MANILA, Philippines – Floyd Mayweather sat courtside Sunday for the 2015 NBA All-Star Weekend at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
The inevitable thing happened. A report by the New York Daily News said someone approached Mayweather to ask him for updates on the long-overdue megabuck fight with Manny Pacquiao.
The undefeated American didn’t like what he heard.
"Can I ask you a question?" an irked Mayweather said in the report by Mitch Abramson.
"Please, can I ask you a question? Is this a boxing match? Are we at a boxing match? No, this is the All-Star game. I'm at an All-Star event. Please respect my privacy. I don't want to answer any questions," he lashed out at the unidentified reporter.
Negotiations for a Mayweather-Pacquiao showdown in May are at a standstill the past few weeks, with no announcement coming from Mayweather whether the fight is a go.
Pacquiao previously said that all they’re waiting for is Mayweather’s signature to seal the showdown, which is worth $250 million and is expected to go down as the biggest and richest in boxing history.
But Showtime executive Stephen Espinoza, a key figure representing Mayweather, denied Pacquiao’s claim of having signed a deal finalizing the bout.
Not sure what anyone is signing since no agreement has been finalized yet. #MayweatherPacquiao #boxing
— Stephen Espinoza (@StephenEspinoza) February 15, 2015 On Monday at the All-Star game at the Madison Square Garden in New York City, Mayweather was again courtside for the annual NBA spectacle. He was briefly interviewed on television at halftime, and the same Pacquiao question popped up.
He too turned down reports about him and Pacquiao signing anything.
“That's not true. I haven't signed yet. He hasn't signed yet. That’s all speculations and rumors,” said Mayweather, who was in a better mood.
The boxing world has been hoping that Mayweather will finally make the announcement at the event. But as it turns out, the waiting game continues.
It will be Mayweather, as Pacquiao’s camp agreed, who will announce to the world once the super fight will push through.
So far, all Mayweather has done is keep fans hoping.
“I hope it will happen. We have to make it happen in May,” he said.