Here's a report doing the rounds of Fox Sports websites, with quotes from Floyd Mayweather after an interview just after the Clottey fight. Mayweather obviously doesn't think much of Pacquiao. Here's what he reportedly said ...

“Personally, I think Pacquiao got exposed in that fight for being one-dimensional. You can have all offensive ability in the world but with no defense you’re not going to last long against a good counter puncher such as myself.
"Look at the way Clottey was getting through, each time he threw something it landed. Then at the end Pacquiao’s was all busted up, when’s the last time you’ve seen my face all messed up like that? That’s the difference between an amateur and a true pound for pound boxer.
“The attendance numbers ain’t nothing compared to what I have drawn in the past or what I would have drawn if that was me in the ring that night, everybody knows that. Half those seats were empty in the back and people say Pacquiao is a draw? Let’s not forget who generated 2.5 million PPV buys in one fight alone.
"The only reason why he’s popular is because he’s an ethnic minority and from the Philippines so it’s something special. If he was from Africa he would be just another boxer.”

With regards to his comment about ethnicity, I don't know if I should get offended by it or not. But by the manner of how he said it is something I would consider offensive, both for the Filipinos and Africans. He sure does talk a lot.

What Mayweather said and how he said it was way below the belt. But that's how Mayweather is - he talks more than he fights and he doesn't fight fair.

Let's wait and see who fares best when Mayweather fights "Sugar" Shane Mosley on May 3. It'll be a contest between two "trash talk" specialists. Let's see which one can box as big as his mouth.

The bookmakers are currently offering 4 to 1 odds in favor of Mayweather against Mosley. Even if he's never lost a fight (yet), Mayweather is not worth that margin. I'm tempted towards a small wager backing Mosley

Mayweather masterful in mashing Mosley
Big-mouth Floyd Mayweather again proved he can box as big as he boasts. He ruled the ring against Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas last night.

Mayweather repeatedly took the fight to Mosley and earned a unanimous decision in the nontitle fight. The judges scored the bout 119-109, 119-109, 118-110. That takes his fight record to 41 wins and zero losses.

So ... Bring on Manny Pacquiao.

Congressman Pacquiao wants Mayweather as his last fight

Report by Agence France-Presse
World boxing champion Manny Pacquiao wants to face Floyd Mayweather for his last professional fight after launching a political career in the Philippines. A Pacquiao-Mayweather clash, which promoter Bob Arum said could take place on November 13 in Texas or Las Vegas, would probably generate one of the biggest purses and television audiences in boxing history.

"Many fans really want me to fight Floyd Mayweather so I asked my Mama if we can give them one more fight, she said okay," Pacquiao said after his election win.

Pacquiao, 31, is one of the world's highest-paid athletes and fans are clamoring for a clash with former champion Mayweather, 33, to determine who is the greatest welterweight of their generation. Negotiations for a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight fell through earlier this year when the American insisted on Olympic-style random drug testing, which the Filipino rejected as too intrusive before a bout.

Pacquiao secured a landslide win in the national elections this week, for a seat representing the southern Philippine province of Sarangani.

Bob Arum, who flew to Sarangani to watch Pacquiao campaign for the election, says he has blocked out November 13 at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium and the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. "The cable television companies and satellite providers have put the date aside for us, so the table is set," said the flamboyant Top Rank boss.

Pacquiao defeated Ghana's Joshua Clottey to retain his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight belt in the United States in March, and has now won 12 consecutive fights, eight by knockout. Last year, Pacquiao was listed by Forbes magazine as the world's sixth highest paid athlete, earning US$40 million in the 12 months to June 2009.

He was among dozens of celebrities who ran for positions, ranging from president to town councilor, in national elections across the boxing-mad Philippines, one of Asia's most boisterous democracies.

New hopes for Pacquiao-Mayweather bout
Manny Pacquiao, the seven-times world champion, has delighted boxing fans by agreeing in principle to a tough drug-testing regime proposed by his archrival, Floyd Mayweather Jnr.

