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WBC Welterweight champion and pound-for-pound kingpin Floyd Mayweather, Jr. has discussed recent rumors of his return to the ring. Mayweather, fresh off a tenth round stoppage over Briton Ricky Hatton, had previously announced a lengthy hiatus from the sport - possibly as long as two years.
Citing a recent spate of fighters moving down in weight as their careers progressed, the "Pretty Boy" speculated that he may consider future fights at a lower weight class, possibly junior welterweight or lightweight. "Shane came back down. Oscar is going down. Winky just fought Bernard at 170, but he wanted to fight Oscar at 154. Ricky Hatton went back to junior welterweight, and he weighs more than me. I've always said that weights don't win fights. Skills pay the bills. When I come back, it will be for the biggest fights and the biggest names. It it don't make dollars, it don't make sense."
"Money" Mayweather addressed the issue of the challenges of making weight. "For me, it's not an issue. At all. I've always been in great shape. Me and Ricky talked about fighting at 140, but he didn't want to put his belt at risk. I never go above 150. Not even between fights. When I fought Arturo Gatti, he was 158, 159 something like that. I saw Stevie Forbes and Bojado. They were, what, 156 and 159. For a fight that was supposed to be at 140. So, you know, we'll just have to see."
While Mayweather did not specifically discuss future opponents, the indications are that he has an interest in facing current p4p companion Manny Pacquiao. While a size disparity is perceived, the Filipino idol struggled to make weight for his last bout vs. Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera. By fight time, Pacquiao had rehydrated to 144 pounds. WBO superfeatherweight titlist Joan Guzman, often mentioned as a potential opponent for Pacquaio, had had similar weight challenges. The Dominican rising star weighed 148 pounds for his bout with hard-hitting Humberto Soto.
Says Mayweather, "I'm going to talk to my team, and talk to Mark Taffet at HBO. We'll give the fans what they want."
Citing a recent spate of fighters moving down in weight as their careers progressed, the "Pretty Boy" speculated that he may consider future fights at a lower weight class, possibly junior welterweight or lightweight. "Shane came back down. Oscar is going down. Winky just fought Bernard at 170, but he wanted to fight Oscar at 154. Ricky Hatton went back to junior welterweight, and he weighs more than me. I've always said that weights don't win fights. Skills pay the bills. When I come back, it will be for the biggest fights and the biggest names. It it don't make dollars, it don't make sense."
"Money" Mayweather addressed the issue of the challenges of making weight. "For me, it's not an issue. At all. I've always been in great shape. Me and Ricky talked about fighting at 140, but he didn't want to put his belt at risk. I never go above 150. Not even between fights. When I fought Arturo Gatti, he was 158, 159 something like that. I saw Stevie Forbes and Bojado. They were, what, 156 and 159. For a fight that was supposed to be at 140. So, you know, we'll just have to see."
While Mayweather did not specifically discuss future opponents, the indications are that he has an interest in facing current p4p companion Manny Pacquiao. While a size disparity is perceived, the Filipino idol struggled to make weight for his last bout vs. Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera. By fight time, Pacquiao had rehydrated to 144 pounds. WBO superfeatherweight titlist Joan Guzman, often mentioned as a potential opponent for Pacquaio, had had similar weight challenges. The Dominican rising star weighed 148 pounds for his bout with hard-hitting Humberto Soto.
Says Mayweather, "I'm going to talk to my team, and talk to Mark Taffet at HBO. We'll give the fans what they want."
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