Mayweather set for Ortiz, talks of Pacman

Floyd Mayweather Jr. was in New York Tuesday to announce his first fight in 16 months against WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz, but it was the subtext of his rivalry with Manny Pacquiao as best pound-for-pound fighter in the world that remains more compelling than the main event scheduled Sept. 17 in Las Vegas.

Clearly, Pacquiao was much on Mayweather's mind when he began his news conference remarks. Noting that Ortiz (29-2-2, 29 KOs) agreed to unlimited drug testing by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs) segued to the subject of failed negotiations for a Pacquiao fight over the past two years, blaming it on Pacquiao's original demand it be confined to a specific pre-fight period.

"Do I want a Pacquiao fight?" Mayweather said. "Absolutely. If that's what the fans want, I want to give it to them." But he added, "To the media, I must touch on the Pacquiao situation. It's not just Pacquiao, it's sports. You look at the Olympics, and they're cheating. They're cheating in sports, period."

Mayweather insisted he's not worried about protecting his undefeated record, but he's worried about the possibility of facing fighters using performance-enhancing drugs. "If you beat me, I want you to earn it," Mayweather said. "Just take the test."

Mayweather is being sued by Top Rank promoter Bob Arum for defamation over allegations that Pacquiao has used steroids to fuel his climb from the 106-pound division to win titles in eight weight classes up to 154-pound light middleweight. Mayweather said, "I never said [Pacquiao] took steroids or 'enhancement' drugs .

" . . . All I'm saying is the world wants the fight, so, let us both take the test."

Contacted Tuesday in Puerto Rico, Arum said, "What Floyd is doing is reprehensible. He has accused Manny of taking performance-enhancing drugs."

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