Undefeated prizefighter Floyd Mayweather Jr. may have to give testimony to lawyers for rival Manny Pacquiao sooner than he wants after a federal judge in Las Vegas denied his request to push back a deposition in a defamation case.
U.S. District Judge Larry Hicks this week denied Mayweather a protective order excusing him from a deposition that was scheduled June 17. Mayweather missed the deposition, and Pacquiao's lawyers said at the time that they planned to seek a default judgment as a result.
Hicks says Mayweather gave no legal basis for asking him to overturn a lower judge's order to hold the deposition.
Mayweather is training for a Sept. 17 fight. His lawyer hasn't returned messages seeking comment from The Associated Press.
Pacquiao claims Mayweather defamed him by saying he used performance-enhancing drugs.
