Floyd sings familiar chorus in talk show

Floyd Mayweather Jr. Photo by Associated Press

Floyd Mayweather returned to a familiar spot in the pound-for-pound rankings after his controversial triumph over Victor Ortiz, but that spot was behind the man he continues to challenge to take a thorough drug test.

In an interview with popular talk show host Conan O’Brien to promote the Ortiz fight, the undefeated American insisted he is willing to face pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao in what has been billed as the ultimate boxing showdown but only if the Filipino sensation agrees to strict drug-testing protocols.

“Hopefully, if you’re the best, you got to take the test,” Mayweather told O’Brien during the show.

“I represent the red, white and blue. I represent this country, and I just want to be fair and an even playing field,” he added. “[Pacquiao’s] from another country. All I ask is he just take the test. Just the test for the urine and blood, which I’m doing for… every fight just to clean up the sport of boxing.”

Mayweather’s insistence to put boxing under doping controls similar to that of the Olympics has been the root of collapse of talks to put both fighters on top ring and settle the pound-for-pound question once and for all.

Pacquiao has already hinted in the past that he is willing to take the test but is hasn’t commented on the issue since the fight against Juan Manuel Marquez was announced.

The Pacman is currently in Baguio for the first part of his training for his third showdown against the Mexican great.

Mayweather shot up to No. 2 in the pound-for-pound list of Yahoo! Sports behind Pacquiao, after falling to No. 3 behind Sergio Martinez last April due to inactivity.

The Las Vegas-based “Money” defeated Ortiz via a fourth-round knockout that was controversial because of two reasons: Fight fans felt Mayweather finished off Ortiz with a sucker punch and the post-match interview between the boxer and veteran boxing commentator Larry Merchant.