Friday, April 30, 2010
MAYWEATHER PROMOTIONS' RISING STAR JESSE VARGAS TO FIGHT ARTURO MORUA IN EIGHT ROUND, NON-TELEVISED JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHT BOUT ON THE UNDERCARD
...Just shy of his twenty-first birthday, Mayweather Promotions rising star, Jesse Vargas (9-0, 4 KO's) prepares to defend his undefeated record in a showdown with Arturo Morua (25-13-1, 14 KO's) in a non-televised undercard bout on the highly anticipated Mayweather vs. Mosley: Who R U Picking? mega-fight night on Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
With an impressive amateur career including an appearance in the 2007 National Golden Gloves Tournament and a spot on the 2008 Mexican Olympic Team, Vargas is a fighter to keep an eye on. Relatively new to the boxing scene, the junior welterweight is quickly making a name for himself as he stands undefeated with nine wins, four of which were by knockout.
Boxing since the age of eight, the 20-year-old is eager to once again shine in his hometown of Las Vegas. "It's such an honor to be on the same card as Floyd Mayweather who's support and advice has already helped me a lot," said Vargas. "The opportunity to fight alongside so many talented fighters is a dream come true and once my fight is over I am going to sit down and watch the rest of them myself."
Vargas, who is trained by Roger Mayweather out of the Mayweather Boxing Gym, has been working as hard as his boss, six-time world champion Floyd "Money" Mayweather, to make sure he comes out victorious. Keeping a careful eye on the young fighter's development is Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe.
"Jesse is an exceptionally talented young fighter and has a very bright future in front of him," said Ellerbe. "We're happy to have him on the fight card. Mayweather Promotions continues to recruit and attract the best up and coming talent in the sport and I am sure that we will continue to see great fights from him too."
Vargas made his professional debut on September 5, 2008 with a 59 second knockout of Joel Gonzalez. Another eight wins under his belt and Jesse Vargas is well prepared for his chance to show the world yet again how great of a fighter he truly is.
Vargas will take on Morua prior to the HBO-Pay-Per-View® live telecast in a unique boxing showcase aired live by several satellite and cable providers including DirecTV, Dish Network, inDEMAND and TVN. The free undercard preview will also feature an exciting eight round showdown between Eloy Perez (16-0-2, 4 KO's) and Gilberto Leon (23-7-2, 7 KO's). The special one and a half-hour show will begin at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT.
See you at the Fights.
Thank You for your time.
EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey
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Bring On The Heat . . . Training Camp Intensity Like Never Before, Lights, Camera, Mayweather . . . Another 24/7, Mayweather Hosts Foundation Dinner
Bring On The Heat . . . Training Camp Intensity Like Never Before
The mood has been very serious in the Mayweather Boxing Gym as superstar and six-time World Champion Floyd "Money" Mayweather prepares for his May 1 showdown against WBA Welterweight World Champion Sugar Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and live on HBO Pay-Per-View®. Since arriving back in Las Vegas on March 4 following publicity stops at the Super Bowl, NBA All-Star Game and a three-city media tour, Mayweather has made the gym his home, sometimes doubling-up boxing sessions before heading outside to run like a hare through the streets, parks and hills of Las Vegas. Never one to cut corners and already known for his intense, high-level workouts, Mayweather is pushing himself to a new level that is even amazing his own team. He knows the caliber of fighter that Shane Mosley is and the undefeated Mayweather, with a record of 40-0, is ready to make Mosley the 41st notch on his belt.
"I have kept my mind focused on training for this fight with very few distractions. Everyone knows I am pretty much an open book with plenty of access to my gym when I am training for a fight," said Mayweather. "But for this one it's different. I recognize what Mosley brings to the ring and he's going to be one hell of an opponent. He's one of the best fighters of this era and he's been talking a lot about knocking me out. That is not going to happen and on May 1 people are going to see another side of me. I am ready to capitalize on this opportunity and come fight night, I will leave no doubt in anyone's mind that I am the best in the world."
"Floyd always trains with intensity and passion but this camp is unlike others in that he has a singleness of purpose and a focus that is phenomenal," said Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions. "I can only imagine what is going to happen to Shane Mosley on May 1."
