Seems like Floyd Mayweather Jr. is ducking Manny Pacquiao everywhere.
Mayweather failed to turn up for a court-ordered deposition in Las Vegas on Friday, June 17 in a federal lawsuit alleging he defamed rival fighter Manny Pacquiao, Pacquiao’s lawyer said.
Attorney Daniel Petrocelli said Mayweather violated a court order by not appearing to answer questions about repeatedly saying the Filipino fighter has used performance-enhancing drugs. Petrocelli said he plans to ask a federal judge to rule in Pacquiao’s favor as a result.
“We will seek a default. The court has the power to hold him in contempt as well. He has an obligation to respect the process and to follow a court order.”
Mark Tratos, Mayweather’s lawyer, said he filed an appeal to the order Thursday evening that is still pending, and told Pacquiao’s lawyers that neither he nor the fighter were available Friday morning.
Both sides argued Thursday before federal Magistrate Judge Robert Johnston, with Johnston siding with Pacquiao. Mayweather’s lawyers argued he needs to concentrate on training for a September 17 fight against Victor Ortiz.
Tratos said he planned to file with the court on Monday a copy of Mayweather’s training regimen, to show why it can’t be interrupted as he looks to fight for the first time in more than a year.
“We’re more than happy to produce him after the fight. It’s important for him to be in tip-top shape.” Tratos said
Tratos said he expected a deposition would take about seven hours, but would require time for Mayweather to prepare.
Mayweather and Pacquiao are considered by many the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, though they’ve never met in the ring. Negotiations for a fight that would presumably sell out, draw a huge pay-per-view audience and make each fighter millions of dollars have fallen through several times.
Pacquiao’s lawsuit was first filed in 2009, alleging Mayweather and his camp maliciously said in interviews that Pacquiao had gained his strength and power using illegal drugs. Pacquiao says in the suit that he has never tested positive for any performance-enhancing drugs.
Mayweather’s lawyers have said in the past that Pacquiao’s rival was merely questioning the boxer’s reluctance to submit to strong drug testing—stopping short of calling him a drug user.
Tratos said Friday that view has not changed.
Source: Yahoo! Sports (Mayweather didn’t show up for deposition)
Please read related posts below:
- Floyd Mayweather, Jr. Makes “Take The Test” T-Shirt Aimed Against Manny Pacquiao Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is planning on mass-producing t-shirts aimed against Manny Pacquiao for sale at his website. The t-shirts say, "Take The Test"....
- Floyd Mayweather Announces September 17 Fight With Victor Ortiz on Twitter After a 16-month hiatus, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is finally fighting again. On twitter, he announced his bout with Victor Ortiz to be held on September 17, 2011....
- Floyd Mayweather, Jr. Declines $65 Million Offer to Fight Manny Pacquiao Top Rank boss Bob Arum claims that Floyd Mayweather, Jr. was offered $65 million to fight Manny Pacquiao, which he turned down. Watch the video interview here....
- Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather, Jr. Snickers Commercial The two best boxers in the world, Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. keep boxing fans hungry for their epic showdown. Why wait? Grab a Snickers....
- Manny Pacquiao vs Shane Mosley Quotes Here are quotes uttered by Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley during their post-fight interviews after their May 7, 2011 bout at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA....
- Manny Pacquiao, 24th in Forbes’ World’s Highest Paid Athletes List for 2011 In the list of The World's Highest-Paid Athletes released by Forbes last May 31, Manny Pacquiao is ranked 24th with $25 million....
- Manny Pacquiao: The Basketball Player, He Got Game! Basketball is Manny Pacquiao's second passion after boxing. Check out these videos of the Pacman playing hoops. He got game I tell you....
- Freddie Roach Wants Pacquiao to Knockout Marquez Trainer Freddie Roach will urge his ward Manny Pacquiao to knockout Juan Manuel Marquez on their third matchup this November 12, 2011 at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas....
- Manny Pacquiao Gets $65 Million Offer To Fight Saul Alvarez In Mexico The richest man in the world, Carlos Slim Helú reportedly offered $65 million to Manny Pacquiao to fight in Mexico against Saul Alvarez next year....
- Mike Tyson, Sylvester Stallone, Julio Cesar Chavez Inducted into the Hall of Fame Heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, actor Sylvester Stallone and Mexican legend Julio Cesar Chavez were among this year's inductees into the Boxing Hall of Fame....
