Tweet
“At this particular time, Floyd Mayweather is taking probably a year off, a couple of years off, from the sport of boxing. I don’t really know what the future holds for Floyd Mayweather at this particular time, but, you know, I can probably take a couple of years off,” stated multi-division champion Floyd Mayweather during an interview last week while working with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. As Mayweather spent time with Armando Carral, an 18-year-old with Hodgkin’s Disease whose wish was to meet the undefeated fighter, Mayweather nonchalantly broke the news.
“Like I said before, I’m taking a couple of years off. Our main thing right now, at this particular time, is spending one-on-one time with him because that’s the main thing that counts right now. No fighter is more important than Armando at this particular time,” Mayweather replied when a reporter informed him that Armando wants to see him face Manny Pacquiao in his next bout. The timing of the announcement seemed odd, however, as there have been several reports hinting that representatives of both he and Pacquiao were secretly working towards a mega-fight to take place later this year. Not to mention, one would think that Mayweather would use a much bigger platform than a short Make-A-Wish Foundation interview in order to reveal his plans to take another extended hiatus from the sport.
Although Mayweather’s recent comments seem like just a negotiating ploy, it would appear as though he’s in no rush to step inside the ring with Manny Pacquiao any time soon. When asked if he had any intention of fighting again this year, Mayweather reiterated, “No, absolutely, I’m taking a couple of years off, yeah, away from the sport of boxing and devoting my time to my boxing gym and just giving back, as far as feeding the homeless and doing things that’s very very positive, and that’s what we like to do at the Floyd Mayweather Foundation and of course Team Mayweather.”
After speaking with several sources in Las Vegas who have close ties to the Mayweather camp, it looks like there is indeed a very real possibility that Mayweather will sit out the remainder of 2010. “Nah, he ain’t retiring for no two years. But if Floyd don’t get the money he wants, he won’t be fighting anymore this year,” one source admitted. Another source commented, “After what he did to Shane, Floyd left no doubt about how good he is and he wants to be paid accordingly. If he’s not paid what he deserves, he’s got no problem sitting out the rest of the year. I highly doubt there’s anyone that Pacquiao could fight that will generate bigger numbers than Floyd.” Considering that middleweight champion Sergio Martinez is probably the only other viable option for Mayweather should a fight with Pacquiao not get finalized, sitting out the remainder of the year would be the likely scenario.
Comment