OF MANNY
HOLLYWOOD, MARCH 3, 2012 (INQUIRER) By Greg Heakes Agence
France-Presse - For once, Floyd Mayweather had nothing to say about Manny
Pacquiao, deflecting questions on the Filipino fight king Thursday at a news
conference to promote his fight against Miguel Cotto.
Two days after he said Pacquiao wasn't "one of the sharpest knives in the
drawer," Mayweather insisted he just wanted to talk about his super welterweight
world title fight against World Boxing Association champ Cotto coming up on May
5.
Mayweather was also reluctant to discuss New York Knicks star Jeremy Lin but
said he had no regrets about recent tweets in which he said rising NBA star Lin
was getting "all the hype because he's Asian."
"I never regret anything," Mayweather said. "I am not here to talk about
Jeremy Lin. I am not fighting Jeremy Lin.
"It is not Mayweather versus Pacquiao or Mayweather versus Jeremy Lin, it is
Mayweather versus Miguel Cotto."
Mayweather was criticized for his Lin comments, but the 35-year-old said he
doesn't plan to change his outspoken ways.
"I thought this country had freedom of speech," he said. "Jeremy Lin I said
was a good player … Anything Mayweather says finds the front page of the media.
I get dragged through the mud but it doesn't stop me."
Mayweather criticized Pacquiao at a news conference in New York on Tuesday,
saying Pacquiao's demands on a purse split were unreasonable.
"Just speaking to Pacquiao on the phone, I mean, he's not one of the sharpest
knives in the drawer," Mayweather said on Tuesday. "He faces Floyd Mayweather,
he's not getting 50/50. No one is getting 50/50."
Mayweather (42-0, 26 knockouts) was in negotiations with Pacquiao for a
mega-fight in May or June but talks fell through and Mayweather decided to fight
Cotto instead on May 5 at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao now plans to fight on June 9 in Las Vegas against American Tim
Bradley.
Pacquiao said last month that he called Mayweather to try and broker a deal
but felt insulted when Mayweather offered to give him a $40 million lump-sum
payment if Pacquiao agreed to let Mayweather keep the pay-per-view television
earnings — which some have estimated could be as high as $160 million.
Mayweather and Cotto entered Thursday's news conference at historic Grauman's
Chinese Theatre to a trumpet blast.
Mayweather then took his seat on an elaborate throne, while the champion sat
in a smaller chair to his left.
Mayweather is coming off a controversial victory over Victor Ortiz in his
last fight in September.
After a head butt in the corner, Ortiz dropped his hands and tried to
apologize when Mayweather seized the moment and decked Ortiz.
"Ortiz was looking for the KO and he got KO'd," Mayweather said. "With or
without the fourth round punches he was going to get KO'd."
Cotto (37-2, 30 knockouts) is coming off one of the most impressive victories
of his career.
In December, he stopped Antonio Margarito in the 10th round, avenging his
defeat by the Mexican fighter three years earlier.
"When he beat me in 2008, he took from me a lot of things, including my
confidence," the Puerto Rican said. "Then when I beat him, I got those things
back."
Cotto, 31, said he would take that added confidence into the ring against
Mayweather. Although he's the champion, Cotto is a heavy underdog, with many
feeling Mayweather possesses superior speed and counter-punching ability.
"When I fought Shane Mosley in 2007, people said the same thing – that he is
faster than me," Cotto said. "But I beat him at his own game and I plan to
pressure (Mayweather)."
FROM MANILA BULLETIN
Mayweather Afraid Of Manny – Arum By NICK GIONGCO
March 1, 2012, 12:25am
[PHOTO - Floyd Mayweather Jr., left, and Miguel Cotto eye each other
during yesterday's news conference to promote their May 5 fight. (AP)]
MANILA, Philippines — It's beginning to get clear that, indeed, Floyd
Mayweather Jr. doesn't want to have anything to do with Manny Pacquiao.
As Mayweather was drumbeating his May 5 fight with Miguel Cotto during the
New York leg of their promotional tour, the American fighter went on the
offensive again, insinuating that Pacquiao uses performance-enhancing drugs,
silly and is scared to fight him.
Mayweather told the media at the Apollo Theater in Manhattan that there's no
chance that he will give in to a 50/50 sharing with just about anyone who will
face him in the ring.
"You fight Floyd Mayweather, you don't get 50/50. No one is getting 50/50
(against me)," said Mayweather.
Mayweather's East Coast rant was heard and felt as far as the West Coast
where Top Rank big boss Bob Arum was relaxing after another hard day's work in
his Las Vegas office.
Arum didn't let Mayweather's statements pass without spewing out his own
venom.
"He just doesn't want to fight Manny," said the 80-year-old Hall of Fame
promoter, adding that Mayweather, who he promoted for 11 years, was an
"egotistical maniac."
Arum is also in the thick of promoting Pacquiao's June 9 bout with Tim
Bradley and believes Mayweather's reason for not agreeing to equal sharing is
testament to his unwillingness to get in the ring with the Filipino star.
Pacquiao has even agreed to a major demand of Mayweather – Olympic-style
blood and urine testing – but even that has prevented both camps from reaching
an agreement.
During the height of the negotiations to stage the super fight last January,
Pacquiao and Mayweather even talked on the phone.
Pacquiao said he told Mayweather that 50/50 is just right but Mayweather
immediately thumbed it down, countering that he will instead offer him a flat
fee of $40 million but won't have no share in the pay-per-view sales.
That convinced Pacquiao that Mayweather is pricing himself out of the fight
and is not sincere in making the dream fight become a reality.
Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE
NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved
PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS
ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE
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