Jeff Mayweather: "If Manny wants the fight, he will step up and take the test"

jasbar16y ago

http://fighthype.com/pages/content7162.html "First of all, you're talking about two totally different fighters. One fighter is flat-footed, lies on the ropes and allows people to beat on him. Floyd is a mobile fighter. Floyd isn't just defense. Floyd's defense is why he's moving and while he's actually throwing punches. He will make you miss while he's in the heat of the battle. Floyd makes you miss and makes you pay. Clottey doesn't make you miss. He allows you to hit him on the elbows and hit him on the arms and that's not really defense. There is no comparison to what Floyd does because it's not even the same thing, so for anybody to say that, they are asinine...Listen, you hear so many things, but the only thing that made sense to me when they spoke on the fact of Floyd and Pacquiao fighting was when Max Kellerman said, in the closing of the show, that a writer said it's not about Floyd being scared of Manny. If Manny wants the fight, he will step up and take the test and that's what's killing the fight. There is nothing else killing the fight. Every time that subject comes up, it seems to get lost and disappears," stated world-class trainer Jeff Mayweather as he shared his thoughts on Manny Pacquiao's recent performance against Joshua Clottey this past weekend. Check out what else he had to say about Pacquiao and a potential clash with his nephew, Floyd Mayweather Jr. PC: You predicted Clottey would fight the way he did. Did anything surprise you about Clottey Saturday night? JM: He did exactly what I thought he would do. He covered up and he had good enough defense not to be knocked out, but at the same time, you can't win a fight with just defense. You have to take some chances. He was put in a situation where he would have to come out of character and basically fight a fight that he's not used to fighting. In every fight that Clottey has been in, especially big fights, he never presses on the gas. Even when he fought Cotto, he had Cotto gone, but he was content with plodding forward, holding his hands up high to not get hit anymore. He allowed Cotto to steal the fight from him; the same thing with Margarito. I don't know what it is with him. Whatever it is, the light doesn't go off with him to say, "I'm a marquee fighter and maybe I need to press on the gas if I even want to be one." In this fight, from the beginning, from the time it was made, I didn't think it would be a good fight. I knew that fight was going to be exactly like it was, with him playing defense and being content with the fact that he made it the distance. And that's not even caring about winning. PC: On the other side of the ball, what did you think of Pacquiao's performance? He did pretty much all he could do with what was given to him. JM: It was a decent performance. It wasn't nothing spectacular, but at the same time, Clottey is a guy that's tough to look spectacular against. I think that...it was just a good fight; very boring and very one-sided. You can't really look spectacular if a guy isn't taking chances or taking any risk to try to win the fight. You had one man working and one man trying to survive. With that being the case, it didn't even give Manny a chance to actually look good because there were very few exchanges where both guys were trying to hit each other simultaneously. They were never both throwing punches. It was just one guy working and one guy playing defense and that's it. PC: A lot has been made of the commentary of the fight. What did you think of the HBO crew? JM: Don't get me wrong, it seems like they just got caught up into the hype itself and caught up into the hype of Manny, which a lot of people are. Look at this situation, and a friend just brought this to my attention, he said, "When Manny started fighting, he started off at 106 pounds. That's like Michael Carbajal going up to beat Tommy Hearns and Ray Leonard." Of course, that in itself is phenomenal, but I couldn't see that happening. So even with Manny, it's a situation where this guy has the image of a nice guy, but nobody really knows. He goes out there and he performs and does what he needs to do, especially against a guy like Clottey, who is basically a sitting duck. Anyone that would really assess this fight, who is a fight fan or trainer or anything, would automatically think that this is how the fight would turn out. This fight right here changes your life and he still wouldn't take any risk. You gotta go out on your shield and give yourself a chance to win. He can say he made it the distance with him, but so what? He didn't do anything. PC: I hear this being said a lot and I want to let you touch on it a little bit, but I hear people say, "Well, Lil' Floyd is defensive as well. What would he do differently than Clottey?" JM: First of all, you're talking about two totally different fighters. One fighter is flat-footed, lies on the ropes and allows people to beat on him. Floyd is a mobile fighter. Floyd isn't just defense. Floyd's defense is why he's moving and while he's actually throwing punches. He will make you miss while he's in the heat of the battle. Floyd makes you miss and makes you pay. Clottey doesn't make you miss. He allows you to hit him on the elbows and hit him on the arms and that's not really defense. There is no comparison to what Floyd does because it's not even the same thing, so for anybody to say that, they are asinine. You're talking about one guy who is a pure boxer, and the purest boxer in the history of the sport, that can actually hit you and not be hit and he right in your face at the same time. And then you got one guy that lies on the ropes and allows you to beat on him. That's the difference is that one is a boxer and one is a sitting duck. PC: What did you think of Pacquiao and Freddie Roach's post-fight comments regarding your nephew? JM: Listen, you hear so many things, but the only thing that made sense to me when they spoke on the fact of Floyd and Pacquiao fighting was when Max Kellerman said, in the closing of the show, that a writer said it's not about Floyd being scared of Manny. If Manny wants the fight, he will step up and take the test and that's what's killing the fight. There is nothing else killing the fight. Every time that subject comes up, it seems to get lost and disappears. I watched the fight and it's one of those situations...Jim Lampley, oh my God, what was that? Anything that Pacquiao did, he got belligerent about it. When he went on that "bang, bang, bang" tirade, Pacquiao wasn't even landing any punches. My God, he got too caught up in the moment. If you listen to him, you would have thought you were watching a very exciting fight. One guy was throwing punches and one guy playing defense, that's it. None of the punches were even landing at the time when he was going bang, bang, bang. I was like, "Wow!" You know what's funny? I fell asleep on that fight. It couldn't hold my interest. That's how boring the fight was. I predicted that type of fight because I know how Clottey fights, but I didn't think it would be that boring. Clottey is a guy that is defense first and covers his head so that you don't have a chance to hit him on the chin. Like I said, anybody that compares his style to Floyd's is asinine and they don't know anything about boxing. You can't even elaborate with someone that would even let that come out of their mouth. PC: I felt Clottey's trainer was pretty honest with him. As a trainer, how frustrating is it when you're telling your guy he's losing every round and he has to take a chance and they go out there and do the same things that they had been doing? JM: At that point and time, the fighter has basically taken the fight away from you. He's not allowing you to be the trainer; he's doing what he wants to do and you just so happen to be a voice in the corner. He's taking your job away from you because, in his mind, he's already thinking, "I don't care what you say. You can say anything you want to, it doesn't matter." At that point and time, your job doesn't even mean anything. It was about him and how he was going to end the fight. I like the fact that the guy was completely honest with him. "Dude, you lost every round, when are you going to take a chance?" Clottey was also honest to come out and tell the truth, "He threw so many punches, I couldn't do anything and I didn't want to get caught." You don't want to get caught? This is boxing. This is the biggest fight of your life.

