"All the stories you hear about Pacquiao is a lie," stated pound-for-pound king Floyd "Money" Mayweather, who set the record straight regarding any and all rumors linking him to a potential 2014 showdown with Manny Pacquiao. Last month, reports first surfaced about a proposed meeting that Pacquiao was hoping to have with the undefeated welterweight and jr. middleweight champion. It didn't take long for that rumor to transform into the latest misleading story, where a "source" allegedly claimed that a Mayweather vs. Pacquiao showdown was a "done deal" for this September.
Nevermind the fact that this latest "news" originated from a homemade video posted on YouTube; evidently, that was enough to get some seemingly credible media outlets to report on the nearly three-week old video. In fact, The International Business Times ran with the headline "Boxing News: Floyd Mayweather Jr., Manny Pacquiao Agree to Mega-Fight in 2014, Source Says". When I was first made aware of the story, I simply chuckled and thought nothing of it. I speak to Floyd Mayweather at least 3 or 4 times a week, so I'd be extremely surprised if a move like that could be pulled off without me knowing a little something about it. That being said, when I started to receive phone calls from presumably "more reputable" journalists, all asking me if there was any truth to the story, I thought it would be best to go directly to the source to clear up any confusion.
If there's one thing FightHype readers know, it's that when it comes to Floyd Mayweather, or any fighter for that matter, you're going to get the truth and the proof straight from the source. That being said, we reached out to Floyd Mayweather to speak to him about the latest unfounded rumor. As expected, Mayweather told me what I already knew. "It's a lie. It's not true. If it didn't come from Leonard's mouth, my mouth, or Al's mouth, it's not true," Mayweather stated, quickly killing the rumor before instructing me to let fans know that when it comes to his next fight, everyone can just keep it locked to FightHype.com for any future announcement. As we discussed various other topics, Mayweather revealed that individuals were still trying to contact him with "cutthroat business deals" regarding Manny Pacquiao.
Loyal readers might remember a story on FightHype from a little over a year ago where we revealed a letter that Mayweather had received during his incarceration. That letter was written by former associate Tommy Summers, A.K.A. Tommy Smalls, A.K.A. Tom Harlem, and it appeared to be an attempt to convince Mayweather to part ways with long-time advisor Al Haymon in hopes of gaining control of his career, both in and out of the ring. Anyone that knows Mayweather knows that he's extremely loyal to his team, so naturally, that plan backfired on Summers. Apparently, that wasn't enough to stop Summers from trying, however. Despite Mayweather making it crystal clear that he won't do business behind the backs of those that helped build his brand, namely Al Haymon and Leonard Ellerbe, Summers continues to contact him with alleged guarantees that he can't deliver on. Check out his latest attempt to score a backdoor business deal in this series of text messages:
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Now, before any of you misconstrue the message from Tommy and start thinking there's any truth to it, please understand that Manny Pacquiao is currently under contract with Bob Arum's Top Rank Boxing, and if memory serves me correctly, that contract isn't up for renewal until the end of this year in December, 2014. That said, there is no way whatsoever that Tommy can "sit down quietly" with Mayweather, Pacquiao and his lawyer to work out some kind of deal without Bob Arum. Incidentally, is Tommy referring to Pacquiao's Filipino lawyer, Franklin Gacal, or his American lawyers that also work for Top Rank? It's unclear if Summers is acting alone or if he was instructed to contact Mayweather by a third party. The point is, like Mayweather said, everyone is lying. There are absolutely no secret discussions going on and there's no chance of a fight with Manny Pacquiao taking place in 2014.
As long as Pacquiao is still under contract with Top Rank, which he will be until the end of this year, there will be no mega-fight since Mayweather has made it clear that he will never do business with Bob Arum again. So before other writers start a new year of conspiracy theories and false hope that a fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao will take place, remember that if it didn't come from his mouth, Leonard Ellerbe's mouth, or Al Haymon's mouth, then it's not true. The one thing that has become obvious to me from my many conversations with Mayweather is that, with so many other options available to him, he is not thinking about that fight at all. Like Mayweather himself has repeatedly stated, his career won't be defined by this one fight. If it were, then he could essentially throw out all of his accomplishments over the past 17 years, win one fight with Pacquiao, and go down as the best fighter ever in boxing. That's simply not how this sport works; it never has and it never will, so until Pacquiao is free and clear from his contractual obligations with Bob Arum, fans can ignore any and all rumors linking the two fighters together. And if there's ever any doubt when it comes to news regarding Floyd Mayweather, if it's not on FightHype, it's NOT true!
For any other information regarding Floyd Mayweather, be sure to also check out his website at www.TheMoneyTeam.com.
[ Follow Ben Thompson on Twitter @fighthype ]