By Mark Vester
Floyd Mayweather Jr. has lashed out at critics who suggest that Manny Pacquiao is the best fighter in the world. Mayweather, who hasn't fought since a December 2007 knockout of Ricky Hatton, returns on July 18 to face Juan Manuel Marquez at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Mayweather still considers himself the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport and says the experts who call Pacquiao the best are not familiar enough with the sport of boxing.
Mayweather tells BoxingScene.com that Pacquiao was given too much credit for beating Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton. De La Hoya dropped down to 147 to meet Pacquiao and allowed the Filipino fighter to wear 8-ounce gloves. Mayweather says De La Hoya refused to meet him at 147 and made him move up to 154 and refused to let him wear 8-ounce gloves. He says Hatton did not follow any of the instructions that he was given in the corner.
"You have to learn about the sport of boxing. People forget that Erik Morales boxed the sh*t out of Manny Pacquiao. They forget about that. Or they forget that when I fought De La Hoya, I was in my 30s and he was in his 30s, but when I beat him - they say he was over the hill," Mayweather said. "But all of a sudden when Pacquiao fights him, they say 'oh man, we can't believe what just happened.' Ya'll just said he was over the hill, which one is it?"
"The gloves that De La Hoya gave me were pillows. They had a chance to fight with 8-ounce gloves and they had a chance to fight at 147. For me, he said he was absolutely not coming down to 147 and he said that he didn’t want me to wear 8-ounce gloves. I beat Ricky Hatton two years ago when he was an undefeated fighter and I dominated. He was finished after that. He was already finished before the fight with Manny Pacquiao. But Pacquiao beats him and you say he's the best. He didn't listen to my father in the corner. If he did, it would have been a different fight."
"And then on the other hand, I face Hatton and they say I'm too big for Hatton but then they say Hatton is too big for Pacquiao, but they want to see me and Pacquiao fight. Then Pacquiao and Marquez fight twice, but when I beat him [Marquez] they are going to say I'm too big for him."
Mayweather told BoxingScene that he didn't want to look too far ahead to a fight between himself and Pacquiao. He said it wasn't right for people to just overlook Marquez, who is a tough fighter.
"We can't overlook this guy, Marquez. He earned the right to fight Floyd Mayweather. They had him in the background for so many years, just like me. Somebody has to give him that chance. Genaro Hernandez was a Mexican who gave me that chance and I take my hat off to him. Hernandez gave me my chance and I'm giving Marquez his chance," Mayweather said.
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