Comments (20)

CubanGuyNYC

Finally someone with some sense...PED's have been around for 10+ years.. where was Floyd then?????? Where were the Floyd fans accusing and discrediting Pacquiao when he was beating Barrera, Morales, Diaz, Marquez, Hatton, De La Hoya and Cotto. I know where they were, they were watching it on PPV. Performance enhancing drugs have been around for 10+ years, all right. Steroids were invented in the early 1930s. Amphetamines were invented in Germany in 1897. These and other PEDs have been around for decades, even a century. It's not just Floyd's fans that wonder whether Manny might be on steroids or other PEDs. Pacquiao was beating smaller men for years before his star truly rose at the welterweight level. He fought the likes of Barrera, Morales and Marquez at featherweight and super-featherweight. Those fights went the distance or near-distance, with Pac winning, drawing and even losing. One cannot call his performance against these men "dominating." Then came the quick rise. Manny made a brief stop at lightweight to pick up the belt against David Diaz. Then, in less than six months, he put on 7.5 pounds of solid muscle to dominate and retire Oscar De La Hoya. After that, he dismantled Ricky Hatton with one of the most concussive KO punches ever seen. Next up was Miguel Cotto. Manny walked through the much larger man's punches to deliver a bloody thrashing. In his last "fight," Joshua Clottey was so afraid of his much smaller opponent that he barely threw a punch. Pacquiao has not only retained his punching power as he's risen through the ranks, he's visibly increased it...highly unusual, to say the least. Now, despite all I've said, I'm not trying to make the case that Manny Pacquiao is on steroids or other PEDs. My point is that there's ample reason to question Manny's recent achievements. And sadly, in today's drug infested sports world, anyone performing at previously unseen levels is subject to suspicion. Mark McGwire recently burst the naive bubble of many baseball fans who thought he hit all those home runs without the use of steroids. I truly hope Manny doesn't break the hearts of his fans by eventually getting caught doping.

16y ago

Sweetxyience

If Floyd wants the fight he'll accept the same testing he did in 39 other fights. Unless of course the rules change. If not, Mayweather is the ducker. Finally someone with some sense...PED's have been around for 10+ years.. where was Floyd then?????? Where were the Floyd fans accusing and discrediting Pacquiao when he was beating Barrera, Morales, Diaz, Marquez, Hatton, De La Hoya and Cotto. I know where they were, they were watching it on PPV.

16y ago

CubanGuyNYC

I like you Cuban, you're respectful and logical. But we're going round and round here and I don't think we're going to find much common ground with our opinions on this matter. The feeling is mutual on all counts, Jab. We can agree to disagree. Peace.

