Richard Schaefer: Thank you Kelly. I'm
equally excited. There are 415 hours left; 415 hours from now to the time
when Floyd Mayweather will make his ring walk at MGM Grand in Las Vegas on
September 19 to face Juan Manuel Marquez. is a moment which fight fans and
sports fans have been waiting for. The time is approaching fast. Mayweather
returns and face Juan Manuel Marquez out of Mexico. Juan Manuel Marquez
will be ready. Money Mayweather's return is one of the top stories of 2009
as recently shown in an online poll. He's the number one active fighter of
all time on the pay-per-view list. With an average of 900,000 buys per
pay-per-view, he's the number one all time pay-per-view star per fight. And
by generating 3.4 million buys in one year or an equivalent of almost a
quarter billion dollars in one year, he is the all time number one athlete
and I'm saying athlete of any sport in generating revenues per year. This
is fact. This is not fiction. This is Money Mayweather who is joining us
today from his 22,000 square foot "Big Boy" mansion in Las Vegas as we have
all seen on the last HBO 24/7. What a great program that first episode was.
And I want to point out this coming Saturday September 5 at 10:00 pm
Eastern/Pacific, the second episode will air. For those of you that missed
the first one, there's a great rerun schedule on HBO and it is available in
HBO on demand as well. I'm really looking forward to this great fight. I
can't wait and it is a pleasure for me now to introduce to you the CEO of
Mayweather Promotions, Leonard Ellerbe who will make the introductions for
Floyd and for Roger Mayweather.
Leonard Ellerbe: Thank
you Richard for that wonderful introduction. We at Mayweather Promotions
are truly excited to be in the biggest fight of the year. And today on this
call we have two great people; six-time world champion Floyd "Money"
Mayweather himself and former two-time world champion Roger Mayweather. The
tag team duo is arguably the best fighter in the world and the best trainer
in the world, undeniable. So next up Roger.
Richard Schaefer: How is training
camp going Roger?
Roger Mayweather: The
training camp is always the same. Isn't anything different about training
camp.
Richard Schaefer: Is he going to be
ready?
Roger Mayweather: You don't
believe he will be? I mean everyone is saying he won't be ready, but he can
beat the best fighters out there so what - it's no different that that. He
is going to do what he going to do to Marquez. It's the same thing.
Leonard Ellerbe: Okay. Next up
this man needs no introduction. He' the best fighter in the world; Mr. PPV
himself, Mr. HBO none other than Money Mayweather.
Floyd Mayweather:
September 19, like my Uncle Roger said I'm always ready mentally as well as
physically. Always prepared in the best way and I wish Marquez camp nothing
but the best. And hopefully, we have a wonderful fight September 19.
Q:
How big of a distraction have these incidents in the last month, hit
you guys, you and Roger both, how big a distraction has it been for your
training?
Floyd Mayweather: Well one thing is just to focus on the
fight September 19. Anything else, I'm not really worried about. I try to
focus on positive - I try to focus on positive things. Like I said, a
majority of calls that, people do interviews most - only thing they want to
know about is negative things, they'll never ask you about the positive
things. How many different families I have and how many different schools
I've given back to. Only thing they want to know is just things that are
negative and we try to focus on positive things.
Q: How's
your rib injury healing?
Floyd Mayweather: Everything's going great. Like I said
we had a freak accident in the past and the only thing we trying to do is
just move on, that was in the past. I'm a lot better now. I feel strong and
I'm ready to fight.
Q: Floyd,
congratulations on your pay-per-view success. I know through no fault of
your own you had only been on pay-per-view a few times before the fight
with De La Hoya and the fight with Ricky Hatton, both of which were
blockbuster pay-per-views. And of course I do understand it takes two to
tango. I think especially the way you promoted the fight with De La Hoya. I
think that had something to do with the terrific numbers. But what do say
Floyd to those people that think that you didn't become a pay-per-view star
until you fought arguably two of the most popular fighters in the world,
and that this fight with Marquez is going to show whether or not you are a
true pay-per-view star?
Floyd Mayweather: Well you must realize in the past I was
of course, I was with another promotion company. I don't have to throw no
certain names out there, but I was with another promotion company that
never took me to that next level.
It's
not my fault that I wasn't taken to the next level in the past. And, I feel
that I always was a pay-per-view star. I feel that Marquez is - he has a
good following as far as, with his Mexican background and Mexican people he
has a good following. At this particular time he's Mexico's number one
fighter. So even in the U.S, I feel that he's going to have a lot of
support and of course, me coming back to the sport - I look forward to
doing just, I look forward to doing good numbers. And the main thing is,
continue to just bring excitement back to the sport. Bring flash back to
the sport of boxing and I truly believe I can do that.