Lights, Camera, Mayweather . . . Another 24/7
Wherever Mayweather goes the 24/7 cameras are not far behind. Photo credit: Gene Blevins- Hogan Photos/Golden Boy Promotions Floyd Arrival
The Mayweather family is back on HBO®'s 24/7 starring none other than Floyd himself along with the ever-famous trainer Uncle Roger and father Floyd Sr. The tight-knit clan can't wait for the premier on April 10 at 10:00 p.m. ET/ 7:00 p.m. PT. when they too plan to watch "the rest of the story."
"I'm an entertainer, and the upcoming 24/7 will be the best one yet. The cameras have been rolling since the fight was announced, and you know you're going to see something exciting when you follow me. Fans will not want to miss it," said Mayweather. "Marquez tried drinking his own urine last time around, and people do crazy things when they know they have to face the best fighter in the world. Hopefully Mosley got the memo that drinking pee doesn't work. Let's see what he tries to do. Nothing, absolutely nothing works when you have to face me."
Mayweather Hosts Foundation Dinner
Mayweather hosted the First Annual Floyd Mayweather Jr. Foundation Benefit Dinner at the MGM Grand premier ballroom last Friday night, April 2 in Las Vegas. The event was attended by nearly 250 guests and raised money to fund the Foundations' generous charitable work throughout the Las Vegas community. The Foundation, which Mayweather started in 2007, has a mission statement of empowering and encouraging community alliances, impacting youth leadership and strengthening family foundations through community development, entrepreneurialism and education. The funds raised at the dinner will be allocated among various programs in the areas of education, community outreach, mentoring programs and a youth summer camp. Dinner honorees, recognized for their service to the community, included comedian George Wallace and local school Matt Kelly Elementary.
"I want to thank Floyd and his Foundation for honoring me at their first gala event," said Wallace. "Floyd is an integral part of this community and he gives back generously. Last year he helped me fund bicycles for kids in need and if it wasn't for his help, those kids might not have received those special gifts. I commend Floyd for his work and achievements as a boxer and as a man."
"The event was extremely successful and the funds raised will go directly to improving our community," said Mayweather. "Although I am very focused on my May 1 fight, giving back is always a nice break, whether it is feeding the homeless or working with youth in Las Vegas is something that is very important to me. It's something I'll continue to do over the next month and beyond."
Spring Break!
It might have been Spring Break for Floyd Mayweather's kids last week, but that only meant they could spend more time with their dad in the gym who was hard at work. No strangers to supporting their father ringside or while training, his four children Koraun, Zion, Iyanna, and Jirah (ages 6-10) came to the gym everyday to give their dad encouragement and great happiness by them just being there. As the boys Koraun and Zion continue to find their own love for boxing while learning from Roger or getting tips from their grandfather Floyd Sr., his beautiful girls Iyanna and Jirah made sure they were having fun and smiling with their Dad kissing them throughout the day. After the hard work was over, Mayweather took time to step away from the "office" to have some fun with this brood as the entire clan celebrated Zion's ninth birthday with a trip to the movies to see "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" followed by a night at the Thomas and Mack Center to see WWE Smack Down with his two sons.
"My kids are my life and when they have Spring break and can spend more time with me it is just the greatest feeling," said Mayweather. "Boxing is in the Mayweather blood, so they're no strangers to the gym. To see them here enjoying boxing is great. Having them around just gives me extra motivation to go out and do my job."
See you at the Fights. Thank You for your time.
EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey
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Mosley Confident With Camp Underway , Small Tribe, Strong Tribe, Ready For 24/7
Mosley Confident With Camp Underway
For Sugar Shane Mosley, his May 1 mega-fight against Floyd Mayweather cannot come soon enough. Having longed for this fight for many years, he is mentally and physically ready for battle, with training preparations well underway.
Following a three-city media tour which wrapped up in Los Angeles on March 4, Mosley immediately returned to Big Bear, Calif., where he owns a home and has trained since 1996. In the serene mountain environment, Mosley is relaxed, but working extremely hard in preparation for what he knows will be one of the toughest battles of his career. The fact that Mayweather steps into the ring with a record of 40-0 is not intimidating to the former pound-for-pound champ who is ready to take back his throne.
"I was 38-0 with 35 knockouts when I stepped into the ring and lost for the very first time," said Mosley. "So when you say 40-0, that doesn't mean a thing to me. All it means is that I'll be the one giving him his first loss. No disrespect, but I really don't think he's been in there with a fighter like me, and I believe that when I beat Floyd, I will send him into retirement. May first will be May's first loss."
