’re upset that I proved you wrong.”
As is often the case with Mayweather, it’s hard to tell watching the short video whether he’s being serious or not regarding a September card. “I look forward to Pacquiao fighting on the undercard,” he claimed to the unseen interviewer, “and I think (that card could be) a double header.”
Such a scenario would, in fact, be nothing if not interesting. “I think we fight on PPV,” he continued. “We both could make some good money.” Serious or not, Mayweather was certainly sound in his logic. “He could fight a solid competitor and I could fight a solid competitor,” he added. “I think together we could do some good numbers.”
Mayweather had already made waves during an interview with Jim Gray on Showtime where he made it clear he wouldn’t give Pacquiao a rematch since he felt Pacquiao was using his injury as an excuse.
“He’s embarrassed,” Mayweather had told Gray. “He was a beat fighter. There’s a difference between a great fighter and TBE. “
“I don’t even want to say anything bad about Manny,” he added, “but he’s leaving me no choice”
Mayweather, did, in fact, show he was a realist during the interview with FightHype by conceding he won’t make a payday in September like the one he earned May 2nd. “My number is probably going to be 32, 35 million,” he said of his next fight.
The man also seemed to grow a bit thoughtful when it came to his incredible ring success. “I think mentally, no one can go where I go in that ring,” claimed the guy called Money. And what do his fallen foes think of him? “He’s awkward and he’s smart,” Mayweather responded.
Almost as surprising as his saying that Pacquiao could fight on his next undercard, was Mayweather’s mentioning the name of Marcos Maidana. “Maidana got heart,” he said admiringly, “but he’s gotta get that weight down.” True enough, Maidana has looked a bit, well, bigger, in recent photos. If Floyd’s implying something here, the Argentine may want to get himself back in the gym ASAP.
As always, however, Mayweather remained elusive. He gave no definites as to who he would face next. “My last fight I’m fighting who I want to fight,” he said. And who he wants to fight remains unclear – which really shouldn’t be a shock, since the man’s last bout was just over a week ago.
When asked if he had answered all questions about what kind of fighter he was by beating Pacquiao, Mayweather almost sounded a bit resigned. “They always come up with a new guy,” he said, implying – rightly – that there will always be someone out there who people claim is better than the best.
Indeed Mayweather finds himself in the unique position lately – for him – of not being cast in the role of villain. For team Pacquicao’s unwillingness – for whatever reason – to alert the public to PacMan’s injury, coupled with Tom Brady’s suspension for Deflategate has made boxing’s undisputed king look up front and honest, if nothing else.
And there’s ample evidence that the pound for pound king seems content, or at least somewhat at peace with the current state of affairs in his life. He’s talking about the end of his career, after all, in a manner that suggests he had nothing left to prove.
“My last hoorah I want to put a lot of champions on the undercard,” he claimed. Whether or not he truly wants Pacquiao facing someone other than himself during his “last hoorah,” however, remains to be seen.
To make matters even more intriguing – or confusing – Mayweather indicated to Gray in the Showtime interview that his career might not even be over by September, that he simply isn’t sure right now. No doubt he’ll make his mind up soon enough. Perhaps his next fight might even free of the Mayweather trash talk, much as this one was.
“Mentally I’m in another place,” Mayweather admitted to Gray, “older, wiser.”
That might be a good thing, for as former boxer – and Mayweather opponent Ricky Hatton told the Sun: “What’s the point of being the best if everyone thinks you’re a d—head?”