Floyd Mayweather has branded Manny Pacquiao a "coward" and distanced himself from a possible rematch of last weekend's victory in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao blamed a torn rotator cuff for his conclusive points defeat at the MGM Grand, claiming his damaged right shoulder meant he effectively only had use of one hand.
In a text message sent to ESPN on Tuesday, Mayweather hinted he would be open to a second clash with the Filipino only to perform a U-turn that will fuel Amir Khan’s hopes of facing the unified welterweight champion in September.
“Did I text Stephen A. Smith and say I will fight him again? Yeah, but I change my mind,” Mayweather said in an interview with American television network Showtime.
“But at this particular time, no, because he’s a sore loser and he’s a coward. If you lost, accept the loss and say, ‘Mayweather, you were the better fighter.”’
Pacquiao, who is facing multiple lawsuits in the United States for failing to disclose his injury before the fight, faces up to one year out of the ring after completing successful surgery on Thursday.
When asked if he could detect a problem with Pacquiao’s shoulder during the fight, Mayweather said: “Absolutely not.
“He was fast. His left hand was fast. His right hand was fast and he was throwing them both fast and strong.
“Excuses, excuses, excuses. I’m not going to buy into the bull**** and I don’t want the public to buy into the bull****.
“He lost. He knows he lost. I lost a lot of respect for him after all of this.”
British contender
Mayweather’s comments will be welcomed by Amir Khan, who is desperate to face the American pound-for-pound king.
Mayweather has stated repeatedly that September in Las Vegas will be his last fight, where victory would extend his unbeaten record to 49-0, placing him level with the revered mark of Rocky Marciano.
It had been speculated that the prospect of another lucrative payday against Pacquiao would prompt him to deviate from his strict May/September fighting schedule, delaying his final outing until April 2016 when the Filipino eight-weight champion is expected to be fully fit.
But now it appears he will conclude his six-fight deal with Showtime later this year to make Khan, who insists the eight weeks between the end of Ramadan and mid-September is sufficient time for his training camp, a strong candidate for his opponent.
Khan faces light-punching former Pacquiao victim Chris Algieri in New York on May 29th.