Small Tribe, Strong Tribe
The calm, quiet, and relaxed atmosphere that Mosley is enjoying at camp has been coupled with intense workouts. He and the rest of the Mosley Tribe (as Shane refers to them) stay on the property Mosley has owned since 2000, which includes his private home and a boxing gym. There is also plenty of room for housing sparring partners recruited to help with training. Running begins by 7:00 a.m. each morning and is followed by work with fitness trainer and massage therapist Gustavo Satragni, who is in camp with Mosley for the second time.
Satragni, who has worked with the likes of Carlos Baldomir as well as some of the top soccer players from his native Argentina, concentrates his attention on improving Mosley's stamina, balance and flexibility. Then it is off to breakfast with his team and a small group of familiar faces including his trainer Naazim Richardson, his best friend from childhood and second assistant Hassan Abdulrahim Jr., Elliott Ness who handles personal security, sparring partner Karl "Dynamite" Dargan and most importantly, his son Shane Mosley Jr. eats healthy, though weight is not a problem. After doing media interviews and resting during the day, it's back to the gym in the evening, this time to concentrate on boxing training with Richardson and Hassan.
In addition to hitting the heavy bags, mitts, and sparring, the team works on a full arsenal of strategies. After boxing, Mosley's day wraps up with some additional stretching and a massage.
"I love Big Bear and have gotten very comfortable with the surroundings and the people who live up here," said Mosley. "It's quiet, peaceful, the air is clean and the altitude can't be beat. There is no other place that I could feel more relaxed and ready to prepare for a fight, particularly a big one like this."
Ready For 24/7
Mosley has been a fan of HBO's Emmy award winning 24/7 since the series debuted in 2007. With the shows first episode airing on April 10 at 10:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. PT, Mosley, along with Mayweather, who has appeared on the show three times before, has allowed cameras behind-the-scenes to capture moments the often reserved Mosley has never shared before. Mosley was asked if he was concerned about the expected on-screen battle with the entertaining Mayweather.
"People who watch 24/7 Mayweather/Mosley will get to see the real me. I'm not worried about being over the top and doing anything crazy like Floyd. He's playing a character and doing his thing. I'm just excited to let the fans in and give them a glimpse of my life and what it's like leading up to one of the biggest fights of my career."
See you at the Fights. Thank You for your time.
EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/KeishamorriseyEL Boxing Empress Keisha Morrisey's Myspace http://www.myspace.com/Keishadivine
Honorable Keisha Morrisey http://www.keishamorrisey.com
©®™2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 All rights reserved
SUPER SIX FIGHTERS SEE BRIGHT FUTURE IN FRIDAY’S SHOBOX CARD ShoBox: The New Generation Friday, April 30, 2010, Live at 11 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIM
So what do several of the world’s best super middleweights think of the up-and-coming crop of fighters in boxing’s best and deepest division?
“The future of the super middleweight division is very bright, especially here in the U.S.,” said Andre Dirrell, who trails Arthur Abraham in the Super Six World Boxing Classic™ standings with two points. “European fighters have controlled the division recently, but all that has changed with what has happened in the Super Six.
“There are a lot of young, talented American fighters coming up the ranks who can make some noise in the division.”
Those talented 168-pound fighters will be on display come Friday night as unbeaten Marcus “Too Much” Johnson (18-0, 14 KOs) battles Derek “The Black Lion” Edwards (25-0, 13 KOs) in a 10-round main event live on ShoBox: The New Generation on SHOWTIME ® (11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).
The exciting tripleheader being billed “The Next Generation of Super Middleweights” will take place at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago with Don “Da Bomb” George (19-0-1, 17 KOs) facing Osumanu Adama (14-1, 10 KOs) in a 10-round co-feature tilt and Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriguez (14-0, 10 KOs) tangling with Kevin Engel (17-2, 14 KOs) in an eight-round affair to open the telecast.
Back in November of 2009, Johnson made his SHOWTIME ShoBox: The New Generation debut on the Allan Green-Tarvis Simms undercard in Newkirk, Okla., remaining undefeated with a unanimous decision over Victor Villereal.
Fast forward six months and now Green finds himself as one of the elite fighters in the SHOWTIME Super Six World Boxing Classic and will meet Andre Ward June 19 in a Group Stage 2 matchup.
