 News broke of the highly-anticipated fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao early Thursday (January 7) being called off, and it's got fans in an uproar.
However, boxing fans are divided over who is to blame for the match not coming to fruition. Some feel Mayweather is trying to dodge the Filipino fighter in fear of tarnishing his perfect record, while others think Pac-Man is worried about what might show up in his drug test.
Mayweather released a statement late Thursday, addressing the recent news, claiming he did everything he could to meet Pacquiao halfway, but its been nearly impossible.
"Throughout this whole process I have remained patient, but at this point, I am thoroughly disgusted that Pacquiao and his representatives are trying to blame me for the fight not happening when clearly the blame is on them," the boxer said.
Regardless of how it looks to fans, Mayweather says he WANTS to fight, and says his offer -- which includes the drug testing stipulations -- still stands.
"First and foremost, not only do I want to fight Manny Pacquiao, I want to whip his punk ass," he said. "Before the mediation, my team proposed a 14-day, no blood testing window leading up to the fight, but it was rejected. I am still proposing the 14-day window but he is still unwilling to agree to it, even though this is obviously a fair compromise on my part, as I wanted the testing to be up until the fight and he wanted a 30-day cut-off. The truth is he just doesn't want to take the tests."
According to Mayweather, it's Pacquiao who is taking the mega-fight away from fans, not him.
"In my opinion it is Manny Pacquiao and his team who are denying the people a chance to see the biggest fight ever," Mayweather concluded. "I know the people will see through their smokescreens and lies. I am ready to fight and sign the contract. Manny needs to stop making his excuses, step up and fight."
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