Richard Schaefer: And I just want
to add that, I agree with you it takes two to tango obviously to succeed
and create these big numbers. But when Oscar fought Pacquiao, it didn't
have the numbers and that's a fact. When Hatton fought Pacquiao, it did
substantially not as well. In England for example it did less than - it did
less than a quarter of the numbers. So these are all facts,
what the numbers were with Marquez and Pacquiao. So I think, it's
really interesting, today Floyd Mayweather is on the top of his game. He's
the most recognized fighter here in the United States. I'm not making that
shit up. It's fact. It's supported by numbers so, when you're on the top
and I noticed that with Oscar and I have the experience there, you always
have a lot of people as you mentioned people Robert questioning. They
always have a lot of people which try to bring you down and that's the way
it goes when you're sitting on top and Floyd Mayweather is sitting on top.
Leonard Ellerbe: And also Richard
I want to add on to that. Obviously we all know when Oscar fought Floyd,
Oscar had been in about 18, 19 pay-per-view fights. He had never done over
1.25 million homes; so obviously when the fight with Floyd we broke
records. And when it came to Ricky Hatton, Ricky Hatton had fought a couple
times in the United States...
Q: But he
hadn't been on pay-per-view, he'd never been on pay-per-view before so...
Leonard Ellerbe: Exactly. But
just to go to show you the impact on what Floyd had in, not only those
fights and other fights, but in the Ricky Hatton fight alone, Ricky Hatton
had never sold out a fight and he had fought in the U.S. I think it was
four times prior to the Floyd fight. So just the impact that Floyd has
brought - what Floyd has done is unbelievable and really it's frustrating,
to me personally that the media members don't give Floyd the credit that he
truly deserves and the impact that he has. But all I can just say is that
come September 19 will be another example...
Floyd Mayweather: We're always judged, and of course
there's nobody that, I mean, you look at all the athletes in the sport,
we're numero uno and I'm not just talking about me. And you just feel what
I'm saying just look around the sport.
Richard Schaefer: When you're on
top of anything, you have a target on your back and that's okay. That goes
with the territory and the fact is Floyd can handle it and he knows how to
handle it.
Floyd Mayweather: I can handle the pressure. I'm
not worried about that at all and there's never no pressure with me.
Q: You and
Marquez are both known as great counter punchers. Who do you thinks going
to take the lead in this bout?
Floyd Mayweather: Well of course, I'm not going to
be on the call and say yeah, I don't worry about what - really what no
fighter does. Like I said before, everybody - like I said for all 39 I had
a game plan and for all 39, that game plan was to throw a lot of punches
and keep pressure. That changed - the last guy I fought which was Ricky
Hatton, his game plan was to keep a lot of pressure; throw a lot of
punches. Marquez throws a lot of punches go to the body and keep pressure,
and that doesn't work. So it's obvious these fighters are going to have to
come up with a new game plan. Me and my uncle Roger, our game plan is just
go out there and do what we got to do and that's to win the best way we
know how to win. It doesn't matter how we win as long as we win.
Q: Floyd one
of the things that I kind of have always looked at in the two fights that
you guys have in common, De Le Hoya and Hatton is the fact that your
rivalry with De La Hoya made that a better fight and I think De La Hoya
brought a lot more intensity to that fight. And at the time I thought
Hatton was at the top of his game when he fought you and that's why maybe
he was harder to get out of there. What occurs to
me is that Pacquiao did beat two guys that you had already exposed and
perhaps even De La Hoya was maybe drained at 145 pounds.
Floyd Mayweather: Whoever this dude is we need to get
him to our gym and we need to do more interviews with more guys like this.
Whoever this dude is he knows boxing, he knows boxing. He understands
boxing.
Floyd Mayweather: You done made me stand up in the big
boy mansion.
Q: Okay. Go
ahead and answer my question.
Floyd Mayweather: Well the thing is this. I mean
you already said it's basically is like this. De La Hoya is more
comfortable at 154 at a weight that he's comfortable. Once again when he
fought Pacquiao it was basically that he was on a diet. He was training to
lose weight instead of training - instead of training to fight.
Roger Mayweather: Yes.
Floyd Mayweather: And so when I fought - go back
and look at the fight when I fought De La Hoya. They said he was over the
hill. And I'm like how is he over the hill if we both are in our 30s. It's
no different from a fighter that's 20 and a fighter that's 23 I'm 30 and
he's 33. There's no difference. But once gain when I fight him they say
he's over the hill and so - but once again he's stronger because he's more
comfortable. But then we go to Ricky Hatton. I made a
blueprint on how to beat Ricky Hatton and when he went out there and fought
that wasn't my daddy's game plan and any fighter - any fighter can get
caught cold in the first couple of rounds in the sport of boxing. And once
I was told before once you've been beat - once you've been knocked out you
have doubts - you have doubts that you can get knocked out again. And I
think that in the Ricky Hatton fight he had doubts.
