Pacquiao responds to Mayweather’s Challenge

By Antonia Bufalino - 12/14/2014 - Comments

pac8888By Antonia Bufalino: Manny Pacquiao responds to Floyd Mayweather’s challenge on Showtime, where the undefeated fighter affirmed his desire to fight the Filipino boxer. A few hours after Mayweather’s interview, Pacquiao apparently appeared irritated, and tells Mayweather, “Shut up and sign,” Pacquiao said via Spin.ph.

Pacquiao remains skeptical on whether or not Mayweather truly wants the fight. Pacquiao told AFP he won’t believe Mayweather’s statements about wanting the fight until the contract is sign, sealed, and delivered. However, even if Mayweather’s desire’s are fake, Pacquiao thinks he may not have anywhere else to go, “He has reached a dead end. He has no where to run but to fight me.”

Both fighters are long-time rivals, and in Mayweather’s interview with Showtime, he made sure to take some jabs at his potential opponent. He referenced to Pacquiao’s low PPV numbers and called him “desperate” and an “inferior fighter”.

Pacquiao was quick to take a jab of his own yesterday, speaking of Mayweather’s fights, “You all know his fighting style. Most of his fights, if not all, have put us to sleep.”

With so much optimism coming from Pacquiao’s side and a positive announcement from Mayweather, it appears there are more signs pointing towards the fight than away from it. Pacquiao is already looking ahead to strategies and expectations for the mega-bout, “I will try my best to (make) this a thrilling and entertaining fight. But I doubt he’s going to engage with me in a slugfest. . .I know what I have to do. I will chase him wherever he goes just in case he decides to run around the ring. We will devise a good fight plan for him.”

Pacquiao showed this against his last opponent, Chris Algieri, on November 22. Algieri completely disengaged himself from the fight by throwing 60% less than his normal output and hopping on his bicycle for most of the 12 rounds. Despite this, Pacquiao was still able to knock him to the canvas six times, reiterating how running or a lot of movement will not pose a problem for the 8 Time World Champion.

Another matter that will not pose a problem is money. Some fans feared Mayweather will use purse splits as a potential conflict to not make the happen. However, Pacquiao dispelled the concern on Saturday, “Mayweather can get the amount he wants. As early as January this year, I challenged him to a charity event. Until now, he has not agreed to it. So, money is not an issue in our fight.”

As the month rolls on, it’ll be interesting to see how this continues to unfold. Fans, media, and Pacquiao’s continuous pressure will not allow Mayweather off the hook. The spotlight will shine bright on these two until further reports on negotiations come out. Hopefully, it continues to remain positive.



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