By Bob Velin, USA TODAY
Saying he didn't need a fight with Floyd Mayweather to complete his career, Manny Pacquiao, in a visit Thursday to USA TODAY, said he'd be waiting when Mayweather was ready to fight.
In the meantime, Pacquiao is focused on his next opponent, Antonio Margarito. They will meet Nov. 13 for the vacant WBC light middleweight title at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas (HBO pay-per-view).
Pacquiao, 31, who is taking a few days off from his duties as a congressman in the Philippines to finish his whirlwind promotional tour for the fight, said he had agreed to all of Mayweather's demands for blood testing and it was not his fault if the fight was not happening. Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, who is accompanying his fighter on the tour, has his own ideas why the fight hasn't happened.
"It's real important for (Mayweather) to stay undefeated," Roach said. "He has that zero on his record, and he can say he's the best fighter of all time, better than Sugar Ray Robinson (and) a lot of legendary fighters. With that zero on his record, he has an argument. I don't think he wants to risk a loss on his record, because then the argument goes away. But, hey, Floyd is a gambler, and hopefully he loses a couple of bets and then needs to fight."
A Mayweather-Pacquiao bout likely would be the richest in boxing, with both fighters figured to gross at least $50 million. But there has been a disagreement as to whether negotiations for the fight have even taken place.
Mayweather's side and Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions, which is representing Mayweather for the fight, insist talks never happened, while Top Rank, Pacquiao's promoter, and HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg, the go-between, say they absolutely did. "Negotiations were going on, because I had to answer questions," Roach said.
Don King, an adversary of Top Rank chairman Bob Arum for 40 years, has been trying to woo Mayweather, who became a world champion under Top Rank, away from Golden Boy.
Top Rank President Todd DuBoef said he would welcome such a move. "I think Don would do a great job," he said. "Don has dealt with the (Mike) Tysons of the world and understands business. He could convince (Mayweather) to get in the ring to create the biggest event in boxing history."
But for now it will be Pacquiao vs. Margarito. Asked why he would risk a fight with the "Tijuana Tornado," who was suspended from boxing in the USA for a year after being caught with illegal hand wraps, Pacquiao said, "We know Margarito is a very aggressive fighter who throws a lot of punches, but that's what I want. I want more action in the ring so people will be satisfied by my performance."
Pacquiao added that they chose Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs), also a Top Rank fighter, because they wanted to give the disgraced boxer another chance.
Asked about retirement plans, Pacquiao said he probably would fight a few more times but said a fight with Mayweather would not be a prerequisite to retirement. "If we decide to retire, we'll retire," he said. "We don't need him. He needs us."
Source: usatoday.com
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