Q: He also
might have been caught in transition because he was switching styles.
Floyd Mayweather: I think he went out there with
his head straight up in the air. And they still think he probably would
have lost because he kept going up and down in weight and he's not taking
care of his body like he should and he was getting older. And I just I sit
back and ask myself, I've got to give you a lot of time for your question
because you're a hell of a guy. And sometimes I sit back and I ask myself,
you know, questions like where was this guy Pacquiao when I was dominating
- when I was dominating in the '90's. And once again you say to yourself
okay, Pacquiao-Mayweather, but then they don't want to see
Mayweather-Marquez but it's okay for Marquez and Pacquiao to fight. If it's
okay for Pacquiao to fight every other welterweight but then there's a
problem for Marquez to do it and both of these guys are the same size.
Actually Marquez is a little bit bigger than Pacquiao. So I don't really
understand, like I said before, a lot of times, people speak on boxing and
don't really understand boxing or really know boxing.
Q: One of
the current issues with the sport of boxing is the decline of youth
interest and participants in the sport. A lot of kids seem to play
basketball, football, baseball, et cetera. How big of a problem is this for
boxing and how do you try to inspire interest in the sport?
Floyd Mayweather: My fan base with children is huge. The
thing that I think that we're going to have to do me and Ross Greenburg
after the fight, we're going to have to sit down and come up with a new
game plan. Me, Richard, Leonard, Al, and Ross are going to have to come up
with a whole new game plan - game plan for the sport of boxing, a new
promotion plan where we can show a lot more boxing, not just on ESPN and
Showtime or HBO. We're going to have to do this thing all over again and
show it on just regular cable TV. Show a lot of fights on regular cable TV
and with, you know, get a lot of young kids back interested. And it just
first challenge you have to put boxing on because kids are watching certain
channels today. So you're going get that boxing and promote on those
certain channels and we're going - and the doors going to be back open up.
Well everything is going fine. Like Richard said somebody's watching these
fights if we are doing those type of numbers on pay-per-view.
Richard Schaefer: I think this is a
very good question if I may add. This is obviously something which we are
trying to bring the way you promote an event to a younger audience. And the
way you do that is you basically embrace the new media and Floyd was very
instrumental in doing that and embracing that and he...
Floyd Mayweather: Just like - just like the movie
theater.
Richard Schaefer: ...movie
theaters, he wanted to make sure that, with the social networks with the
Twitter and the Facebook, the MySpace, the YouTubes, all these younger
instruments to mobile. The mobile, we have AT&T, which is going to stream
the weigh-in live to AT&T mobile users. These are all the young kids, the
young audience. So you basically embrace the younger audience by exposing
the fight to the medias which they use and which they live with. For
example with shirts, I mean simple things; fight shirts. Fight shirts used
to be sold the night of the fight at the venue. Not anymore. We embraced a
company, which has the young market it's called Affliction. They are in
22,000 stores. These are the young kids. The young hip kids, which are
buying these Affliction shirts. Well Affliction is making the official
fight shirt. So you'll have the official fight shirt exposed 22,000 stores
throughout the country three weeks before the fight with tags promoting the
event. And so you do that. You reach out to the younger audience. And I
think that's very important to us as promoters Mayweather Promotions and
Golden Boy promotions embrace the youth by bringing these fights to them.
Q: Normally
two years is a long layoff for a fighter. Number one, would you agree with
that? And number two, if so why do you think it wont really have a big
effect on you?
Floyd Mayweather: I mean I don't know if the two year
lay-off is going to affect me but I feel fast, I'm strong and my timing is
there. And we're in the gym everyday and we're looking good. So I feel the
same way as I felt before I left, actually I feel a little bit better. I
think the break actually helped because I haven't had a break since '87. So
I think, my body gets a chance to heal and I just grew mentally as a person
because, normally you no longer can grow physically because - so I've grown
mentally as a person and I feel good.
Roger Mayweather: Well I know one
thing about layoffs and I know about fighters. If a fighter got skills -
the greatest fighters in the world where people don't even know had
layoffs. What did you think Sugar Ray Leonard had? He had a five and a half
year layoff. He had two eye detached retina surgeries, right. But he still
beat the greatest middleweight. He beat Marvin Hagler when he was laid off
five and a half years. When Sugar Ray Robinson was laid off three years,
that's the greatest fighter on the globe. Ali was laid off three years. So
I mean Floyd ain't going to be the only guy that's been laid off in boxing.
Most of the great guys - great fighters have something in common. They were
all laid off anyway. All of them were laid off. Not just him. All of them.
All of them who were good, what they called great, they all had layoffs and
they all still had spectacular performance when they fought. So guy keeps
asking about how you laid off, when you laid off. Fights are won by skill.
