Floyd Mayweather Comments on Past Legal Issues, Manny Pacquiao Fight

Floyd Mayweather Jr. took some time out of his busy training schedule ahead of his May 2 encounter with Manny Pacquiao for a high-profile interview with Yahoo Global News anchor Katie Couric about the long-awaited fight and his previous legal problems.  

Steven Shapiro of Yahoo News notes Mayweather, as candid of an individual as there is in sports, didn't shy away from questions about the domestic violence case that landed him in jail. He doesn't believe the situation was fair from the outset:

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I'm black. I'm rich. And I'm outspoken. Those are three strikes right there. So, you know, when someone says, "I got pushed or hit, I'm a fighter. So I may not really hit a person." But guess what? I got to fight the case because I'm already guilty. They don't know if I really did it or not. But since I'm a fighter, they're gonna say, "You know what? He did it."

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He also explained his version of the events from that 2010 incident in the interview: "Did I kick, stomp and beat someone? No, that didn't happen. I look in your face and say, 'No, that didn't happen.' Did I restrain a woman that was on drugs? Yes, I did. So if they say that's domestic violence, then, you know what? I'm guilty. I'm guilty of restraining someone."

Mayweather has since moved forward with his boxing career. He carries an unblemished 47-0 record into his meeting with Pacquiao. It's a bout that has been discussed for several years before the sides finally reached an agreement to fight next month.

Money shared his intense training practices with Couric: "A lot of hand pad work, a lot of body work, heavy bag work, speed bag, pushups, pull-ups, dips. The list goes on and on."

But he doesn't believe a loss would significantly alter his legacy.

"You know, having my hand raised doesn't define me as a man," he said. "No matter what anyone says about Floyd Mayweather, I'm a winner, you know, in life. Not just because I was able to make hundreds of millions, because whatever I got involved with, I gave 100 percent."

Mayweather is coming off of a pair of victories over the powerful Marcos Maidana. While the Argentine wasn't able to pull off the upset, the first meeting was closer than many expected. Going up against Pacquiao, even at this stage of their careers, is an even bigger test.

The boxing world finally gets to see the hyped bout in less than three weeks.