Floyd Mayweather lays out requirements for Manny Pacquiao to fight him, talks Canelo and more
LAS VEGAS -- Floyd Mayweather was in an engaging mood following a strenuous workout at the Mayweather Boxing Club on Thursday, only the fourth day of training camp in preparation for his Sept. 14 mega-bout with Canelo Alvarez at the MGM Grand Garden.
In a wide-ranging interview at his gym with Yahoo! Sports, Mayweather talked about what it would take to arrange a fight with Manny Pacquiao, his opinion of Alvarez following their lengthy media tour, whether he really is interested in fighting beyond the five bouts remaining on his current contract, the making of the Danny Garcia-Lucas Matthysse fight and much more.
Don't, though, get your hopes up for a bout with Pacquiao, even though Mayweather didn't totally rule it out.
Asked who in his illustrious career that he wanted to fight that he hasn't, Mayweather thought for a while and said, "I wanted to fight Pacquiao at one particular time, but I wanted to fight him when he was at the top. I'm going not to speak on another man's finance business, but like I said before, I left Top Rank for a reason. He's with Top Rank, so I want him to be happy with Top Rank."
Mayweather said he is aware of the chatter among some fans clamoring for the Pacquiao fight. But he made it seem very unlikely.
"Everybody's like, 'Aw, Pacquiao,' but I'm just letting you know he's not getting a fight with me," Mayweather said. "The only way he's getting the fight with me is if he signs with Mayweather Promotions. He's got to give me fights with Mayweather Promotions. If he don't give me no fights under Mayweather Promotions, then he's not getting the fight. That's how it is working now, because the ball is in my court. The ball has been in my court. I have been the A side.
"I went to Pacquiao at one particular time and I offered him $40 million and I told him, 'I will wire you $20 million within 48 hours.' He told me he wanted 50-50 and he got off the phone. Some guy named Michael Koncz [Pacquiao's adviser] came down here. I don't know who he is. He looks like a little weasel. He came down here, was in my gym and talked to me. He said, 'If you want the Pacquiao fight, you talk to me.' I said, 'What about Top Rank?' He said, 'I run all his business.' That's what he told me. I've got everything recorded, everything on film."
On his impression of Alvarez after being on a cross-country tour with him for 10 days:
"Canelo is a fan. For a kid who is just [23], he's a fan. He rolls the shoulder and he tries to box like me a little bit. Of course I know he's a fan, but I can't take anything away from him. I can't do nothing but respect him for that. If the tables were turned, I'd probably have been a fan of Canelo's."
On many experts picking Alvarez to beat him:
"Don't they always say, 'This guy is the guy?' Don't they always say that?"
On Adrien Broner's crazy antics and attempts to be like him:
"The thing with Broner is, he has a lot to learn. It's more like, he has to understand and learn business. You have to know when to turn it on and when to turn it off."
On his relationship with adviser Al Haymon:
"He's like a father figure to me. ... Why I love this guy so much is this: The whole time I sat down there [at the Clark County Detention Center] and done my time, he came. He stayed downtown [near the jail] and he went to my lawyer's office every day, the whole time I was in jail. I called him on the phone and he said, 'I'm right here with you, Floyd, and I'm not leaving until you get home.' "
On 'The Money Team':
"I like my team a lot better now, because I surround myself with more positive people. We have differences around here. Everybody around here don't like one another. But I tell them like this: Y'all may not like one another, but you all need to respect one another because we all are in this for the best of Floyd Mayweather. If I'm comfortable, I make sure everybody around me's comfortable. But if I'm uncomfortable, then everybody else around me is going to be uncomfortable."
On putting the Danny Garcia-Lucas Matthysse fight on his PPV undercard:
"That's a very exciting matchup. Mayweather Promotions wants to give the people what they want to see: Excitement. Of course, both fighters are Al [Haymon] fighters. How hard is it? Both fighters are under Golden Boy. We work hand-in-hand with Golden Boy. So, how hard is it to make the fight?"
On hints he made during the press tour he might fight beyond the time of his current contract and whether he wants to fight a 50th time:
"Aw, man! I was trash talking, man! I was having fun with the fans. I keep my fingers crossed and I believe in my skills and I believe in my talents. Hopefully, I get to 49-0 in my career and I will feel as if I had a great career. Everybody is trying to push me to that 50-0, but I'm OK with that 49-0."