That's all there is to it.
Q: The last
time that I watched you on TV was on Monday Night Raw and there is a
wrestler that told you that Juan Manuel Marquez was going to knock you out.
What do you think about this for September 19? Do you think that Juan
Manuel Marquez is going to knock you or do you think that this will be a
bad night for the Mexican Independence weekend?
Floyd Mayweather: Another good question. I ain't worried
about that man. The wrestling is entertainment - the wrestling is
entertainment. On September 19 you need tune in. You'll see what's going to
happen.
Q: What
about your style as a fighter? A lot of fighters are usually one or the
other. Some guys are really defensive; some who are more offensive oriented
but they're not necessarily defensively responsible. But can you kind of
tell me about your style that it seems to have the perfect integration of
both and where you can go counter puncher. Can you talk about your style in
the sense that you seem to have the perfect combination of offense and
defense where most fighters are usually one or the other or dominate one or
the other. You know, offensive with no responsibility on defense and vice
versa. But yours seems to be that you can do both as well as, you know, you
can turn on counter puncher as well as real as aggressor at any moment in
between a round. So can you kind of talk about that evolution and how you
kind of developed that and...
Floyd Mayweather: That's just being well rounded as a
fighter being able to - and I think that makes a complete fighter, you
know, you got some fighters that can fight only going forward and I mean
the thing with Floyd Mayweather he can fight going forward, he can fight
going backwards. It's just being able to adapt and adjust but when but
being able to adapt and adjust doing it in a good way still being able to
perform and look good doing it and doing it in a winning fashion.
Q: But a lot
guys - a lot of fighters don't do that though. Why do you think that...
Floyd Mayweather: Because I think a lot of fighters are
taught one way, one way just like Ricky Hatton just straight head to head,
bulldog straight ahead. And they say he got a lot of heart but heart only
take you so far once you get to the top level. You must be a complete
well-rounded fighter. It takes a thinking fighter and I'm a thinking
fighter. Most of the time, I'm not in there like all going - like take my
time, pick my shots and be intelligent and be smart. If I got to beat them
going backwards that's what I do. If I got to beat them going forward
that's what I do. And a lot of fighters were taught just one way and the
thing with me I was taught more than just one way. You know, my uncle Roger
has worked with me and different days we worked the pads going forward,
some days we worked the pads boxing and moving. We don't - we do different
things so we can make that adjustment once we get to that bit fight.
Q: In terms
of your record, it seems like you were talking about you don't get the
credit that you deserve now that you think you should be receiving. If you
look back early in your career back when you beat GenarO in was it '98?
Right
around that time, because I remember your first title. At the time when he
was considered the greatest threat out there and you fought him and your
immediate first defense. And you fought a lot of guys and Corrales and what
not and all those guys, twice. What do you think changed? Because it seemed
like then the perception was you fought the best guys out there and you
didn't hesitate to take on those guys. And what do you think turned where
you don't get the credit that you think that you probably got during
that...
Floyd Mayweather: I'll tell you after I started - I beat
everybody. So there was nobody else to beat. And then, after you go so far,
just like I think after you go so far in your career, people want to see or
people want to see failure. So I think the world is full of negativity. And
people I think too just want to see your downfall. And, you know, I'll go
out there. I represent for America which is the country I live in which is
the country I represented in the '96 Olympic games. I represent for all the
black ghettos around the world. You know, for first and foremost because
that's where I'm from. And I would never forget where I'm from. And that's
what I represent.And, it's just like in every athlete, they try to find a
flaw to bring us down so they can say see I told you. So that's how it
always is. But I'm strong minded. I have a good team. I'm hungry and you
got to take the good with the good and take the bad with the bad. I've
always said no matter what nobody write or say, I don't - the thing about
me is I don't go on the computer and read none no way. So I don't worry
about that type of stuff. Because me as an athlete, I don't read a lot of
articles and anything of that nature.And the things I try to do is just
focus. I'm going to do my job and go home, chill out with my children and
that's it and just live my life in a clean positive way. Which, like I said
before things happen in life. It's obvious that I'm where I'm at because
it's where God want me to be. No matter how much man say, man down here on
earth say. If God don't want that to happen, that's not going to happen.
Q: I was
wondering if both you could kind of take me through Floyd, what do you like
about working with Roger as your trainer and if Roger, if you can kind of
share the same thing as far as what you guys get out of this.
Floyd Mayweather: I mean I like working with Roger
because of our chemistry, our chemistry is there are no arguments. It's
fun. And I mean he's not hounding me. He's not hounding me. He's letting me
work. And he does what he has to do and he always has before a fight is the
game plan - it's always the same game plan what he tell me is something
that he tell me in my ear that I always take with me when I go into a
fight. And like I said before, Roger's a great guy, you know. I love him
and I'm just wondering that why - like I said before, I just wonder why my
Uncle Roger hasn't received trainer of the year. His fighters have been
dominating since '96 and he still hasn't got trainer of the year. When all
the other trainer's fighters have won and lost, he's undefeated. He's still
the trainer that's undefeated also.
