NEW YORK, (Reuters) – World welterweight champion  Manny Pacquiao believes a showdown against Floyd Mayweather Jr.  will happen eventually despite hard feelings over drug-testing  demands that aborted negotiations.

“I believe the fight will happen some other time,” Pacquiao  told reporters yesterday. “It will happen.”

Pacquiao spoke about Mayweather and the failed talks for a  Las Vegas clash after a Madison Square Garden news conference to  promote his March 13 WBO title defence in Dallas against former  champion Joshua Clottey of Ghana.

Mayweather had demanded Olympic-style, random blood testing  for a showdown between the two best pound-for-pound boxers in  the world — a testing protocol beyond what is required by the  Nevada State Athletic Commission. Pacquiao said testing too close to the fight might have  interrupted his training and left him weak for the bout. “I’m honest, and a clean fighter,” Pacquiao, 31, said.

The Filipino said the undefeated Mayweather’s drug-testing  demands unfairly cast him in a bad light as a suspected cheat.

“It’s not true. He’s accusing me,” Pacquiao said. “I want to  clear my name because I’m a very honest person. “I’m very disappointed for what he accused me of. I’m clean.  I’m not cheating. I’m a very honest fighter.”

COMPROMISE

OFFERED

Pacquiao, who won the welterweight crown from Miguel Cotto  in November to become the first boxer to win titles in seven  different weight classes, said he hoped to get in the ring with  Mayweather before the year was out.

“I’m still hoping the fight will be pushed through, maybe by  summer time,” he said. “It would be a good fight if it  happened.”

Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer, shared the fighter’s  optimism that a Mayweather fight could still be arranged.

“I think it’s going to happen,” Roach told reporters. “I  think it’s likely. Maybe Mayweather is up to doing this to get  more press, I don’t know.”

Roach said Mayweather’s camp had accepted a compromise that  would allow for blood testing up to 14 days before the fight and  immediately afterwards, but that Mayweather had rejected that.

“We’re not going to sit around and wait for this guy,” Roach  said.

“Manny was really excited about that fight,” said Roach.  “Hopefully it will happen some day.”

Pacquiao will carry a 50-3-2 record into the Cowboys Stadium  bout against the 32-year-old Clottey, who is 35-3.