Green said he went back to watch Johnson on tape and was impressed with what he saw. “I think he’s a good fighter,” said Green. “The Super Six is all about proclaiming who is the best super middleweight on the planet and it looks like these guys are getting a chance to make a name for themselves on SHOWTIME.”
Johnson is a former U.S. National Amateur champion who lost to Ward by decision in the finals of the 2004 Olympic Trials. He was also a gold medalist at the 2003 U.S. Under 19 National Championships at 178 pounds and won the National Silver Gold Gloves title at 165 pounds in 2001.
“Marcus is definitely a fighter to look out for in the future,” Ward said. “Anyone with that type of amateur background is on the right track toward a professional world title. I look forward to great things from him in the future."
Both Johnson and Edwards are impressed with what they’ve seen from the American fighters, Ward and Dirrell, in the Super Six Tournament.
“Andre Ward is one of the smartest people in the ring,” said Johnson. “He taught me a lot. I have so much respect for Andre. He made me change my style. I’ve been really impressed with both Andre Ward and Andre Dirrell. I think Ward is going to win the tournament hands down.”
Said Edwards: “Andre Ward has been the most impressive. I had the opportunity to be in Andre Ward’s camp but it didn’t work out because we might meet each other [in the ring] some day.”
Presented by DiBella Entertainment, Warriors Boxing and Chicago’s 8 Count Productions, advance tickets for “The Next Generation of Super Middleweights” starting at $31 can be purchased through Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com), by phone (800) 745-3000 and the 8 Count Productions Office, (312-226-5800). Doors will open at 7 p.m. with the first bell at 7:30 p.m.
Nick Charles will call the action from ringside with Steve Farhood and Antonio Tarver serving as expert analysts. The executive producer of ShoBox is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.
For information on SHOWTIME Sports Programming, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries, complete telecast information and more, please go the new SHOWTIME Sports website at http://www.sho.com/sports.
About ShoBox: The New Generation
Since its inception in July 2001, the critically acclaimed SHOWTIME boxing series, ShoBox: The New Generation has featured young talent matched tough. The ShoBox philosophy is to televise exciting, crowd-pleasing and competitive matches while providing a proving ground for willing prospects determined to fight for a world title. The growing list of fighters who have appeared on ShoBox and advanced to garner world titles includes: Leonard Dorin, Scott Harrison, Juan Diaz, Jeff Lacy, Ricky Hatton, Joan Guzman, Juan Urango, David Diaz, Robert Guerrero, Kelly Pavlik, Paul Malignaggi, Kendall Holt, Timothy Bradley, Bernard Dunne, Yonnhy Perez, Yuri Foreman and Andre Ward.
See you at the Fights. Thank You for your time.EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/KeishamorriseyEL Boxing Empress Keisha Morrisey's Myspace http://www.myspace.com/Keishadivine
Honorable Keisha Morrisey http://www.keishamorrisey.com
©®™2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 All rights reserved
MAYWEATHER VS MOSLEY—A POUND FOR POUND FIGHT
By Kerry Daigle
MAYWEATHER VS MOSLEY—A POUND FOR POUND FIGHT
So, you ask……..Who is the best? Is it the Mosley who defeated Oscar De La Hoya twice and recently dismantled Alfredo Margarito or Mayweather who hasn’t been beaten in 40 professional fights? The mythical pound-for-pound title will belong to one of them Saturday night. Manny Pacquiao will not be able to claim the title with wins over Miguel Cotto and a Ricky Hatton who was previously knocked out by Mayweather before Pac-man took the Hit-Man on. This title will belong to one of Saturday night’s contestants.
I attended the last big welterweight showdown in Las Vegas in 1981 when Sugar Ray Leonard took on Thomas Hearns. That was one of the biggest fights in my adulthood until now. The welterweight division is now the ‘money’ division with even more competition as more junior welters will be moving up to the ‘cash’ division.
Golden Boy Promotions would like none other than their partner, Sugar Shane Mosley, to win this fight although Golden Boy is also doing the negotiations for Mayweather. Mayweather still remains independent and not is promotional tied down so the consensus is that Mosley is their ‘wish’ to win.
Come to think of it, I don’t know of many recent fights where Mayweather competed that he wasn’t really the opponent of sorts. It never did matter as he continued to dominate. The question is, “Will Mayweather dominate against a strong tough welterweight like Mosley or will he be in his first ‘real war’?”