Roger Mayweather: well - to be
honest, I don't worry about trainer of the year, because you know why I
don't worry about it. Because any time a mother like Angelo Dundee can get
trainer of the year, he doesn't even train Ali. So anybody can get it.
Shit, that's just somebody gift to you anyway. I don't need that to tell
you how good I am. You see how good I am. I don't need any award to tell me
how good I am. Because number one, when you see dudes get trainer of the
year, you see a guy get trainer of the year and the mother don't even train
no - he don't even train nobody. How did he get trainer of the year? He
don't even train anybody. Angelo Dundee doesn't train Muhammad Ali. So how
did he get trainer of the year? He watched Muhammad Ali train, but he
doesn't train Muhammad Ali. But he get trainer of the year, don't he? Okay
then. So that tell you trainer of the year doesn't mean shit. Because I'm
telling you that now. I'm not worried about that. I'm the best there is,
period. I don't worry about that trainer of the year shit. I don't care
about that. I'm the best there is.
Floyd Mayweather: But you know, I just feel that
my uncle should get the credit that he truly deserves. And he said that he
shouldn't get it but, you know...
Roger Mayweather: I said that - you
know why I said that?
Floyd Mayweather: But you could say but I would
love - I would love...
Roger Mayweather: He's the best - him
and Floyd were the best junior lightweights at the time when they fought.
And you have seen what he did to him didn't you? Okay then. You can't get
it any better than that.
Q: Floyd, a
little earlier we were talking about - somebody asked you about coming back
from the two year layoff and how it would affect you. And I'm wondering,
you said you feel really good, almost better than when you left.
But I
wanted to know when you went back into the gym after the layoff, I know you
were there a little bit, but not necessarily training for a fight. But at
what point in your camp did you feel that you had shook off the cobwebs or
maybe whatever rust there might have been and you felt back to what you had
been prior to your retirement?
Floyd Mayweather: Actually I think when I started
training, preparing for the fight. But I was looking sharp anyway because
when I go to the gym, I walk through some paths, work with my Uncle Roger.
I was looking extremely sharp. But once I started
boxing, I had to box a few times, box four or five times and the fifth time
I started boxing I still was looking good. I wasn't taking no punishment.
But by the fifth time I started sparring I started looking really, really
sharp and looking really, really good actually. The first day I think I
started back boxing I boxed eight rounds. So I think I was -I don't know
who I boxed. Probably boxed one of my fighters, another welterweight. But
then I was boxing this Filipino, this southpaw Filipino kid and good little
fighter. I think he's with Top Rank right now but he's still trains at my
gym. Good little fighter. I was boxing him. So I was working with a few
different guys around my gym. Some guys. They are all - good fighters. And
they got me back sharp.
Q: Also, we
talked about Roger not getting the credit for being, the trainer of for so
long in your career. And I know he's an integral part of your team and
helping you win all these fights that you've won in your career. I wonder -
I know your father is back in the training camp. I know Roger's the head
trainer. But could you just outline, describe what Floyd Sr.'s role in your
training camp or is he just there as an observer and giving you support?
Floyd Mayweather: He's just - well Floyd
Mayweather, Sr. I mean he doesn't have a name to what he is. He's just he's
my father. And he's there to support me. And my dad understands that
Roger's my trainer. But I love when my dad comes down
to the boxing gym and supports me. Who wouldn't want their mother or their
father to support them? It's just like when you're a kid and you playing -
you playing Rocky football or Pee Wee League football. You want your
parents there on the side. If your parents are there everyday, I mean you
feel that much more confident. But I feel confident anyway but I feel - I'm
happy, makes me smile when my mother comes and see me work at the gym just
like when my dad come see me work at the gym. So I'm happy. But if my
mother and my father's not there, I'm still going to be happy because I
know what I got to do. I know I got to put food on the table for my
children. And I know what it takes.
Q: Floyd, is
he there though every day or is it a sporadic?
Floyd Mayweather: I mean he's there. He has other
fighters he has to work with. He has other things that he has to do. And so
I'm still going - I'm still doing my daily routine. And I still know what
it takes. I still know what I have to do as a fighter.
Q: But he's
there regularly though. That's what I'm trying to get at.
Floyd Mayweather: I mean he comes to the gym I don't
know how many days. I mean one time he was gone for a little while but then
he come back to the gym. Then he's been there the last - I think the last
four or five days he's been there.
Q: I just
have a quick question for Floyd and if Richard or Leonard want to weigh in,
that would be great. Obviously the pay-per-view is going up against UFC 103
on the same night. Are you concerned just based on how well UFC has done in
their last two pay-per-views that that might take a chunk out of the
pay-per-view buys?
