Floyd Mayweather may snub Pacquiao to fight Martinez

[Rappy Veteran]

Floyd Mayweather has said he could be tempted to step up to light-middleweight to fight Sergio Martinez instead of taking on Manny Pacquiao.

A proposed fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao scheduled for 13 March fell through, since when both fighters have added further wins to their records.

After beating Shane Mosley on Saturday, Mayweather said fighting Martinez could now be an option.

"I thought about it. Right now, I don't know what I'm going to do," he said.

Martinez's manager, Lou DiBella, told the BBC he doubted a super-fight between American Mayweather and Filipino Pacquiao would occur, with the boxers unable to agree on the drug-testing programme or financial split.

DiBella argued it made more sense for Mayweather to fight Martinez, who recently defeated Kelly Pavlik for the WBC and WBO middleweight titles but is a career light-middleweight.

Pavlik would first have to waive his right to a rematch with Martinez, which was a clause in their fight contract.

However, Mayweather, who is now unbeaten in 41 fights, said a fight with Pacquiao could still occur if an agreement could be met on random drug-testing.

After the fight with Mosley, Mayweather said: "If Manny takes the [blood] test, we can make the fight happen."

Pacquiao is preoccupied with a different fight altogether - he is campaigning to be elected to the senate in his homeland of the Philippines.

The election is on 10 May and the 31-year-old is unlikely to make any announcement about his fighting future before that contest is over.

Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum, said: "I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. What I'm concerned about right now is Manny winning the election. If the fight doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. We're not going to be dictated to."

One option for Pacquiao would be a fight with WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto, who pulled out of a fight with Mosley in January after the earthquake which devastated his parents' homeland of Haiti.

Berto, a big puncher, stopped Carlos Quintana last month to retain his title, and he relishes a fight with Pacquiao.

Berto said recently: "He lacks defence. He's easy to hit, but he sets a pace that's a little too much for his opponents and he's incredibly strong, also, so he always tends to outwork and outpunch his opponents."

The Mayweather-Pacquiao fight is the one the fans want to see and could be the most lucrative fight in history, with each fighter potentially picking up purses of $25m.

But DiBella said: "If both fighters are demanding 50% of each other then it makes more sense for both of them to take a fight with someone where you can get 80 or 85%.

"Mayweather-Pacquiao is clearly the most enormous fight out there but it wouldn't surprise me if they don't go in another direction."

DiBella said he anticipated Arum would seek to put Pacquiao in with another Arum-promoted fighter, either Antonio Margarito or Yuri Foreman, assuming they win their upcoming fights.

[torrentthief]

mayweather knows he would lose to pacquiao, thats why he won't fight him. I'd love to see the fight though.

[MightyJordan]

*sigh* Mayweather's scared of Pacquiao, simple as that.

I know that Pacquiao's camp were the ones that pulled out of the fight, but it was because Mayweather's camp wanted him to take a random blood test just a few days before the fight, and that could weaken him when it comes to fight night. He agreed to take a blood test 30 days before the fight, and straight after the fight, which should have been fine.

Come on, Floyd, agree to fight Pacquiao and lose your winning streak (which should have disappeared against Ricky Hatton).

[Doli]

^ but both fighters will have the test so its fair if it "could" weaken them.

[Roguefoxx]

It's absolutely ridiculous to say that Mayweather is scared to fight Pacquiao. Is it so ridiculous to think they should have to be tested for drugs before a fight? If anyone here is scared it's Pacquiao. Take the test that both of them will be subjected to, just like everyone else that fights Mayweather does, and get the fight on. Simple as that really. All he's doing by not taking the test is making people think he's got something to hide. I'd love to see the fight, and part of me would like to see Pacquiao beat Mayweather just to maybe give him a glimpse of humility, but not if he won't take a blood test.

[Growled Member]

Too bad, really. I would have loved to see Mayweather and Pacquiao tangle.

[Zoom7000]

This is the problem with Boxing. We, the fans, simply don't get to see the best fighters in the division get together. You've got the Klitschko Brother crap going on in the Heavyweight division. (Hopefully David Haye will bring an end to that madness!) and then you've got this rubbish here. The whole world wants to see Mayweather/Pacquiao, but they are knocking back $25m in a nights work over some and a tube of blood? Bloody pathetic! If the commissions don't have any problems with the situations, then why on Earth do the fighters have a say? Why are promoters even bothering with fights that everyone knows are a given even before they've started?

Fix up, both of you! Especially Mayweather!

[Rappy Veteran]

I don't know Mayweather stepping up weight classes could be his downfall plus there is alot of good boxers at Light-Middleweight!

I agree with HW league atm...that is totally boring but I can't see Haye stopping it either tbh.

[DirtyLarry Veteran]

I honestly do not think Floyd is scared of Pacquiao at all.

Keep in mind Floyd represents himself, so every single word he says, although it may not come off like it because of his sheer arrogance, is quite calculated and at the end of the day it is to sell the product of Floyd Mayweather. I simply believe he is just insisting on this certain style of drug testing simply because he knows Pacquiao does not want to do it.

With that said, I also feel he knows that eventually the demand for the fight to happen, nevermind the huge payday each boxer will receive, will just be to overwhelming for Pacquiao to deny and he will eventually give in to the demands. So Mayweather insisting on the certain testing to take place is just part of his calculated approach to make sure he can build up as much hype and tension as he possibly can. I say this because keep in mind boxing has lost it's fan-base, the UFC makes it look like a joke these days, and Mayweather is doing this all simply for the headlines it causes and the subsequent talk that those headlines produce.

My wife is actually Filipino, she moved here from the Philippines when she was 9, so thanks to my in-laws I not only know why there is the love for Pacquiao but also how damn good he is as I have seen every fight he has fought. With that said, I do believe these two will fight, and I hate to say this as I know way to many people that love him, myself included, but Mayweather will beat Pacquiao when these two fight.

Pacquiao is great, but Mayweather is just that much better.

[rajputwarrior]

My wife is actually Filipino, she moved here from the Philippines when she was 9, so thanks to my in-laws I not only know why there is the love for Pacquiao but also how damn good he is as I have seen every fight he has fought. With that said, I do believe these two will fight, and I hate to say this as I know way to many people that love him, myself included, but Mayweather will beat Pacquiao when these two fight.

Pacquiao is great, but Mayweather is just that much better.

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