Undefeated boxing champion Floyd Mayweather has said that his much-hyped proposed fight against Manny Pacquiao will not happen due to the Filipino’s ties to promoters Top Rank and potential pay-per-view figures being too low.
Mayweather, 36, left the Top Rank brand in 2006 and has remained hostile towards the company, and particularly it’s CEO Bob Arum, ever since.
In an interview with Fighthype.com Mayweather made it clear that as long as Pacquiao is associated with Arum the fight would not go ahead.
He said: “We all know the Pacquiao fight, at this particular time, will never happen, and the reason why the fight won’t happen is because I will never do business with Bob Arum again in [my] life, and Pacquiao is Bob Arum’s fighter.
“Bob Arum gives Pacquiao a date, whereas Floyd Mayweather gives Floyd Mayweather his own date.”
Before his departure from Top Rank, Mayweather only fought in two pay-per-view bouts which were bought by around 350,000 homes. Since the split he has averaged approximately 1.2m buys and regularly earns above $40m per fight.
The prospect of a Mayweather vs Pacquiao show down has been tantalising boxing fans since early 2010 when a proposed deal for the fight fell apart.
Pacquiao, 35, refused to comply with Mayweather’s demands that both fighters agree to take regular blood and random urine tests, the type of scrutiny usually reserved for Olympic athletes and professional cyclists. When Pacquiao declined, the fight never happened.
Mayweather also claims that the number of pay-per-view customers that Pacquiao could bring to any new deal are too low, compared to his own, to bother restarting negotiations.
He said: “I want to see Manny Pacquiao’s real pay-per-view numbers. Get his pay-per-view numbers from his last fight and compare them to my pay-per-view numbers with Canelo Alvarez. Did he get 1.2m homes? Has he done 1m homes?”
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The American also hinted that the only reason Pacquiao is still interested in the fight is because of recent reports that he owes $18m in unpaid income tax.
Mayweather said: “I know he’s got a situation with that guy with the three letters in his name [the IRS]. That’s why he’s trying to fight me. He wants me to resolve his problem with that guy with three letters in his name.”
Mayweather himself had to pay $5.6m in unpaid taxes in 2009, but insists his problems are behind him.
He said: “I don’t have problems like that because, you know, I got the right team.”
