"Both of them guys will get knocked out by Floyd," boasted Floyd Mayweather Jr. as he shared his thoughts on Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto in a recent interview with leading urban-focused celebrity website Bossip.com. Mayweather also gave an update on his training, "I am getting a lot stronger and running more miles, doing things like pull-ups and sit-ups to strengthen that freak injury I had to my stomach." Although his anticipated Sept. 19 return to the ring is just six weeks away, it seems like Mayweather is more focused on Manny Pacquiao than he is on his actual opponent, Juan Manuel Marquez.
"Before I heard about Manny Pacquiao, I was the champion. When Cotto came into the game, I was the champion. I think they are both good fighters. When you are in the check-cashing business and being the champ, they need to call out my name. I don't have to call out theirs. I am making as much as both Cotto and Pacman in this one fight. Manny Pacquiao has the worst deal in boxing. He is giving up 27% of his money. Floyd keeps it all," Mayweather continued when reminded that some fans accuse him of avoiding certain fighters.
"Go back to the Hatton fight and listen to Pacquiao after the Hatton fight. Merchant asked him about me; he said speak to his promoter. It's his handlers that decide for him BOSSIP, not me. If the money is right, I will fight all three of them and knock them out. I am the first to knock Ricky Hatton out. I knocked him out with 10 ounce gloves on. Pac fought him with 8 ounce gloves. I laid the blueprint on how to beat Hatton. Cotto has been knocked out before and Pacquiao has been knocked out, as well as outboxed by Marquez and Morales."
While some of the things that Floyd says are true, the fact remains, if he truly wants to be considered one of the greatest of all time, there's still a lot of unfinished business to be taken care of. With fans eager to see bouts against Pacquiao, Mosley and even Cotto, it will take a lot more than a victory over Juan Manuel Marquez for Mayweather to reclaim his spot as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. In fact, it would be wise for Mayweather to do less talking about Pacquiao and focus more on the task at hand. Despite the difference in size, lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez is no easy task for any fighter, particularly one who hasn't fought in over 16 months.