By Chris Williams: In an interview made by Michael Dyson on HBO, Floyd Mayweather Jr. made it clear that the $40 million offer that he made to WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao for a mega fight between them won’t change. That’s the final offer that Mayweather is giving the Filipino star, and he’s not going to sweeten it any because he doesn’t see Pacquiao bringing in the same numbers as him so why change it?

Mayweather said this in the Dyson “Speaking out” interview: “I offer $40 million. He [Pacquiao] counter offered, [saying] he wants 50-50. If he’s not doing Floyd Mayweather numbers in the box office or at the gate, if you’re not doing record breaking numbers like I’m doing, how can he possibly ask for 50-50? I’m happy how my career has went. I have nothing else to prove in the sport to anybody. Do I want the Manny Pacquiao fight before my career is offer? Absolutely! If it don’t happen, it don’t happen…I called him to make a fight. All he said was 50-50, and then got off the phone. I could tell someone was in his ear. My offer is what is is. My offer won’t change. I’m not budging. 40 million is what you’re getting. Either you take it or leave it. Like I said before, Manny Pacquiao needs Floyd Mayweather; Floyd Mayweather don’t need Manny Pacquiao.”

Well, there it is. Mayweather laid down the law for Pacquiao, and said what the conditions will be for Pacquiao to get the fight. Does Pacquiao want the $40 million, which would be by far the biggest payday of his career, or will he decide $40 million isn’t enough and have to settle for much less than that to fight the guys that his promoter Bob Arum digs up for him for the rest of his career?

The smart move is for Pacquiao to take the big money, because he’ll have to likely fight two times to make that kind of cash against Arum’s Top Rank stable fighters. And Pacquiao may not get by his next opponent Tim Bradley on June 9th, and then you can expect the Mayweather offer to drop big time.

Pacquiao will be lucky if he can get $20 million from Mayweather if Bradley beats him. Pacquiao should take the money while it’s still there because there’s no telling how much time he’s got left before he starts taking losses. I already thought Pacquiao lost his last fight against Juan Manuel Marquez last November.

The judges gave him the decision, but the boxing public largely saw Marquez winning that fight. You can get a freebee once or twice, but once it becomes routine, then the jig is up. Boxing fans will likely lose interest in Pacquiao if that’s all he’s about. He’s got to win and win decisively, and I didn’t see that last time and I don’t see it this time either against Bradley. Pacquiao needs to swallow his pride and take the big money now while he can still get it, because it won’t be there much longer once he gets whipped.