Don’t kid yourself folks. This is a mega-fight. Are we going to see a super busy Mosley throwing punches at a defensive minded Mayweather giving Mosley the edge in punch output? Or will we see a Mayweather letting his hands go instead? I believe after round 4 we will see a very busy Mayweather throwing punches in bunches. Question is, “Is it going to be enough to win?”
The Mayweather/Mosley fight will be Saturday night, May 1st, 9pm Eastern on HBO PPV. This event may be the best selling PPV in history with an estimated sale of 70 to 80 million homes at a cost of $54.95.
I’ve received numerous texts on who will win this fight and wanted to share those thoughts with you.
AARON NAVARRO, TRAINER, HOUSTON, TEXAS, LOU SAVARESE GYM
“I see Floyd’s safety first style squeaking out a decision.”
DR. ERIC PRATHER, CHIROPRACTOR TO ATHLETES, LAFAYETTE, LA
“Mayweather wins via majority decision, 115-113 is my score with a rope-a-dope and shoulder roll defense early then starts timing a tiring Mosley with slick and speedy angle counters in the later rounds. Mayweather’s ultra fast straight right hand starts finding its home in round 7. My heart is with Mosley though.”
JAY DEAS, TRAINER/MANAGER, ALABAMA
“It is a good fight and almost certainly a distance fight. Shane is in his late 30’s and has been off a year and a half and I think that is the difference. I think Mayweather is a little too fresh and a little too young for Shane. In a close fight, 115-133 Mayweather.
BEAU WILLIFORD, TRAINER/CUT MAN, LAFAYETTE, LA
“Mosley by late TKO or decision. Too smart for Mayweather.”
AHMAD ALAAJIY, PROMOTER, DALLAS, TEXAS
“This is a hard call because both are very good at what they do. I have to give the edge to Mayweather because he is better at developing a strategy to win and knows how to follow his plan perfectly.”
JEFF HORCHAK, SPORTSCASTER, KLFY-TV LAFAYETTE, LA
“For Mosley to win he will have to use his power. Mayweather, I feel, will get the fight to the later rounds and tire Mosley and win a decision.”
ANTHONY CAVAZOS, PROMOTER, MCALLEN, TEXAS
“Mosley upsets Mayweather and makes history. Mosley by decision.”
ISAAC MEDINA, FAN, CORPUS CHRISTI, TX
“Mosley has a chance if he beats Mayweather to the punch and avoids Mayweather’s counters. I have to go with Mayweather, however. Close fight.”
BRAD SOLOMON, UNDEFEATED JR WELTERWEIGHT PROSPECT, LAFAYETTE, LA
“Mayweather much too smart for Mosley.” Mayweather easily.”
SPARKY MCDUFFIE, FORMER PRO FIGHTER, TRAINER, WEST MONROE, LA
“Mayweather by decision. Speed about the same but I like Mayweather’s movement and youth.”
RONNIE SHIELDS, TRAINER, HOUSTON, TEXAS
“Floyd by 12 round decision.”
ACE MILLER, TRAINER, TENNESSEE
“It’s hard to go against Mayweather. I have to go with him. The kid can fight.”
TERMITE WATKINS, FORMER PRO BOXER AND OLYMPIC BOXING COACH, HOUSTON, TEXAS
“Mayweather in eight to ten rounds. He stops Mosley.”
RUDY SILVA, TRAINER, HOUSTON, TEXAS
“Mayweather wins even though I am a huge fan of all the ‘Sugars’ including Shane. Mayweather is too smart inside the square circle and his jab and defense will control the pace. I think Mosley’s age will show up in this fight. But I’m still pulling for Shane.”
DAMIEN ST. PIERRE, PROMOTER, LOUISIANA
“I think as fast as Mosley is that Mayweather is faster. Mosley will be Mayweather’s toughest test to date but his aggressive style will work against him. Mayweather by close decision.”
There you have it. Order the fight. This is one worth paying for.
Keep Punching.
Kerry Daigle
See you at the Fights.
Thank You for your time.
EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey
EL Boxing Empress; Keisha Morrisey's Myspace http://www.myspace.com/Keishadivine
Honorable Keisha Morrisey http://www.keishamorrisey.com
©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 All rights reserved
Sugar Shane Mosley Conference Call Transcript
For those of you who were on the call last week, remember on the whoareyoupicking.com site, which is the Micro site for the fight, last week we had Floyd Mayweather ahead, with 47% of the people voting for him to win the fight and 43% for Sugar Shane Mosley. Well, it’s interesting, that tightened considerably. Mayweather now is only leading 51% to 49% against Shane Mosley.
