PPV peddler Mayweather calls out Pacquiao, hyping Ortiz fight at the same time

An unusually reserved Floyd Mayweather took to the stage on the Los Angeles leg of his press tour ahead of his September bout with Victor Ortiz on Wednesday.

Ortiz at various points attempted to bring the Mayweather we are all used to seeing out into the open.

That being Floyd's brash showman character, insulting his opponents in one breath and complimenting them with the next, bragging about his standing in the sport and as ever referring constantly to his perfect 41-0 unbeaten record.

Floyd though for once was content to let the younger man do much of the talking.

What he did say that sparked immediate interest however was a simple sentence.

In that one sentence he made up for his lack of interest in the rest of the event, got inside Ortiz's head without having to resort to his usual antics and ensured that what was otherwise a fairly pedestrian press conference too similar to his New York appearance to generate much interest, still got attention.

That sentence was this:

"I want to tell Victor Ortiz thank you for stepping up to the plate and taking the tests. We only want to fight the biggest and the best out there, and, Manny Pacquiao, yes, you're next!"

Of course the latter part of that statement is something that Mayweather has said before in some form or another several times in the past. All for one reason or another to no avail.

It should now perhaps come with an asterisk stating:

*Valid only with the following stipulations, that both fighters take any and all pre-fight blood tests administered by the USADA, that the date, weight, venue, purse split and pay per view broadcaster can be agreed upon, and that neither Victor Ortiz nor Juan Manuel Marquez are able to pull off upsets in the next six months.

Source: Examiner.com

Bookmakers rating Victor Ortiz as bigger underdog than Juan Manuel Marquez

When Floyd Mayweather announced that he will take on Victor Ortiz in September after more than a year out of the ring, the reaction from many was that he had picked a more difficult opponent than his main rival Manny Pacquiao, who fights Juan Manuel Marquez in November.

Indeed Pacquiao's critics have been vocal about the fact that he has fought what they to be consider a series of easy opponents.

Arguably beginning with his March 2009 bout with Joshua Clottey, Pacquiao has taken on foes who at least after the fight looked either well past their best or like they simply didn't belong in the ring with him.

Joshua Clottey covered up more or less the entire bout.

Antonio Margarito fought bravely but took such a beating for a time afterwards his career was in doubt.

Shane Mosley, blistered and bruised as he was, got on his bike in the early rounds and never stopped pedaling.

On the basis of those routs some assume that Pacquiao's old rival Juan Manuel Marquez will be similarly easy prey,
despite plenty of quotes in the press from Marquez, Pacquiao himself and promoter Bob Arum to the contrary.

In many cases though those same critics are heralding Floyd Mayweather's choice of return opponent in recently crowned WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz, who in taking on Mayweather will be fighting at 147lbs for just the second time.

Source: Examiner.com