The World Boxing Council (WBC) had finally identified Manny Pacquiao as the mandatory challenger to Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s welterweight title, and fans around the world had been unwavering in their hope that the American boxer would finally relent and face the Filipino champion pugilist in an epic battle in the boxing ring. So far, their fights have mainly remained within the media's arena, trading excuses, soundbites, and slightly veiled jabs at each other's skills and winning potential.
However, in a recent Fight Hype interview, "Money" Mayweather shot down speculations about any rumored showdown with Manny in the near future. It's safe to say that a collective sigh of disappointment could be heard echoing around the globe.
"Everybody's talking about the title, he's (Pacquiao's) the mandatory. He can have the belt! A belt don't make me. A belt doesn't define Floyd Mayweather," declared the 36-year-old undefeated boxing champion.
He continued by raising questions about Pacquiao's elevation to being a mandatory challenger to the welterweight title, Yahoo! Sports reported.
"Manny Pacquiao was at welterweight. He lost to Timothy Bradley, no matter how you cut it, how you slice it, he lost to Timothy Bradley. He got knocked out by Marquez. He came back and went the distance with a lightweight," said Mayweather. "And now all of a sudden, he's the mandatory for my title.
"I've been champion since 1998 to right now. I'm not 1 and 2 in my last three fights. I'm 48 and 0. But like I said before, put him in front of me, I'll beat him," he said.
Some observers may find Mayweather's statements contradictory - if he's not afraid of facing Manny in the boxing ring, why all these complaints and verbal side-stepping?
What he said next may rile Pacquiao fans even further:
"Floyd Mayweather at the level now, he can come out with his own world championship belt."
He added, "in the future, I think my face is going to be in the belt on one side. At one particular time you had Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali. I don't know where my face will be placed there on the belt but I think in the future my face will be on the WBC belt or the WBA or the IBF."
The American fighter also went on to point out Manny's sliding pay-per-view sales, comparing it to his own record-breaking PPV revenues - which points to the fact that he thinks the Filipino challenger is not worthy of the opportunity to trade punches with an undefeated and commercially viable sportsman like himself.
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