Manny Pacquiao Says Mayweather 'Doesn't Want the Fight'
The fight that everyone is waiting for, Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, could be official soon according to a report from Yahoo! Sports.
When Mayweather announced on Jan. 31, that he would fight Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand in May he started a public campaign against Pacquiao.
Mayweather vetted to various news outlets and even on social media that Pacquiao did not want to fight. But when Pacquiao was asked if he wanted to fight he gave a different account.
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"He talks, he says all this, but you know what, he doesn't want the fight," Pacquiao told Yahoo! Sports. "I want the fight. I'm the one who has wanted this fight all along."
When Mayweather was issued a conditional boxing license by the Nevada Athletic Commission to fight Cotto, Mayweather stated that the reason he was going to fight Cotto was that Pacquiao turned down a $40 million guarantee payout to fight.
But according to Pacquiao that was only a public relations gimmick. "He offered me $40 million, and no pay-per-view [money]," Pacquiao said.
He continued, "no pay-per-view. Can you believe that? Would you do that? Come on. What would he say if I offered him $50 million – not $40 million, $50 million – and said 'No pay-per-view. Take this money and be happy, but no pay-per-view.' He wouldn't do it, either."
Should the fight happen it would have the two best fighters and the two biggest names in the sport in the same ring. Experts have stated that the fight would likely bring in more than $160 million in pay-per-view revenue.
Mayweather's Manager Leonard Ellerbe has refuted any claims that such an offer was made. Ellerbe even suggested that it was a stunt that was conducted by Pacquiao's own promoter Bob Arum.
"Pacquiao is lying," Ellerbe said. "What Manny Pacquiao has to understand, and I don't think he understands this part, is that if the fight ever comes off, he'll never make the kind of money that Floyd makes."
Ellerbe continued to explain the reason is "that's simply because of the structure of his terrible deal with his promoter."