Floyd Mayweather: Well I'm here to talk about what I got
to do. What UFC has to do that's their business. This is about me and
Marquez's pay-per-view and we're not competing against any one else.
Richard Schaefer: Yeah. I agree
Floyd. We're not really worried about it. The fact is we have the full
support of the pay-per-view industry and all the main channels and
everything, the marketing and so on. So that just underlines the fact that
Floyd Mayweather is the pay-per-view king. So if you pay-per-view in, see
who you're going to support. It is of course Floyd Mayweather is the
pay-per-view king. So we're not really worried about it. Let them do what
they do and we focus on our own event.
Q: Okay. I
just wanted to get your comments. This was being talked about - and they
talked about how well you've done in pay-per-view and then Dana White said
that you can't draw pay-per-view on your own. That you need someone else.
That you shouldn't get the credit for...
Floyd Mayweather: I'm not worried about what Dana White
said. I mean Dana White says what he says. It doesn't matter. I'm not
thinking about Dana White.
Q: Just
wanted to ask you at this juncture, having retired with everything your
record intact, perfect ending it was. How important is it for you to make
sure that you keep that perfect record intact?
Floyd Mayweather: It's very important. I mean just
me going down in. I'm just happy to say that I'm going down as a Hall of
Famer and it's extremely important for me to go out there and perform and
dominate. I mean I don't want this to be like Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto
Duran first fight. So I got to go out there and be smart, be intelligent
and just listen to my Uncle Roger. And if I do that, we'll come out A-OK.
But, when you're going out there with an undefeated record and everything
like I said before, when Floyd Mayweather is facing these fighters today,
these fighters have - there's no pressure on any of these fighters because
they have nothing to lose. If Marquez gets beat 12 rounds, get punished 12
rounds or if he get knocked out, they are still going to love him in this
country because he had a chance to face the best. And they'll say well you
lost but you lost to the best.
And
that's no difference from Pacquiao. I mean and if I fought Pacquiao, I they
were losing and then lost, when he goes back to his country they are still
going to love him. You know what I'm saying? At least
you tried. You faced the best. We still love you. But, I mean in the U.S.
it doesn't work like that. It doesn't work like that here. So we have to
work that much harder to stay on top.
Q: Yeah. I
heard you mention Pacquiao. It sounds like you think that fight's going to
happen and if it doesn't happen...
Floyd Mayweather: I'm just throwing a name at you
because he's one he's one of the top guys in the sport today. So that's one
of the names I was just throwing at you. It doesn't me - it's like even
like when I faced De La Hoya, it don't matter who it is, Ricky Hatton. You
fight Floyd Mayweather at least for the win. If I win, that's normal. If a
guy give me a tough fight or even come close to winning, that's abnormal.
So everybody expects me to dominate.
Q: I was
going to ask you about Pacquiao though. I know you're focused on Marquez
but what I'm saying is with that so - hanging in the air so much right now.
Everybody's talking about that being the fight. Would you feel like there's
unfinished business if that fight doesn't happen?
Floyd Mayweather: No. Absolutely not. I've done
what I had to do in this sport of boxing. Whatever
fight presents itself, I'm fine with that. I'm fine with whatever fight
presents itself. That's the fight that I'm going to approach and going to
be on top condition and I'm going to handle business. We don't go on and
say 'oh yeah, all roads lead to Floyd Mayweather'. I don't have to go out
and chase a fighter.
Richard Schaefer: Hey the fact is
first Floyd is going to focus on this fight, because it's a very dangerous
fight. And if everything goes well, there's going to be line of names,
which have contacted and called me already. They all want to fight Floyd
Mayweather. So fighting Floyd Mayweather if everything goes well is going
to sit back and see where he can get the best deal and the best, the
biggest challenges and the best deal and that's what he's going to do.
Q: Hey, I
heard Roger speaking a little bit about the whatever incident it was, with
you in the incident. And I heard your, I think it was your promoter, saying
that, it seems like you got - that you got a target on your back and things
like that. Do you feel like that's coming from all - a bunch of different
areas? I mean not as far as only boxing. Do you feel like being a black man
in America or being a successful black man in America like you are and
coming from the bottom where you came from, do you feel like that plays a
major part in you being, a lot of black people look at you as the underdog
even though you are the champ because we're always rooting for you. So do
you feel like a target is always going to be on your back as far as for
what you represent?
Floyd Mayweather: I really don't know. Jealousy
comes with success. And only thing I can do is just continue just to work
hard. That always come with success. You can read 300 articles about me.
