Mayweather backtracks on Rice comments: ‘I don’t condone what happened’

Less than 24 hours after welterweight boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. weighed in on the Ray Rice situation, he backtracked off his stance that the former Baltimore Ravens star running back should have been allowed to maintain his two-game suspension from the NFL following a domestic violence incident this year.

Rice was released Monday by the Ravens and suspended indefinitely by the NFL. During an interview Tuesday, Mayweather said of the league: “Whether they saw the tape or not, I truly believe a person should stick to his word. If you tell me you’re going to do something, do what you say you’re going to do.”

Mayweather then acknowledged he had seen the most recent videotape of Rice knocking out his then-fiancee, Janay Palmer, in the elevator of an Atlantic City hotel and said: “I think there are a lot worse things that go on in people’s households; it’s just not caught on video.”

On Wednesday, he backed off that stance. As he met with writers after the final news conference at the MGM Grand to promote Saturday’s welterweight title rematch with Marcos Maidana, Mayweather said he might have made an error in judgment with his comments.

“All I can say is if I offended anyone, I apologize,” he said. “I apologize to the NFL. I’m not perfect. I strive to be a perfectionist. But no one is perfect. I don’t condone what happened; of course not. I don’t condone what happened.

“My main focus has been on this fight. I’m not focused on no one else’s problems. My thing is, I got this tough, rugged fighter in front of me; that’s what I need to focus on.”

This isn’t the first time Mayweather has offered an opinion on a subject outside of boxing before recanting his thoughts.

Before his first fight with Maidana on May 3, Mayweather said he had no issues with Donald Sterling, the former owner of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers who was forced to sell the team and barred from the league for life after making racist remarks.

Some thought Mayweather was defending Sterling. But he was trying to say that Sterling never had mistreated him, not that he condoned Sterling’s remarks.

“My name is always brought up with a situation,” Mayweather said. “I apologize. But I don’t worry about it.

“To me, it’s like this — if this is boxing, you should be asking me about me and Maidana. You shouldn’t be asking me about football. I’m not even an NFL player. I’m a boxer. That’s what I do for a living.”

Mayweather co-manager Leonard Ellerbe said: “The bottom line is we don’t need any more questions about it. He’s been very clear and direct that he doesn’t condone that kind of behavior. That’s none of his business. Floyd’s not the one who is under this microscope in America about this situation. He has made it clear and adamant that he doesn’t condone this kind of behavior. He has to focus on this fight, and that’s that.”

Mayweather (46-0, 26 knockouts) also said he’s not sure he’s going to retire after his six-fight, $200 million deal with Showtime is completed, after saying Tuesday he would quit once he met his obligation to the network. Saturday’s fight will be his fourth with Showtime.

“I can’t really say,” the 37-year-old said. “They may come with another contract, which I’m pretty sure they will.”

When asked if it would be hard to stop at 49-0 should he win his final three fights in the Showtime deal, Mayweather said: “It’s not hard to stop right now. But I feel good, I feel strong. (Tuesday) I weighed 147. Like I said, I feel good, and I’m ready to fight.”

■ NOTES — As of Wednesday afternoon, Mayweather was a minus-750 betting favorite at the MGM Resorts’ sports books. Maidana is plus-500. ... Golden Boy Promotions president Oscar De La Hoya, whose company is co-promoting the card with Mayweather Promotions, will be honored by Clark County Commissioner Lawrence Weekly and state Sen. Ruben Kihuen (D-Las Vegas) on Saturday with “Oscar De La Hoya Day” to coincide with the Mexican Independence Day weekend celebration.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.