Floyd Mayweather Jr: Will the Unbeaten Champion Issue Public Apology?

Golden Boy Promotions owner Oscar de la Hoya and his CEO Richard Schaefer have recently apologized to Manny Pacquiao and Bob Arum for causing them troubles in connection with the defamation case filed in court by the Filipino boxer against them and the Mayweathers.

Although an exclusion proceedings may have to be filed in court for their names to be stricken out in the records of the case, it is understood they will no longer be a party to the lawsuit.

Arum and Pacquiao have responded favorably on the carefully-worded public apology and they later signified their acceptance of the same. 

This situation leaves Floyd Mayweather, Jr., his father and the others who were originally named in the lawsuit, as the remaining defendants on record in the case.

Why should Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and the company issue a public apology?

Making a public apology now seems the best way out for Floyd Mayweather, Jr. without going into the hassle of court litigation, which could be most embarrassing for him and his co-defendants in the lawsuit. 

Court procedures may require personal court appearance of the accused, including Floyd Mayweather, Jr. to admit or deny the charges. This may be done in an open court session and it would most likely expose him to public ridicule from biased fans who are expected to troop to the courthouse to witness the proceedings.

On many occasions, Floyd Mayweather Jr has been unfairly ridiculed in public by biased fans who are getting impatient about the unbeaten boxer's continued refusal to face Pacquiao in the ring to settle their claims to boxing supremacy. 

It is a common knowledge that the allegations hurled against Pacquiao by the defendants in the case were unsubstantiated in the absence of any proof to support their accusations.

Although there is no assurance Pacquiao will accept their apology like he did with de la Hoya and Schaefer, there is a good chance the Filipino boxing icon will accept, knowing his forgiving religious orientation.

It is expected Pacquiao's lawyer, Daniel Petrocelli, will decline any move to settle the case amicably based on his past statements, but Pacquiao could prevail upon his counsel in the spirit of sportsmanship and for the sake of reconciliation.

Petrocelli clarified that they were only dismissing the suit against GBP.

“We may be adding to (the lawsuit) because of additional defamatory statements that the Mayweather folks have put out,” said Petrocelli.

With a good number of pending lawsuits Mayweather is facing, it would perhaps be most prudent for him to think about issuing a public apology in order to put closure to the long-running controversy and to lessen the number of court cases he is facing at this time.

It may also be in the interest of boxing and the public as well if he makes a public apology now.