Floyd Mayweather Crushes Amir Khan Fight Hopes, Talks Muhammad Ali and More
Floyd Mayweather Jr. still plans to schedule his final fight for September, a decision which will halt Amir Khan's hopes of battling the undefeated American before he retires.
Ramadan will stop Khan working through the month, meaning he is likely to miss the final opportunity to set up a bout.
Mayweather, who completed a media conference call on Wednesday, suggested he isn't focused on anyone other than upcoming opponent Manny Pacquiao, per Jeff Powell of the Mail Online:
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"I'm focused right now on the guy in front of me," said Mayweather. "My last fight will be in September, but I don't want to overlook anyone. I believe in taking it one fight at a time. Manny Pacquiao is the guy in front of me right now, and that's my focus."
Mayweather defended his decision to suggest he is greater than Muhammad Ali, in an interview with ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, indicating his in-ring achievements outweigh those of the legendary fighter (via Powell):
"I respect all the great champions of the past. But I've done just as much as Ali did. He was champion at heavyweight but I've won world titles in five divisions. He fought for a helluva cause (anti-Vietnam War) but I'm still sharp at age 38. Still going strong at age 38.
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Mayweather believes Ali predicted his rise to the top, noted by Powell:
"He lost, once to man who'd only had seven fights previously. I'm undefeated. He called himself The Greatest so I call myself The Best Ever. I knew there would be a back-lash but I couldn't care less. He said he was greater than Sugar Ray Robinson and someone else will come along in the future to be criticised for believing he's the best.
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Pretty Boy has remained largely quiet since the May 2 encounter with Pacquiao was announced. Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's trainer, has continued to trash-talk Mayweather in the press, recently suggesting the fighter cannot be considered inside boxing's top 100 fighters ever (via Mark Giongco of Inquirer.net).
Mayweather decided against offering a retort to Roach's comments due to the trainer's long battle with Parkinson's disease, per Powell: "I'm not going to say anything negative about Freddie Roach. Not against someone who's not 100 percent healthy," said Mayweather. ... "I wish Freddie well."
Instead, the veteran explained his subdued personality comes down to getting older and no longer needing to impress, reported by Powell:
"I had to be loud to get where we are today. At 17 or 18 I was saying look at me. The big personality was part of that game plan. To get to this point we're at now. Making seven figures in one night. Now I'm here. And as you get older you mature.
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Roach recently explained to Bleacher Report's Stephen Nelson why Pacquiao will win:
Mayweather's conference call gave the impression of a calm, focused competitor. Pacquiao poses arguably the biggest challenge of his career and can be expected to come out swinging from the start. Mayweather already seems quietly prepared for whatever is thrown at him, remaining concentrated yet entirely confident in his own abilities.
He is, after all, no longer a man who needs to worry about establishing his reputation. It seems Mayweather is comfortable in the knowledge that his achievements rank among the best the sport has ever seen. Toppling Pacquiao would add the proverbial cherry to a cake which has been set for years.
We can expect the same meticulous fighter in the ring. In a strange way, it's more unnerving to see Mayweather so reserved at this stage of the buildup. It appears his full energy is being directed toward eliminating the major threat to his perfect record.
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