Mayweather: I'll knock out Pacquiao

Floyd Mayweather Jr has promised to knock Manny Pacquiao out when boxing's biggest stars clash next year.

Unbeaten American Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) and Philippines hero Pacquiao (50-3, 38 KOs) are set to meet in 2010, subject to the fighters finalising contracts for a March 13 welterweight clash at a venue to be decided.

"The thing is, I don't want the fans to be really shocked by what will happen when we do happen to meet up because it's not going to be anything new - he's been knocked out before and he's taken losses. I'll be victorious, you can believe it." Mayweather told HBO Television's Joe Buck Live chat show.

"Pacquiao's a good fighter but I've been around the sport a long time and I've dominated boxing for around 15 years now. No-one has defeated me yet so we'll have to see,"

The Las Vegas-based Mayweather also revealed the huge sums of money he gambles on National Football League games in the Nevada city's casinos, telling Buck: "I lost big this weekend, lost huge.

"Two weeks ago I won like a million (dollars), that was across a week of games, Monday night, Sunday and Thursday.

"I didn't lose a million but I lost a couple of hundred thousand," Mayweather added, explaining that he lost the money on the New England Patriots, who lost to the Miami Dolphins, and then on Drew Brees, quarterback of the New Orleans Saints, who scraped a win against the unfancied Washington Redskins.

"Then I tried to get some 'get back' and lost some more money on Brett Favre (of the Minnesota Vikings)."