16y ago

JAB5239

Jab, you overlooked much of what I stated. We have a situation here where many boxing fans -- not just Floyd and his minions -- believe that something is fishy about Manny's rise through the ranks. It's a huge concern in today's sports world. What you're essentially saying is that as long as an athlete can find a way to mask his steroid use under the current testing guidelines, it's just too bad. You're assuming Pac is masking use of PED's and I just can't agree. I see it as a hugely gifted fighter no longer having to drain himself. NO fighter should be held to a higher standard because of allegations that can logically be disputed. I agree that the rules ought to be changed before any new testing procedures can be forced on an athlete. But we're talking about a voluntary concession being made as a condition for a mega-fight between boxing's premier fighters. I honestly think Pac would have submitted had Floyd not slandered him and tried to force his hand. I know I wouldn't bow down to anyone btrying to make me give into anything after they publicly slammed me. Pride and self respect mean more than anything if you honestly believe you have nothing to prove. Mayweather and Pacquiao can ask for whatever they want in their negotiations. As long as the requests are reasonable and both men are held to the same requirements, they should be honored in the interests of making the bout a reality. I don't see what's so unreasonable about Floyd's testing request, especially in the current environment. Manny's not being forced to do anything; his rights aren't being violated. My point is that Pacquaio should agree to Mayweather's terms if he genuinely wants the fight to take place. What should be honored my friend are the rules of the sport, and if Floyd genuinely wanted this fight that is what he would do. I like you Cuban, you're respectful and logical. But we're going round and round here and I don't think we're going to find much common ground with our opinions on this matter.

16y ago

CubanGuyNYC

How can you say that? Don't act like you would be satisfied if Pacquiao never fought Mayweather. Pacquiao needs to fight Mayweather. Mayweather needs to fight Pacquiao. In my mind, there is no best until they fight each other. The underlined statements are right...on...the...money. (No pun intended. lol) Can you imagine if Leonard never fought Duran? Or if Ali never fought Frazier?

16y ago

INVINCEABLE

Pac does'nt need KFC to prove he is the best.... How can you say that? Don't act like you would be satisfied if Pacquiao never fought Mayweather. Pacquiao needs to fight Mayweather. Mayweather needs to fight Pacquiao. In my mind, there is no best until they fight each other.

16y ago

CubanGuyNYC

Peter McNeeley could come back and truly believe he is a top tier heavyweight who deserves a shot and a payday against Wlad but that doesn't make it so. There are rules and procedures in place for better or worse. You don't just get to change those because you're convinced of something. Its up to Floyd to fight by those rules. It isn't up to Manny to fight fight by the rules Floyd wants. Jab, you overlooked much of what I stated. We have a situation here where many boxing fans -- not just Floyd and his minions -- believe that something is fishy about Manny's rise through the ranks. It's a huge concern in today's sports world. What you're essentially saying is that as long as an athlete can find a way to mask his steroid use under the current testing guidelines, it's just too bad. I agree that the rules ought to be changed before any new testing procedures can be forced on an athlete. But we're talking about a voluntary concession being made as a condition for a mega-fight between boxing's premier fighters. Mayweather and Pacquiao can ask for whatever they want in their negotiations. As long as the requests are reasonable and both men are held to the same requirements, they should be honored in the interests of making the bout a reality. I don't see what's so unreasonable about Floyd's testing request, especially in the current environment. Manny's not being forced to do anything; his rights aren't being violated. My point is that Pacquaio should agree to Mayweather's terms if he genuinely wants the fight to take place.

16y ago

Fearless_BONG

What if..... Pac does'nt need KFC to prove he is the best.... But KFC need Pac to be proclaimed the best of the best.... Pac have nothing to loose... but KFC many things to gain.... Why not KFC accept the fight with the NSAC rulings..... and besides. Pac willing to be tested, one before the kick off, another one 24 days before the hard training start, and another is right after the fight. (this is fair enough) This is the great deal pac offers.... with KFC has many things to gain... But I dont think he is willing after Pac beat Clottey in a 12 round shoot out

16y ago

big_james10

THE test is the test given by the commission in which Pacquiao has passed for more than a decade. Floyd's demands are not THE test. It is an unprecedented and unsterile method in American Professional Sports. I am really tired of hearing this ridiculous "unprecedented" argument. Everything is unprecedented until it is done. Video games were unprecedented until they were created! Running a four minute mile was unprecedented until it was done!Pole vaulting 19 feet was unprecedented until it was done! PPV was unprecendented until it was done! Drug testing for athletes was unprecendented until it was done! Using PEDs was unprecedented until it was done! A $10 million penalty for being overweight was unprecedented until Pacquqio demanded it, but Floyd agreed to an "unprecedented" demand. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has the best drug testing in the world and you call it "unprecendented and unsterile." That is a really dumb ass argument that carries no credibility. If you can't do any better than this ridiculous "unprecedented" argument, you should just keep your mouth shut. It doesn't matter if it has been done before. There is a first time for everything. If Pac wants the fight, he should stop making excuses and agree to testing. If not, he should shut the hell up about Mayweather and continue to fight guys on the loser's circuit.

