by James Slater – The Floyd Mayweather-Juan Manuel Marquez hype show rolled into London yesterday, and as usual 32-year-old “Money” Mayweather had plenty to say. Speaking primarily about two fighters, in Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton – the former being a potential rival for the future, the latter being a conquered foe – Mayweather had some interesting stuff to say.
Floyd knows only too well the majority of fans worldwide want him to meet up with the man who took over his spot at the top of the pound-for-pound pile, and the 39-0(25) master said yesterday that if and when he and the Filipino superstar do meet he will beat him.
“If the Pacquiao fight presents itself after this one [Vs. Marquez], then I’ll lay the blueprint on how to beat him,” Mayweather said yesterday.. “Pacquiao’s a good fighter but he can be got. He was knocked out twice before and I’m a slick, smart boxer. I would tie him up. There’s a science to this game and I could adapt to any style. Pacquiao was out-boxed by Erik Morales.”
Pacquiao may well have been stopped twice before, but on both occasions the southpaw was still very much a work in progress and fighting in a much lower weight class. Mayweather is right when he says “Pac-Man” was out-boxed by Morales, though. Clearly that fight makes the unbeaten great believe he can do the same thing to Manny. It would be an entirely different fight though. Let’s hope we do get to see it. At least Mayweather is talking about the possibility.
As he was in Britian, the subject of Ricky Hatton was bound to come up. Mayweather pulled no punches while discussing “The Hitman’s” fighting future – he said he has not got one.
“Ricky’s career was over in 2007 when he met me,” Floyd said. “He was a gutsy, tough champ but there’s a time in every boxer’s career when they must hang it up. He was knocked out twice – by me and Pacquiao. They were two devastating defeats. He’s been in a lot of tough fights and taken some big shots.
“Gaining weight and drinking – you can’t have that sort of lifestyle in boxing. You have to take your job seriously. I don’t think Ricky should fight again. I wouldn’t fight him again, even at Wembley. It would be like picking on a guy we call gun shot. His head won’t be the same.”
Hatton, as fans know, was very much dreaming of having an opportunity to get revenge over Mayweather, very possibly at Wembley some time next year; but this was ruined when Pacquiao destroyed him in just two rounds.
Speaking on the May 2nd fight, Mayweather said his father, who trained Hatton for the fight, of course, should not be in any way blamed for what happened.
“I don’t want everyone over here ripping my father to shreds,” Floyd said with regards to Hatton’s quick KO loss. “It wasn’t my dad’s fault. My dad told him to go out, relax, use his jab and be smart. There’s this other trainer, Lee Beard, and Ricky was listening to him. No disrespect to Lee but has he fought? A lot of the time trainers try to tell fighters what to do without having been in combat. My dad has been in combat before.”
Speaking respectfully about his father as he did, Floyd made a lot of sense. The word is the two Mayweathers are back on good terms. Maybe Senior will work Junior’s corner in the fight he is currently hyping up?