Negotiations for a bout between the two fighters - the only serious contenders for the title of the world’s best pound-for pound boxer - fell through earlier this year when the American insisted on Olympic-style random drug testing using blood samples, which the Filipino rejected as too intrusive.

However Pacquiao, fresh from winning a seat in the Philippine Congress, has rekindled hopes that a contest can be arranged after a local television network reported that he was ready to agree to the blood tests. “I have agreed to it, but they should not draw too much blood. They should only take what is necessary for the drug test,” Pacquiao said.

In the run-up to the aborted March bout, Mayweather called for repeated blood testing up to the day of the fight. Pacquiao, who has never failed a doping test, wanted a 30-day cut-off, insisting that he did not like losing blood in the run-up to his fights. Mayweather later said he agreed to a 14-day cut-off but that Pacquiao would not accept it.

The two rivals signed up to fight other opponents after their fight was aborted, Pacquiao beating Ghana’s Joshua Clottey and Mayweather defeating Shane Mosley.

Pacquiao, the reigning World Boxing Organisation welterweight champion, told media he wants to find out whether the anti-doping controversy was the real reason Mayweather refused to fight him in March. Asked why he had now agreed to the testing, Pacqiao replied: “So he will no longer have a reason (not to fight).”

Pacquiao said he had earlier rejected Mayweather’s demands because they were not required by professional boxing rules.

US promoter Bob Arum believes the fight, which would likely generate one of the biggest purses and television audiences in boxing history, could take place on November 13 in Texas or Las Vegas.

Mayweather favored to beat Pacquiao
All you guys and girls who are convinced that Manny Pacquiao is unbeatable may be in for some bad news if the Mayweather fight really happens. Just about every expert opinion that I've read (betting websites, sports mags etc) tip Mayweather to beat Pacquiao. They say Mayweather is just better. All the bookmakers have Mayweather as favorite in their odds. So don't rush in too early with your bets. Pacman may be a Filipino hero, but he's not necessarily Superman

I really enjoyed your article. It was fun to read. People come up with all sort of criteria do decide wich fighter is more popular. The only criteria which I consider honest would be a referendum. The PPV sales comparison is dishonest, because the other fighter also has his popularity rating. Furthermore, the sales could be explained also by good marketing from the promotores. Finally, all criteria most be analysed in terms of the time it occurred. We cant compare a PPV sales from Pacquiao vs Marquez III, for instance, and a Mayweather vs Marquez fight. The fight occured in different years. Pacquiao at the time didnt have the same popularity he has today and neither does Mayweather, for that matter. The promoters information is, as you say, an oxymoron. The youtube is the criterium that seems to be the less dishonest. But let me ask you this – should a boxer popularity determine the purse split? Why not: winner takes 60, loser takes 40, for all fights?

The countdown clock is ticking

The clock is literally ticking for Floyd Mayweather Jr to make up his mind whether or not he really wants to fight Manny Pacquiao. Top Rank Inc., which promotes Pacquiao, has set up a timer on its official website representing a countdown for Mayweather to agree on facing Pacquiao.

The countdown timer, labeled as “’Money’ Time: Mayweather’s Decision,” has been placed at the top of Top Rank’s website. It gives Mayweather until this weekend to decide whether to face Pacquiao. Top Rank chief Bob Arum says that when the deadline passes, he will look for other fights for Pacquiao - these could be against Antonio Margarito ... or a rematch against WBO junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto in November.

Reiterating Top Rank's stance that Pacquiao has already agreed to the terms for the Mayweather bout, Arun said it is now up to Mayweather to finalize the fight.

Time for Money Mayweather to shut up and fight
By Tim Dahlberg, Associated Press

Give Floyd Mayweather Jr credit for one thing. Like any great fighter, he knows when to turn and run. A day after unleashing a racist rant against Manny Pacquiao that was insulting even by boxing standards, Mayweather was at it again. Surprisingly, this time it was to apologize.