250 are all said some bad - all of them negative but I'm the only fighter
that hasn't lost. It's just the other fighters don't speak up. Like I was
saying before, only thing I - you can read 300 articles on Floyd
Mayweather; 250 of them are negative right, but they're writing about me
because I'm entertaining. Once again, all other fighters, they don't have
as many articles as I have. Me and Richard Schaefer we had a bump in the
past, but Richard Schaefer is one hell of a guy. I'm being honest. He's
done one hell of a job for Golden Boy. And a lot of people have given other
people props but I mean all the props that I'm giving right now is to
Richard Schaefer
He
deserves the props. Just like my team, when Richard Schaefer gets with Al
Haymon and he gets with Leonard Ellerbe, those two, they work magic,
period.
Q: Oh man. I
can't wait to see you back in the ring. I know this was delayed because of
injury. But how anxious are you to get back in there Floyd?
Floyd Mayweather: Oh, I'm extremely anxious. I'm
just happy to be back in the sport of boxing. I feel extremely good. My
team is ready. I'm ready. And I'm just going to go out there and just
perform. I love to perform. I'm an entertainer and entertainers love to
perform. So, September 19 I want all the fans that's listening right now to
you guys' great show, I want the fans to buy pay-per-view September 19. You
have to buy it. It's worth it. Just check you local listing and check the
fight out. You can go to the movie theater and watch the fight or you can
watch it at home. You can have a fight party at home.
But you
must tune in because Juan Manuel Marquez is Mexico's numero uno. He's one
hell of a fighter, over 50 wins and champion in more than just one weight
class and you got myself whose been dominating for boxing many, many years.
And I left the sport for a couple years to take a vacation but I'm back to
claim what's mine. And believe me, Marquez is not going to lay down. It's
going to be blood, sweat and tears September 19. So tune in. And if you're
listening, you have to buy pay-per-view.
Q: Well your
last couple of fights obviously again Oscar and Ricky Hatton were gigantic
Floyd, but I'm looking at Marquez and I know you're a bigger fighter than
he is but this guy is so tenacious and Manny Pacquiao will tell you all
about Juan Manuel Marquez. I thought he beat Pacquiao at least one of those
fights. So do you just feel like because you are a bigger guy or I mean,
how do you go after a guy like Marquez who's so relentless?
Floyd Mayweather: That's why I'm saying that's why the
fans got have tune in. I mean what you have to do is you have to - you have
to really, really sit back, talk it over with your team and really come up
with a very, very good game plan for a guy like this. He's a Mexican
bulldog. He is going to come, he's going to counter punch. He's going to go
to the body. And me, I have to be smart and intelligent and I'm pretty sure
my Uncle Roger is going to have one hell of a game plan for me, one hell of
a game plan. And September 19 I will be ready and I'm pretty sure he's
going to be ready. And I want the fans to tune in. Every Saturday - I know
this Saturday the second segment of 24/7. The first segment was
unbelievable. Tune in this Saturday for the second segment and just check
for the - for the local times. I think it comes on at 10:15 pm. So don't
miss the fight September 19 and continue to tune in and watch 24/7 every
Saturday.
Q: A few
questions back you mentioned that during your time off you let your body
heal and that you felt like you'd matured mentally or changed personally.
Could you say a little bit more about that, the mental changes over the
past?
Floyd Mayweather: Just giving back to my American
people. I love to give. I'm a giver. I love to help people. I love to help
families that are less fortunate and I think I've been talking to Leonard
and just one time I can remember I was happy. You know, the most - the best
Christmas I had is when I went to the Las Vegas - the worst local schools
in the city of Las Vegas and bought every kid shoes for Christmas. That
made me feel extremely good that Christmas.
Q: And that
was something that developed during your time off?
Floyd Mayweather: Oh, on my time off, I just spent time
with my mother. I took my mother to the Bahamas. We spent a lot of time in
the Bahamas. And spent a lot of one-on-one time with my children. My
youngest daughter she was doing gymnastics and was cheerleading and
gymnastics. I was there supporting her.
And my
son, my oldest son was boxing. Sometimes he works with my Uncle Roger.
Sometimes he works with my dad. You know, just trying to teach him the
basic fundamentals to the sport of boxing. And just doing things like that.
And
just giving back, my team - Team Mayweather, the other part of my team and
what they just in the Mayweather Promotions office and the kitchen making
sandwiches every day and going down to Main Street and just going downtown
to where they was living under the tents. And it was extremely hot, 110
degrees, living under tents, different tents. And I'd just giving lunches
away. That made me feel good. You know, it made me feel extremely good.
But,
like I said before, they - you all can get - hear a lot of negative things
about Floyd Mayweather but they never talk about the positive things I've
done. But, you know, I have to take my hat off to HBO, Kelly Swanson,
Leonard and Al. My team has stood behind me strong and we had a talk about
HBO even Richard Schaefer, you know, and everybody talked with HBO and
said, you know what, we show this part of Floyd Mayweather, okay, the
flashy part. Let's show him giving back. And, you
know, I want to thank everybody just for talking with HBO and saying -
showing another part of Floyd Mayweather. I'm happy because it's more than
just one side to me.
