LAS VEGAS, May 7 (UPI) — Just two days after world welterweight boxing champion Floyd Mayweather, Jr. said he was willing to put off retirement this year for a rematch with Manny Pacquiao, the title-holder has abruptly changed his mind.
Mayweather communicated his change of heart in an interview with Showtime reporter Jim Gray, which is scheduled to air on the cable network Saturday, ESPN reported Thursday.
“Did I … say I will fight him again? Yeah, but I change my mind,” he said. “At this particular time, no, because he’s a sore loser and he’s a coward.
“If you lost, accept the loss and say, ‘Mayweather, you were the better fighter.’”
Mayweather won the welterweight title Saturday after going a full 12 rounds in a bout that Pacquiao later said he wasn’t physically 100 percent for — disappointing and outraging fans worldwide who dished out big bucks to watch or attend the heavily-hyped event.
Pacquiao said his right shoulder had a rotator cuff injury going into the fight, but he didn’t publicly disclose the hampering condition until after the bout, which netted $400 million — the richest in boxing history. Mayweather collected $180 million for the fight, Pacquiao $120 million. The rest went to promoters and various expenses.
Pacquiao on Wednesday had surgery to repair the injury. He now must sit out for as long as a year before he can fight again. Mayweather, planning to retire in September, previously said he was willing to put that off for a rematch next spring.
Mayweather believes the challenger has blamed the loss on his injury, rather than admitting he lost to a better fighter.
“I’m not going to buy into the bull (expletive) … and I don’t want the public to buy into the bull (expletive),” he said. “He lost. He knows he lost. I lost a lot of respect for him after all of this.”
The sudden refusal of a rematch may also have to do with comments reportedly made by Pacquiao, in which he claimed Mayweather knew about his shoulder injury during the bout and repeatedly pulled at his right arm — something else the champion denies.
“He was fast. His left hand was fast. His right hand was fast and he was throwing them both fast and strong. Excuses, excuses.”
Mayweather further expressed frustration by saying he would be happy to have Pacquiao appear on the undercard for one of his future fights. Secondary fighters, which are considered less experienced and lower on the boxing hierarchy, typically fill a major fight’s undercard.
Pacquiao has not yet replied to Mayweather’s remarks.
Many fans, who shelled out as much as $100 to watch the fight on pay-per-view, have even filed lawsuits over the matter — one of which said, “Pacquiao’s injury unquestionably materially, significantly and negatively affected the quality of the product.”
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