Heroes & Villains

Like him or not, Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the straw that stirs boxing's melting pot.

Depending on the opponent, Mayweather can play the hero or the villain. He is both fearless and calculated. Very few pugilists today can bring attention to a fight better than "Money" Mayweather, and his pay-per-view buys back it up his pre-fight bravado.

During Thursday's media event held at L.A. Live's Nokia Plaza to promote his upcoming pay-per-view championship fight with Shane Mosley, Mayweather managed to fire insults at Manny Pacquiao without mentioning his name. And as he made his way to a group of adoring fans who attended the Floyd-fest, Mayweather led a playful chant of "HGH! HGH! HGH!" as Mosley - whose name has been dragged through the BALCO mud - worked his way around the barricades to sign autographs.

Score two points for the undisputed king of hype, Floyd Mayweather Jr.

"I'm the face of boxing," boasts the six-time, 33-year-old former pound-for-pound king (40-0, 25 knockouts), who begins his "Clean Up Boxing" crusade with a blockbuster bout with the 38-year-old Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) on May 1 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Floyd Jr. has built his entire career being defensive. He didn't get the nickname Pretty Boy Floyd by getting into too many slugfests. In the ring, he has mastered the art of hitting without getting hit. Out of the ring, he always seems to find himself defending his decisions, whether it's not fighting a guy who refuses to subject himself to random blood and urine tests (ahem ... Manny Pacquiao!) or fighting a guy who appear to be past his prime (ahem ... Shane Mosley!).

"No matter who I face, I don't get my just due. I'm fighting against the media and all those Internet blogs. You have to be mentally strong to do that," he said."

Mayweather has vowed to rid the sport of boxing of all fighters who, in Mayweather's mind, have enhanced their careers with the help of human growth hormones.

"I just want to clean up my sport," said Mayweather, who certainly is not referring to the trash left people left behind at Nokia Plaza.

And as much as he says he is focused on preparing for Mosley, it is crystal clear that Pacquiao -- who fights Joshua Clottey on March 13 in Dallas -- is very much in Mayweather's sights.

Mayweather firmly believes that he's STILL the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world and feels the title was unceremoniously taken away from him when he briefly retired from the sport three years ago.

Hard to argue Mayweather's point since he has never lost a professional fight.

When the subject of the much-awaited Pacquiao bout was broached, Mayweather went on the offensive and reiterated his suspicions about the Filipino fighter.

"At one time, fighters didn't have to take blood tests. But I'm taking a stand," Mayweather explained. "All I'm saying is, in the sport of boxing, you don't go from being an ordinary fighter at 25 to extraordinary at 30."

Whether or not Pacquiao is guilty of using performance-enhancing drugs, Mayweather has certainly planted a huge seed of doubt in the minds of the boxing community that Pacquiao may not be playing by the same rules as everyone else.

Pacquiao certainly didn't help his cause when he said he is not fond of needles. Well, if Manny Pacquiao is afraid of needles, then how did he get his tattoos?

I truly believe the Mayweather-Pacquiao megafight will eventually happen. There is just too much money on the line for it not to materialize. But Mayweather is going to make sure that it will be on his terms. Like he said before, the road to a big-time payday leads to Floyd Mayweather Jr.

If Pacquiao wants to complete his Hall-of-Fame credential and be considered the best fighter of his generation, he needs to agree to the Olympic-style drug testing and end all of the speculation. Otherwise, Pretty Boy will continue to needle him.