"Forgive me for saying what I said," Mayweather said in yet another video. "I was just having fun. I didn't really mean it, nothing in a bad way."

Oh, what fun it was, for as long it lasted. Fighting words, from a man who refuses to fight. But, hey, what did you really expect from Money May?

Not an apology, surely. With all the sycophants and yes men who surround Mayweather it's a wonder he was able to figure out that this time he had crossed the line from fun to just plain disgusting. But cross it he had, in a 10-minute video that was racist, homophobic, and an insult to Filipinos everywhere.

If Mayweather's idea was to get people to back off criticism for him not fighting Pacquiao this fall, it didn't work. He still seems to be afraid of either the fight or the thought that he could actually lose. But if his idea was to get Pacquiao's attention, he succeeded.

Pacquiao sat in his hotel room in Texas and watched Mayweather unleash every derogatory Asian stereotype he could come up with. Then he pressed the play button to watch it once more, his expression never changing. The fighter in him probably wanted a shot at Mayweather right then and there. The politician in him thought better of it.

"It's an uneducated message," the congressman from the Philippine province of Sarangani said. Pacquiao showed remarkable restraint, because it was far more than that. By proxy, Mayweather insulted an entire nation by going after the biggest sports hero the Philippines has ever known.

Of course, it could happen only in boxing, which has a long and colorful history of fighters unloading verbal abuse.

Joe Frazier still hasn't gotten over Muhammad Ali calling him an Uncle Tom nearly 40 years ago, and saying he was so ugly he should donate his face to the US Department of Wildlife. Ali loved to taunt his opponents but sometimes crossed the line, like when he called Leon Spinks "Blackula" because he had no front teeth.

But Mayweather is no Ali. He's not clever, and there's nothing remotely funny about what he says. Almost lost in Mayweather's video musings on everything from Pacquiao's height to his dining tastes was his proclamation that he is on a one-year vacation from boxing. When it's over, Mayweather says, he will gladly return to the ring and engage in fisticuffs with the distinguished congressman from the Philippines.

Actually, what he said was that he was going to "stomp the midget," then have Pacman "make me a sushi roll and cook me some rice." And that was the more vanilla part of the video.

But, hey, it's just Money May. He was supposed to help save boxing, but all Mayweather has really done recently is help himself to your wallet. Given not one, but two, chances to give the sport the bout it desperately needs, he instead hides behind a webcam as Pacquiao traipses across the country promoting a fight with the disgraced Antonio Margarito that only Jerry Jones seems to want to see.

But while it was outrageous, it wasn't the most outlandish thing Mayweather has said recently. Not even close.

That came before his most recent fight with Shane Mosley when Mayweather proclaimed that he was the greatest fighter ever. Yes, he said, he was better than Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson or even Joe Louis. Now that's a real laugher.

Sure, he's undefeated in 41 professional fights, a mark he's rightfully proud of. But Mayweather has carefully picked his opponents and fought so infrequently in recent years that his claim to greatness rings hollow. Remember, too, that Mayweather never sold a ticket on his own until Oscar De La Hoya made him a star and HBO's "24/7" reality series about the wacky Mayweather clan became must-see TV.

Mayweather told me before the Mosley fight that it was all a charade, a bad-boy character built to make money — and lots of it. But if the gangsta act is an acting job, Mayweather should win an Oscar for the way he embraces the role.

For most boxing fans the real issue isn't Mayweather's ridiculous rant. Fights have been built around racial and national divides since Jack Johnson stopped Jim Jeffries a century ago and, as distasteful as they can be, will always be part of the sport.

But the Pacquiao-Mayweather matchup is so good it doesn't need any phony buildup. And what frustrates everyone in boxing these days is the strange unwillingness of Mayweather to give the sport the fight it desperately needs and deserves.

It's time Mayweather just shuts up and fights.