Interesting as well, on the ESPN site, which just went up yesterday with the poll, it’s reversed; 51.4% are picking Shane Mosley to win the fight against 48.6% with Mayweather. I think the general sports fans are clearly favoring Shane Mosley.
On Spike, a very urban site, an interesting picture there as well. Sixty-seven percent of the people think that Floyd Mayweather is going to win the fight versus 33% for Mosley. So, we actually are going to give daily updates on those polls so you guys, media members, you don’t have to go and log on all of these sites, but we will send out daily updates because I think it’s really fascinating to see on how the various segments of the population here in the United States are picking their guys, so we’re really excited about that.
The fight is virtually sold out. A few tickets left, only $600 and $1,250 tickets are left. The $1,000 are sold out and all other categories as well. As a result, we are now going into closed circuit. We are starting with the closed circuit seats tomorrow at $50. We will initially make about 25,000 seats available in the various MGM Mirage properties. So if you do plan to go to Vegas and spend the Cinco de Mayo weekend in Las Vegas, a great fight weekend here, then go, tickets are available for $50.
Other than that, the movie theaters are tracking tremendously well as well and getting a lot of calls from people who have actually seen the spots and the promotions in the movie theaters. They think that they will have a tremendous, tremendous turnout. On about 12,000 screens across the United States the fight is being promoted and it will be in about 600 screens where the fight will actually be shown. They’re going to be movie theaters in all states.
That’s that and now I’d like to acknowledge and see if he would like to say a few words, Shane Mosley’s advisor and attorney as well, Judd Burstein. Judd, would you like to say a few comments?
Judd Burstein
I have nothing to say. Shane can say it all.
Schaefer
Great. It is a pleasure then for me to introduce to you truly one of the greatest fighters of our generation. With a record of 46 and 5, 39 KO’s, he’s the current WBA Welterweight Champion and has during his 16 year career, compiled six world titles, has ruled the Lightweight, Welterweight and Junior Middleweight division, and is really a man who knows how to perform in the big events. He lives for those big events. Many of those big events, many of those big victories were coming from the MGM Grand, which some people call Mosley’s Greatest Moments, MGM. And it really is a pleasure and an honor for me to introduce to you my good friend and partner in Golden Boy, Sugar Shane Mosley.
Sugar Shane Mosley
Thank you. Thank you, Richard. I just want to say that I’m happy that the fight is taking place and I’m happy with the training camp that we’ve been doing with Naazim Jameson and all the sparring partners, Karl Dargan, Rock, Mike Sharp and Eloy Perez and a few others. I’m just happy and excited to show my stuff May 1. It’s going to be very exciting. I’m in great shape. I’m in tremendous shape and I’m ready to take on Mayweather.
Schaefer
Thank you, Shane. We are going to open it up now for the media members for any questions. Operator, please?
Q:
You mentioned that Karl Dargan and Rock, that you’re sparring with them. They’ve been a little bit inactive lately, but I was just curious of your impressions of them as they’re both Naazimm’s relatives obviously, son and nephew.
Mosley
This camp has been like a family and I’m happy to have all of them contributing. They have great backgrounds, and Naazim Richardson trains them. Karl Dargan is very fast, a little taller than Mayweather, but has very fast hands. I think that a lot of it is the reaction time that I’m dealing with when I work with Karl Dargan to emulate Mayweather. We try to figure out different ways and different strategies of attacking.
Q:
One other question is, is all the stuff that’s popping up now that Victor Conte is sending out, is that any kind of a distraction to you?
Mosley
haven’t really heard anything about it and I don’t choose to even talk about it. That’s been 2003 when that type of stuff happened, so.
Q:
Shane, what would a victory over Floyd Mayweather, Jr. do for your legacy?
Mosley
I think a victory would do very good. It gives the people a chance to see that Sugar Shane really means business when he gets in that ring and fights. I rise to the occasion at every big fight. It’s going to be great.
Q:
One other thing. On the second 24/7, and I don’t know if you watched it or not because you said you didn’t watch the first one, Floyd is saying he thinks he is better than Ali, better than Sugar Ray Robinson. Do you think he is perhaps overstating that a little bit?
