Floyd Mayweather apologizes for Ray Rice comments

LAS VEGAS — In a 12-hour period, Floyd Mayweather knocked the NFL for backing off its two-game suspension of Ray Rice, announced he would retire after two more fights, and aspired to a knockout of Marcos Maidana Saturday night.

Just another day for the leading polarizer and money-maker in sports.

And just another day in the pay-per-view world, where the participants need to ignite maximum headlines.

Still, this wasn't the preening, instigating Mayweather who has crawled inside the heads of so many opponents. He was almost inaudible when asked how he wanted this rematch to end.

"I want to knock him out," he said.

No one has done that to Maidana in 39 fights. "I want to make a statement," Mayweather said. "Not to the world, but for myself. It's self-preservation. I want to do it for me."

Mayweather came on strong to get a majority decision over Maidana on May 5, boosting his record to 46-0.

He was also cut for the first time and took a full-body assault from Maidana that began with the opening bell.

It was the first time Mayweather had not controlled an entire fight since his 2007 victory against Oscar De La Hoya, and his first moment of real distress since Shane Mosley floored him in 2010. The subsequent buzz promoted this rematch. Since then, he and Maidana have insulted each other regularly, but they observed a moratorium Wednesday.

"I got this tough, rugged guy to deal with," Mayweather said. "I can't be focusing on anything but him."

Which would have been fine if Mayweather hadn't thrust himself into the Rice furor on Tuesday. He said the NFL should have stuck with its suspension because "there's a lot worse that happen in households. It's just not caught on video, if that's safe to say."

That wasn't safe to say, at least on the day Rice was suspended by the NFL and released by the Baltimore Ravens.

Mayweather has served his own 2-month sentence for domestic violence. Even though that was a plea bargain, Mayweather still insists he was not guilty.

After the media backlash, Mayweather Productions CEO Leonard Ellerbe pleaded with the "haters" to "please stop. This is the reason boxing hasn't crossed over to be like the NFL and the NBA. You have a guy like this (Mayweather) who you will never see again and you try to tear him down."

"If I offended anyone I apologize," Mayweather said. "I apologize to the NFL. I strive to be a perfectionist but no one is perfect. I don't condone what happened. I'm not even involved in football. I'm a boxer. If I'm not focused on it I don't know why anybody else is."

The questions continued, much to Ellerbe's discomfort. "Things get taken out of context," Ellerbe said, "and a lot of times it depends on the messenger."

This is hardly Mayweather's first rodeo when it comes to dodging criticism. Rapper and aspiring boxing promoter 50 Cent recently said Mayweather was illiterate, after the champ had difficulty delivering a promotional message.

"I don't read this stuff," Mayweather said, smiling. "I can't read, remember? Not unless I got those 70 teleprompters lined up."

Others are trying to read the implications of Mayweather's retirement talk. After Saturday he has two more fights on his six-fight Showtime contract. That will take him through 2016 and, if he keeps winning, will leave him at 49-0. But wouldn't it be hard to stop short of 50?

"Why not?" he said. "It wouldn't be hard to stop right now."

That scenario would finally end the endless, wishful talk of a Mayweather-MannyPacquiao fight, the White Whale of the sport.

But the MGM Grand is building a large arena next door that would conveniently open in the spring of 2016. Money vs Pacman would be the ideal baptism.

Stephen Espinoza, president of Showtime Sports, said he wouldn't be surprised if Mayweather retires.

"We knew this contract would be a grind, with two fights per year," Espinoza said. "A lot of people didn't think he would get through that."

But a new day brought a new answer from Mayweather. "Who knows? They might come up with another contract," he said. "I'm pretty sure they will."

The official pay-per-view numbers for the May 5 fight were never disclosed, but it was reported that they fell short of a million. Espinoza said this fight is ahead of that pace.

Mayweather keeps doing his part.

"Bad press, good press, bad stories, good stories, it doesn't really matter what you write about me," he said. "Just write about me."