Q: Floyd and
Roger, Roger entered his fights with Julio Cesar Chavez with a height and
reach advantage that's similar to the height and reach advantage that
you're going to have against Juan Manuel Marquez. Is Roger bringing
anything to the training camp from his fights with Chavez to you? And do
you draw any comparison between Marquez and Chavez?
Floyd Mayweather: No. Well I don't think that Marquez is
only the level of a Julio Cesar Chavez. I don't want to say he's on the
level of a Julio Cesar Chavez at all. Chavez is - I think he's the biggest
fighter to ever come out of Mexico for starters. And I think that it's best
to say that Marquez is more of a boxer counter puncher, but Julio Cesar
Chavez doesn't get the credit that he really deserves. He was kind of a
defensive fighter. He stayed low, crossed and he took - he was a really
good defensive fighter even though Roger was able to hit him with jabs. But
a lot of fighters wasn't able to hit Chavez. And he took a lot of big shots
and he just started busting them - Chavez just started busting up or open -
his skin was kind of opening up as he got a lot older. Because when he was
younger he could get hit with all type of shots. Meldrick Taylor hit him
with a thousand punches. His face was clean. And Meldrick Taylor's face was
man beat up bad. So I think that Marquez - I mean I think that he opens up
- his skin busts a lot quick than Julio Cesar Chavez. Chavez was a lot - a
better boxer he went to the body a lot better. And he's a total all around
better fighter.
Q: I think
I'm comfortable in saying that Jose Luis Castillo might have given you your
toughest fight Floyd. Would you agree with that? And what happened in that
first fight? Obviously you corrected it in the second.
Floyd Mayweather: No. Absolutely not. I don't
think that he gave me my toughest fight. I think the critics were only
tough. I mean all you got to do is go back and watch the fight and put the
fight on mute and you watch the fight. Like a said before, the commentators
are always tough on me. I won the first six rounds clearly with ease and
then he-- he's a fighter. He has to try to, it's combat. So in combat - in
war you're going to get hit in war. It comes with the territory. He landed
a few good shots. Castillo won the fight because he got a few good shots.
Roger Mayweather: Base it on
something different anyway. The fight was based on something different
anyway. So it had nothing to do with it if that was the best fight. It's
the fact of what Floyd had. Floyd had an injury when he fought him anyway.
So it didn't make any difference.
Floyd Mayweather: When I fought Castillo, I had an
injury actually. That's what my Uncle Roger was just saying. I had an
injury.
Roger Mayweather: Rotator cuff.
Floyd Mayweather: So, I had to rehabilitate
because my arm was messed up in the first fight.
Floyd Mayweather: I tore my rotator
cuff I think it was on a Thursday then I had - the fight was Saturday. But,
I got through it. I'm a true champion. I can fight
through anything. I got through it. I came out victorious. And we moved on.
What else can I say?
Q: What
would you say was your toughest fight then?
Floyd Mayweather: I guess - life is tough,
dealing with a bunch of bull crap every day. That's the toughest thing.
The fight is the easiest part.
Q: You were
off for two years. I'm not going to go into that. But a lot of times I
think that fighters take a lot of punishment in training and I don't know
anybody who throws more punches in training than you. And I wonder if your
time off helped your hands to heal. Because I know at the end of your
training, after every training session you throw upwards of a thousand
punches.
Floyd Mayweather: We try to stay well conditioned.
The only thing we try and do. We try to stay well conditioned. If we show
our opponent is throwing 2000, we want to throw 6000. If he's throwing
6000, we want to throw 12,000 and that's just how it is. We want to be
ahead. We want to be ahead of our opponents at all times, always. Whatever
he's doing, we want to do it better. Whatever he's doing, we want to do
more. If he's running four miles, we're running six miles. If he's running
six miles, we run eight miles. And then if he's doing six rounds on the
bag, we want to do, actually we don't even do rounds. That's so crazy. By
the minutes in the training actually. We do 20 and 30 and 40 minutes, you
know, in the gym, straight. Non-stop. When I come to the gym, first thing -
they already know. First thing I say cut the bell off. Don't work by no
bell. What's so good about it, we've been boxing nine minutes straight. I
mean we got nine-minute rounds. Our rounds are nine minutes actually. So
that's a good thing. And we got good sparring partners. We got good strong
Mexicans. Good counter punchers. Hard strong, and I'll be ready September
19. What else can I say? I know you watch 24/7 so what do you think of what
Juan Marquez is doing in his training, throwing the rocks in the mountains
and all that stuff.
Q: He's
boxing.