Mosley
I think that you can’t say who was the best fighter. I think Sugar Robinson was the greatest. Everybody has their own opinions about different fighters and what they can do and their ability. I think that it’s important that it’s not for you; it’s not for myself to tell everybody that I’m the greatest, it’s for your guys to decide that. So when the people start deciding that Sugar Robinson is the greatest or Muhammad Ali is the greatest, it’s the people that have spoken. You’re not just tooting your own horn and saying, oh I’m the greatest. A lot of the people believe that Sugar Robinson was one of the greatest so I guess he’s one of the greatest, him and Ali.
Q:
Judd, obviously we’ve all, and I’m sure you’ve seen the YouTube stuff, I just want to ask you just a basic question, if I may. I know I can hear you in the background objecting to the form of the question. I believe that was you. It did seem like the person asking the questions had some difficulty forming his questions. Do you think that that defamation video made Shane look bad or do you think it made the questioner look bad because he didn’t know how to form his questions?
Burstein
Well, first of all, I’m going to answer it quickly, but the real answer is there’s no point in talking about this. This was 2003. Shane will be victorious in court and that will answer all the questions. The whole thing about the Conte video was not more a) it was he couldn’t ask questions; but b) that Conte edited it and took it out of context. But there’s nothing more to say about this.
Q:
Do you feel at all like you’re disrespected by fans and the media or do you feel like people put you on an even footing with Floyd?
Mosley
I don’t know. I mean I really don’t get that stuff anymore. I haven’t really been looking into the media and seeing what they’ve been saying. I don’t know really what’s going on. I try to keep myself away from it so I can be focused on the fight and that’s my main importance right now is just being focused on the fight and being the best I can be when I get to the ring.
Q:
Do you feel Floyd is with all the trash talking that he’s doing is trying to goad you into distraction before the fight and maybe anger? Does that stuff anger you or do you not even pay attention to it?
Mosley
At this point, I’m not angered by it. I’m just trying to go to the fight and be the best I can be in the fight. Right now at this point, we’re getting ready to fight now.
Q:
Floyd, Sr. has said that he had heard you’ve been getting beat up by your sparring partner. How do you respond to something like that?
Mosley
I don’t know how he can hear that unless he has some kind of spy inside the gym which I don’t know of. No, I’ve been working good. I’m working diligently and I’m working real good and the sparring partners have been giving me good work. It’s great.
Q:
One last question. Do you feel 100% healthy and ready to go for this fight?
Mosley
I’m 100% healthy. I’m ready to go. I’m ready to fight and show the world I’m the best fighter.
Q:
Obviously they’re saying you don’t want to talk about any of this with Conte which is fine, but drug testing is a huge part of this fight. That’s one of the reasons you guys made it such a big deal when you all agreed to Olympic drug testing for it. Two thousand three is a long time ago, but can you say since then how you have felt differently in fights? Can you tell a difference from that night to how you fight now or recent fights from when you didn’t take that stuff? I mean what did it do to you as a fighter to come off it and then try to get back to just 100% of yourself and how you feel now when your in the ring compared to then.
Mosley
That’s just a stupid question that you asked me because I never did that stuff. I never was on it really like that. I’ve always been a clean fighter. Actually, I feel good and I’ve been feeling good. I’ve been knocking around everybody since 2003 and before 2003. I don’t feel that I should be condemned for something that I never tested positive for and I just told the truth of what happened, because the truth was brought to me by the Federal people that took me court that brought me in as a witness. They brought me in as a witness and the truth was revealed to me there, that this man that I’d seen one time in my whole entire life, before going to deposition and that’s the second time I’ve seen him. It’s ridiculous. It’s ridiculous now that the media wants to make me the poster boy of steroids when I don’t even …. Whatever, if you guys want to continue to think that or put that out there, so be it. So be it. You guys know the truth.
Q:
How are you doing guys? I appreciate your taking the time. This is for Shane. I’m doing a story to tell the people of Philadelphia a little bit more about your trainer and brother, Naazim. I just wanted to get a sense. Someone’s who’s been in this sport for so long, what can a guy like him come in and what has he been able to do for you either in the gym or in the corner and what’s it like working with him? What’s his personality like? Is he a hard ass? Does he make you laugh? Just kind of an insight to his personality as a trainer.
