Floyd Mayweather Talks About Manny Pacquiao’s Brutal KO Loss to Marquez
COMMENTARY | Floyd Mayweather (43-0-0, 26 KOs) and Manny Pacquiao (54-5-2, 38 KOs) have had their differences over the past few years, but they still have some respect for one another.
Pacquiao was brutally knocked out during his Dec. 8 fight against Juan Manuel Marquez (their fourth clash) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., and surprisingly, Mayweather had some words of encouragement for the fallen Filipino icon.
“Things happen in the sport of boxing, you know,” Mayweather said during a recent interview with FightHype.com’s Ben Thompson. “My thing is to focus on Floyd. I don’t wish nothing bad on nobody. I don’t wish no harm to nobody, but that’s a part of the sport. It comes with the sport. I guess in some fighters’ eyes, 99 percent of the fighters, I’m the only 1 percent, but 99 percent believe you win some, you lose some. I only believe in winning, you know. But things happen. You live and you learn. The only thing he can do is rejuvenate himself and bounce back like a true champion. I wish Pacquiao nothing but the best.”
Mayweather feels Manny’s numerous commitments outside the ring as a politician, singer, and actor have a lot to do with his lackluster performances during his last three fights. But he couldn’t resist taking a subtle jab at “Pac Man”
“You have to really, really dedicate yourself to your craft,” Floyd explained. “I think he’s got so many different things on the outside that he worries about, you know. But it was a good thing that he was able to come into the sport, you know, piggyback off my name, and get a bunch of endorsement deals and make a good living. That’s a great thing.”
Mayweather hasn’t been inside the ring since his May 5 unanimous decision victory against Miguel Cotto, but he’s started making preparations for his next bout. He plans to lace up his gloves on May 4, 2013 (Cinco de Mayo), against a yet to be determined opponent at the MGM Grand.
If you were hoping Mayweather’s next opponent would be Pacquiao, you might want to stop holding your breath.
Mayweather still believes that his $40 million guaranteed purse offer to Manny during their last round of negotiations was a fair proposition — which it was — and he’s not going to change his mind anytime soon.
“Money” didn’t specify who his next opponent will be, but Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Robert Guerrero seem like the most likely candidates.
As far as Mayweather is concerned, Pacquiao needs to take some time to recover from the brutal knockout he suffered against Marquez, and boxing’s pound-for-pound king seems genuinely concerned about his arch-rival.
“I feel bad for him, honestly. I really feel bad for him,” Mayweather added. “There’s a difference in the ways you can get knocked out. See, when a guy gets knocked out and he can get up, they sit him on his stool, they rub his back, he [can] go home and ice himself, you know, he goes to the hospital and gets checked out and he’s okay, that’s one thing. But when you gotta wake a guy up with smelling salt and he got a concussion and he gotta go to the hospital overnight, that’s crucial. I mean, that’s close to death.”
David is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and boxing practitioner who has watched and studied MMA for the past 7 years. Follow him on Twitter@davidkingwriterand check out hisblog.
Sources:
Fight and fighter information from BoxRec.com
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