According to Floyd Mayweather, although he was hoping to face Manny Pacquiao on May 5, he was forced to move forward with a showdown against Miguel Cotto because, in his opinion, Pacquiao does not really want to fight him. "I'm fighting Miguel Cotto on May 5th because Miss Pac Man is ducking me," Mayweather would post on his official Twitter page not long after he was granted a conditional one-fight license by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, thus allowing him to move forward with his commitment to fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 5. It's an interesting selection of opponents considering that Pacquiao himself was also extremely interested in facing Cotto for a second time.
Speaking to several journalists in attendace at the hearing, Mayweather explained that reports from Pacquiao and his team regarding his $40 million offer aren't exactly true, noting that there were never really any discussions about profits from the backend. Mayweather is of the opinion that it's Pacquiao himself who isn't really interested in the fight, despite numerous comments saying the contrary. "I presented Pacquiao with the fight, and all I got to say is, Pacquiao's blowing a bunch of smoke up everyone's ass," he explained. "He don't really want to fight. I gave him a chance to step up to the plate. We're talking about a $10 million fighter who I tried to give $40 million to. We didn't even talk about the back end."
For those that doubt him, Mayweather insists that he has proof of his conversations with Pacquiao's adviser, Michael Koncz. "Everything everybody is hearing is just a bunch of lies. I've got the proof. The proof is in the pudding and I've got the proof from all my meetings with Michael Koncz. Floyd Mayweather has proof. When it's all said and done, like I said before, I'm honest and a stand-up type guy," he continued. One has to wonder if Mayweather plans on divulging some of that proof in the near future.
Regardless, with Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum, showing no interest whatsoever in staging the fight on May 5, it's been clear for quite some time that the fight wasn't going to happen on that date. Cotto, however, is a solid "Plan B" and Mayweather is more than willing to fight him at his weight, 154 pounds, as opposed to forcing him to suck down to a weight he hasn't fought at in nearly 3 years. "I don't never want to put a guy in a position where he's not comfortable. I want to beat a guy when he's at his best. If he's his best at 154, and he's strong and he's solid, that's the weight we're fighting at," Maywether added.
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