Floyd Mayweather Jr. is looking to put his out of the ring troubles behind him when he takes on the WBC Welter Weight Champion Victor Ortiz on September 17th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
One person however that remains on the mind of Mayweather is Manny Pacquiao.
“Do I want the Pacquiao fight? Absolutely,” Mayweather said at a kickoff press conference Tuesday in New York City to announce his Sept. 17 fight against Victor Ortiz at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
“I can’t overlook Victor Ortiz. He’s the world champion,” Mayweather added. “Floyd Mayweather don’t duck or dodge anyone. I want to thank Victor Ortiz for stepping up to the plate, and taking the test.”
Past negotiations for this dream fight have stalled because of Mayweather’s insistence on random blood testing. This is something that Shane Mosely agreed on before his fight with Mayweather on May 1st and something that Ortiz agreed on as well. Mayweather further mentioned that if Pacquiao submits to random drug testing, the fight between the two can still happen.
After a 16 month layoff, Mayweather isn’t looking to take more time off after his fight with Ortiz.
“This is not my last fight, I want to stay active” Mayweather said. “Hopefully I can give you guys 10 more fights. I may not be able to. I’m closer to 40 than 21.”
Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs) hasn’t fought since his dominating performance against Mosely.
Pacquiao’s next bout is November 12th against Juan Manuel Marquez.
Source: Grand Rapids Press, Reuters
