The Floyd Mayweather Jr.–Manny Pacquiao drama has picked up again — this time in the wake of more Mayweather accusations.
Mayweather said that it is "basic common sense" that Pacquiao has used performance-enhancing drugs, and he thinks that getting into the ring with Pacquiao would be a health risk, according to ESPN.com.
"Health is more important than anything," Mayweather reportedly said. "Because guess what? When my career is over, if I'm hurt because of something that has happened in a fight, I can't come to you and say, 'I need [money].'"
Mayweather reportedly also said that promoter Bob Arum, who represents Pacquiao, and Don King don't care about the fighters' well-being, and that the desire of fans to see the two square off surpasses any safety concerns.
Arum and King's intentions aside, let's focus on Mayweather's comments. They're the latest in what has been an irritating ride — to say the least — for boxing fans when it comes to a potential match between the sport's two most popular fighters.
It's at the point where a Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown could wind up being one of the biggest letdowns in sports history because it would have to be the greatest fight boxing has ever seen to even come close to matching the hoopla and buildup.
But even so, the curiosity of seeing what would happen when those two worlds collide is enough to leave us teetering on the edge of sanity. Not seeing Pacquiao and Mayweather go toe to toe would be an injustice greater than a 10-second knockout, as it would deprive us of having a clear-cut answer as to who is the best pound-for-pound boxer on the planet.
Yet, we're in jeopardy of having that be the case. And Mayweather's recent comments are perhaps the most startling piece of evidence that the superfight may never happen. It's also an indication that Mayweather is in no hurry to make it happen.
You can't fault a guy for making health his top priority, because as Mayweather alludes to, it's ultimately the most important thing. However, it's the timing that makes Mayweather's comments a bit suspect.
In many ways, it just seems like Mayweather's comments are an attempt to once again call out Pacquiao in a round-about way. And the fact that it comes just days before Mayweather is set to take on Miguel Cotto in Las Vegas makes the comments even less appropriate.
Pacquiao-Mayweather is what everyone wants to see, but I've always been under the assumption that stepping into a professional boxing ring is always a health risk — regardless of the opponent.
You can bet Cotto is licking his chops at an opportunity to show Mayweather that he should be more focused on his next adversary, rather than the one he may never face.