16y ago

Bennett

best article ive read in a long time.

16y ago

FloydTBE

Well said to Jeff Mayweather,

16y ago

GOAT86

Pac doesn't want the fight. He's just not ready for Floyd. He's scared that Floyd would finish what JuanMa started. :haha:

16y ago

JAB5239

Jab, I understand your point, and it's a valid one. But let me ask you this: assuming that Floyd truly believes Manny is on steroids, don't you think it's reasonable of him to ask for stricter tests not usually required of other fighters? Your rationale presumes that Mayweather is making up the rules as he goes along, that he wants to be special, and that he's ducking if things don't go his way. As I've said before, I don't know whether Manny is juicing or not. But in this day and age, and given his unprecedented rise through the ranks, it's understandable why some people might be convinced he is. Would you go into a boxing match with someone you believe to be carrying an unlawful weapon? Pacquiao could be trying to avoid detection. Or maybe he's just indignant at what he considers Mayweather's BS. Fair or not, the ball is in Manny's court. He's the one holding up the fight. Peter McNeeley could come back and truly believe he is a top tier heavyweight who deserves a shot and a payday against Wlad but that doesn't make it so. There are rules and procedures in place for better or worse. You don't just get to change those because you're convinced of something. Its up to Floyd to fight by those rules. It isn't up to Manny to fight fight by the rules Floyd wants.

16y ago

JAB5239

And that to you is the issue? Killing the fight? The issue I have is it not being a rule and people blaming Pac for the fight falling apart. Make it a rule, I'll support it. If Manny had ever tested dirty before, I'd support it. Buy make it happen the right way. The Mayweathers tried to force Pacs hand by convicting him in the media with no proof. Sorry, but that is not the way to change boxing and it makes all his talk of cleaning up boxing look like what it really is...self serving.

16y ago

CubanGuyNYC

Floyd has a right to ask for whatever he wants. But if he doesn't get it and won't fight under the rules as they are, he's killing the fight. Jab, I understand your point, and it's a valid one. But let me ask you this: assuming that Floyd truly believes Manny is on steroids, don't you think it's reasonable of him to ask for stricter tests not usually required of other fighters? Your rationale presumes that Mayweather is making up the rules as he goes along, that he wants to be special, and that he's ducking if things don't go his way. As I've said before, I don't know whether Manny is juicing or not. But in this day and age, and given his unprecedented rise through the ranks, it's understandable why some people might be convinced he is. Would you go into a boxing match with someone you believe to be carrying an unlawful weapon? Pacquiao could be trying to avoid detection. Or maybe he's just indignant at what he considers Mayweather's BS. Fair or not, the ball is in Manny's court. He's the one holding up the fight.

16y ago

IMDAZED

Floyd has a right to ask for whatever he wants. But if he doesn't get it and won't fight under the rules as they are, he's killing the fight. And that to you is the issue? Killing the fight?

16y ago

JAB5239

I couldn't respond to the same redundant post that's been addressed thousands of times on these boards? Incorrect. When I make a conscience decision not to do something, that falls under choices. I see you took me up on my recommendation. It seems my lesson was useful. Anyhow, you were given an answer in post #70. In case you've failed to notice, I'll make it clear. I no longer care to discuss the happenings and failures of the Pac-Mayweather discussions. Take that as you will. Next. So you didn't have any answers but you have made a CONSCIOUS decision to keep posting about nothing at all for your last 7 or 8 posts? BRILLIANT!!!

16y ago

Hannibal_Barca

You didn't "choose" not to respond, you couldn't. Case and point, Im still waiting for your response and answers to post #69. Did you concede? I couldn't respond to the same redundant post that's been addressed thousands of times on these boards? Incorrect. When I make a conscience decision not to do something, that falls under choices. I see you took me up on my recommendation. It seems my lesson was useful. Anyhow, you were given an answer in post #70. In case you've failed to notice, I'll make it clear. I no longer care to discuss the happenings and failures of the Pac-Mayweather discussions. Take that as you will. Next.

16y ago

JAB5239

its a monty python movie its funny as hell you'll laugh your ass off Besides "Young Frankenstein" I've never been a big Monty Python fan. Im open minded though so I'll check it out when I get the chance.

16y ago

JAB5239

You can't seriously be that daft. It'd hilarious if it weren't sad. You claimed I was "showing signs of defeat" by choosing not to respond, which would mean I was conceding by not responding, hence my recommendation of the term. You didn't "choose" not to respond, you couldn't. Case and point, Im still waiting for your response and answers to post #69. Did you concede?

16y ago