There are some truth in these comments by Floyd Mayweather. It isn’t that Pacquiao is broke, but considering the type of money he has generated over his career, he should be far more comfortable than he is.
Pacquiao has tax issues, he owes Bob Arum money (he took millions in advance money that he has to pay back with interest) and in general hasn’t been the smartest about his investments. He has also poured a ton of money in his political career and taking care of his immense entourage. The Mayweather fight where he will make between $80-100 million should take care of a lot of those problems.
Here is what Floyd had to say.
“The great thing about my career is I did it my way. A lot of guys are forced to do things that they don’t want to do. I honestly believe that, at this particular time, even if Pacquiao didn’t want to fight, he has no choice because his back is against the wall. The reason why his back is against the wall is because he needs the money. I don’t. Every property that I have, from Miami to LA to Las Vegas, is paid for. So I’m blessed, and I didn’t do it by myself. My team is around me every day and everybody that has supported me throughout my 19-year career, I’m thankful for.”
Considering the way the negotiations played out, it does indeed appear Pacquiao was backed into a corner, because Mayweather, CBS & Showtime are mostly in control of everything. You could also look at it like Manny just wanted to fight, so he gave up all control, but normally you don’t give up control unless you have to.
Pacquiao has a lot more to gain if he wins than Mayweather, so we will see what happens on May 2nd.
H/T Fight Hype