Mayweather continues to slam Pacquiao

MANILA, Philippines – Floyd Mayweather, Jr. once again threw a jab at Manny Pacquiao in an interview with a boxing website as seen in a YouTube video uploaded on Wednesday (Thursday Manila time).

The way Mayweather is positioning himself in the negotiation table echoes how he fights – smart, calculating, defensive.

The undefeated fighter has always found a way to avoid Pacquiao in the last five years but now, he appears to be serious in getting this super fight done but on his terms.

“I think just timing. You know, the right time, the right place, and I think that this fight should happen,” Mayweather told fighthype.com’s Ben Thompson on why he’s now aggressive in pursuing a Pacquiao fight.

“I think the time is right, the time is now,” he added.

Mayweather took another shot at his former promoter and TOP Rank CEO Bob Arum.

“For years and years, the public has been lied to. The public has been misled by the other side which is the B-side because Mayweather Promotions is the A-side. We just turned the table and I was in a position that Manny Pacquiao has at this particular time,” Mayweather said.

With Pacquiao no longer the top pound-for-pound boxer and with his commercial appeal tarnished by a stinging sixth round knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez two years ago, Mayweather is smart enough to recognize that he now has the leverage on the negotiation table.

Mayweather even went to illustrate how he wants to dictate the negotiation of this super fight by using Oscar De La Hoya as an example. Their 2007 fight was the most lucrative until his $150 million fight against Saul Alvarez last year.

At that time, Dela Hoya was the biggest draw in boxing and dictated practically everything. “The Golden Boy” took the biggest slice of the $130 million pie, but “Money” went on to win via split decision, which catapulted him to the top of the boxing world.

Pacquiao, however, is already amenable to that, even going to as far as challenging him to a charity fight early this year. Nevertheless, Mayweather took the challenge with a grain of salt, labeling that as hypocrisy.

“I got to where I got to by making the right moves. No matter how you cut it, I got to where I got to by winning, working smart, not working harder. So when I hear a guy says I just do it for the fans, that’s not true, totally not true,” Mayweather said.  

“I do it for a little of everything. I am a prizefighter. The prize comes first,” Mayweather added.

He also slammed Pacquiao’s camp as being desperate because of the Filipino boxer’s tax woes.

Watch the full video here uploaded by fighthype.com: