Floyd to Manny: Take the test

MANILA, Philippines -  Is the planned Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. showdown really dead? Not at all, according to Mayweather.

Speaking to Afternoon Saloon today, a radio program by ESPN Chicago, Mayweather once again spoke publicly about the possibility of him facing Pacquiao in what could be the richest fight in boxing, confirming that the proposed super fight could still take place.

His condition, however, remains the same: Pacquiao should take random drug tests.

“The thing is this I’m an American citizen and I represent this country with the red, white, and blue. The only thing I want is the people in my country to stand behind me. I’m in my own country and I have a lot of people against me. Our country is a great country, it’s a clean country, and all I ask him (Pacquiao) to do is take the test, that’s it,” said the brash boxer, holder of a sterling 41-0 record (with 25 KOs).

This marks the second time Mayweather touched upon the fight. Last week, Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum told Manila reporters that Mayweather was asking for a $100-million purse to face Pacquiao, an amount so huge that it possibly translates to Mayweather pricing himself out of the fight.

In the radio interview, however, Mayweather no longer stated an asking price, instead insisting for Pacquiao to subject himself to a series of random blood tests leading into the fight.

“He takes the test and we got a fight,” he said.

The issue of blood testing has been the primary roadblock to arranging a Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown. Pacquiao later agreed to take random blood tests 14 days before the fight.

Meanwhile, in the same interview, Mayweather found another opportunity to blast Pacquiao.

“You guys must realize this about Pacquiao, that’s just a media creation. That’s somebody who just came around. For someone to beat me would be abnormal, for someone to beat him is normal because he has already been beaten three times and knocked out twice. It’s nothing new,” he said. – Dino Maragay