source: Lance Pugmire | latimes.com
Hours after the president of HBO Sports said he had negotiated with both sides in an effort to make a Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. mega-fight on Nov. 13, Mayweather's lead adviser again denied the claim.
"Floyd is his own boss, calling his own shots," Leonard Ellerbe told The Times on Monday night.
HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg said in a prepared statement earlier Monday that he indeed had discussed the fight with representatives of both Pacquiao and Mayweather in an effort to make a bout that would match the repeat fighter of the year from the Philippines with unbeaten Mayweather.
The mediation failed, and Pacquiao proceeded to a replacement fight against Antonio Margarito on Nov. 13 at a site to be determined. The bout will be for the vacant WBS super-welterweight title, possibly Pacquiao's record eighth weight-division world title.
Ellerbe has said someone, either Arum or Greenburg, is "lying" if they believe Mayweather has participated in negotiations to fight. That point was effectively repeated Monday by Richard Schaefer, the Golden Boy Promotions executive who had been called upon in the past to assist Mayweather in fight negotiations.
Ellerbe said neither Mayweather nor his representatives ever entered into anything beyond cursory conversation with Greenburg. Ellerbe said Mayweather was doing what he had been since defeating Shane Mosley on May 1: taking time off to enjoy his life, his family and participate in other personal functions, as he said in this independent video June 2.
"This whole thing is getting blown out of proportion," Ellerbe said. "Floyd made it clear what his intentions were, after the fight ... and again in an interview last week. He's on vacation.
"Obviously, the parties making these statements need to understand what the term 'negotiation' really means. Calling to ask Floyd what he's thinking about doing is not a negotiation. How ... can you have a negotiation when the principal has made it clear he's not interested in doing anything at this time."
That certainly doesn't sit well with the boxing public, which has clamored for Mayweather-Pacquiao, but it should be noted "Money" earned about $65 million in two fights, in the September 2009 bout against Juan Manuel Marquez and the Mosley bout.
Ellerbe said he wasn't worried about Arum's claims that it's "unpardonable" to "lie to the press," as he said Ellerbe had done in previously insisting there were no negotiations. There's no love lost between Mayweather and his former promoter.
"I pay absolutely no attention to what Arum says," Ellerbe said. "He's just bitter because Floyd left him to become his own boss and has gone on to make $125 million since."
So when will Mayweather fight again? Apparently, whenever he wakes up one day and decides to. "When the time is right, it'll be right," Ellerbe said. "It'll be very simple."
That'll be something to see, after one prior collapsed negotiation in January and now this month's failed whatever-you-want-to-call-it.
RELATED NEWS:
Arum blasts Schaefer for lying
HBO Sports president discusses Mayweather-Pacquiao talks
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Pacman doesn't need a chicken to cement his legacy, history will tell u who the chicken is
so whats the use of ellerbe if "floyd is his own boss"? ellerbe should shut his mouth and let mayweather do the talking.
run chicken run, don't make any excuses, sign the contract...
Coward FLOYD JR!
mayweather afraid to accept the truth that he loss this mega fight and pacman will win..........n short, he's coward..............
Floyd doesn't want to fight manny now cause he can't find the right Panties to wear in the fight
All yal hating on floyd need to understand hes undefeated and does more numbers than any other fighter. Yal want to see him fight. U can say na u dont but men lie women lie numbers dont. His numbers tower over pacman. Yal look at every fight he has and say the opponent has a good shot. You wanted the hatton fight, knocked him. You wanted the sugar shane fight spanked him. Why do yal think he needs to prove himself to yal. When hes ready they will fight.
so simple,that means ellerbe is the chicken here not a live chicken, its a roasted chicken ready to eat by floyd
floyd's fights are boring and his opponents are not in pacmans level
Mayweather is all bark, no BITE...
mayweather should have a real manager and that must be KFC
All those who could not figure out what the hell is going on . . read this :
Mayweather does not want to fight Pacquiao because he wants to retire with unblemished (win) record! Not only that . . he is scared he might end up like HATTON! It's simple as that, people.
kentucky floyd chicken!!!
run mayweather run ellerbe and you too richard schaeper join the club of chicken gay mayweather family
Gayweather cant reach pacman's 7 belts so he has to preserve his only pride of zero defeat so run chicken run
floyd mayweathet will be the next mascot of KFC or MAX'S fried chicken!!lol
numbers dont tell the whole story... of those number of fights, how many are top caliber boxers and how many were at their primes when they were fought,.. money is just protecting his record by chickening out from this one big fight that would definitely cement his legacy as one of the greats... ive seen him fight.. have you seen manny fight? i bet for manny.. but if money fights with the pacman,. he will earn the respect and admiration from non beleivers like me..
no amount of insult could affect floyd. give him respect. that's what he needs. poor boy no one has given much respect and admiration! floyd i respect you. you are the best boxer of all time. you are better than manny pacquiao and all other boxers, better than ali. sugar ray is nothing compared to you. you are the god of the ring. you're style is the most exciting boxing style i've ever seen. you don't need manny because you're already the best.
I cant wait until floyd whips this filipino paper champ. They always build up people to take out black americans but the truth is the whites make the money and the brown people scarp. luckily floyd is smarter the pac and he makes all his money.
you filipinos will pay i swear to it!