By Mark Vester
Floyd Mayweather Jr. is ready and willing to fight the recognized pound-for-pound king, Manny Pacquiao. The entire boxing world is calling for the fight and Mayweather is ready to make it. During a recent interview with Sky Sports, Mayweather baited the Filipino champion by telling him to "step up to the plate" if he really wants a fight. He downplayed Pacquiao's skills by calling him a "one-dimensional" fighter.
"If he wants to fight Floyd Mayweather all he has to do is step up to the plate. The thing is with Pacquaio I don't see any versatility as a fighter; he's a good puncher but just one-dimensional," Mayweather said.
Mayweather doesn't think there is anything to gain in beating Pacquiao. He says a fight with Pacquiao is a no-win situation.
"The world's going to go 'wow' if Floyd Mayweather gets beaten," Mayweather said. "That's what everyone is looking to see. If I beat Manny Pacquaio do you know what they are going to say? 'You are supposed to beat him, you are Floyd Mayweather, you are the bigger man'. If I knock him out they'll say 'you're supposed to knock him out he's been knocked out before'.
"I'm in a no-win situation and when I beat him no one is going to be surprised because he's been beaten before; whatever I do to Pacquaio has been done before - he's been beaten on three occasions. And if I knock him out I don't want the world shouting because he's been knocked out twice before."
Bob Arum of Top Rank, who promotes Pacquiao and Richard Schaefer, CEO for Golden Boy Promotions who will represent Mayweather, are scheduling to begin talks this week.
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