Mosley
Naazim is all of the above. He’s hard on me and makes sure that I’m prepared physically, mentally and especially, all different ways to be prepared to enter the fight. I think that’s the difference, is being prepared. He’s 100% in the game. I’m fighting and he’s fighting as well. He’s not fighting with his fist and hands, but he’s fighting with his mind which is a good thing. I’m happy and pleased with everything that’s going on in my camp.
Q:
Anything specifically different or are you doing anything differently?
Mosley
I’m not sure I’m doing anything differently. I think that he brings me back to all the movement and keep myself sharp and mentally sharp and sound. The punches that he’s having me do, I’m throwing very well and sharp. I’m ready to go.
Q:
What’s he like to work with?
Mosley
He’s a great trainer. I think he’s one of the best if not the best trainer right now today in this era. I couldn’t ask for a better person, a better friend and a better trainer in my camp right now.
Q:
I wanted you to recount that little incident. I think you talked about it when you guys were sitting down on that faceoff about the time Floyd came to you and said something like, “I want to be just like you one day,” something like that.
Mosley
Yes, it was something at, I think he was just out of the Olympics and he was maybe 2-0, 3-0, something like that. I came to his dressing room and I was telling him that he’s a great fighter. He looks good and he was going to be a world champion one day. I said you’re going to be World Champion one day. You look real good. And he’s was like “Oh man, thank you.” Basically he was just saying, “You’re doing good, too.” I think I was the Champion then or I was getting ready to be the Champion. He said, “Hopefully if I can be just like you, it will be great if I can win a title and all that stuff.” So we were both giving each other props and stuff about how good we were. That was it. He just wanted to have the accomplishments that I had accomplished in my professional career. He said if I can have those accomplishments then I’d be happy too, if I can be like you and have all the accomplishments that I have. I don’t know if was like being exactly like me per se, but just the accomplishments and everything I’ve done in my boxing career at that time, he was impressed with and he let me know that then.
Q:
How much do you think that his intimidation tactics are part of his getting to another opponent and how much do you think you have frustrated him by not reacting to any of that?
Mosley
I’m not really sure. I know me not reacting to his antics or whatever, that’s just me blocking all that stuff out and wanting to fight. I don’t really care about the different things that are being said. That doesn’t really matter. What matters is the fight and what happens in the fight. So that’s my whole interest and I kind of block all that other stuff out.
Q:
And one last question. You had a series of fights at 154. How do you think having fought heavier opponents, bigger opponents, how do you think that will translate into a fight where you’re fighting a guy that’s mostly a speed and defensive guy?
Mosley
Well, I think it might be a little different. I know it helps with the power aspect. I should be able to walk him down, a little stronger or better and do different things. I feel good about being in a ring with bigger guys. Both bigger and smaller; I’ve been in the ring with both sizes.
Q:
Okay. And what’s up with the tattoo on your shoulder?
Mosley
I’ve had it for about eight or nine months now. I was going to have it before the Berto fight. It’s a warrior, you know. It’s a Maori warrior tattoo that shows what type of fighter I am. When I get in the ring, I’m a warrior and I want the people to see that.
Q:
Shane, obviously this has a chance to be the biggest fight of the year in 2010 and a lots being made of it. There’s a lot of coverage. Is it the biggest fight at this stage can you say that you’ve ever been involved in and if not, what was?
Mosley
Well, I think at this point it will be the biggest fight. You have a lot of viewers watching it. It’s a fight that the world wanted to see. So it’s a big fight. It’s a very big fight and I’m excited to have this fight.
Q:
It’s bigger than fighting Oscar the first time?
Mosley
The first time I fought Oscar it had its own significance and it took me where I am today right now to be able to fight this type of mega fight. But it is definitely a big fight. Fighting De la Hoya the first time was a real big fight. There was a lot of people there at the fight and there was a lot of big expectations, but this is probably I can say right now, one of the biggest fights.
Q:
And to follow up real quickly on a question from earlier about Mayweather’s intimidation tactics. Obviously, you’ve had your fair share of things to say about your going to knock Mayweather out and some of his rhetoric and his talk really ramps up when it gets to fight week and he gets to see you face to face. How do you deal with that? Do you address it? Do you let it drop? Do you pick your spots? What do you do?
Mosley
Well, I guess it depends. As it comes, you pick your spots and maybe check them a little bit here and there and get him back to thinking. But at this point, it’s time to fight now. At this point, we’ve done a little talking and this and that, but now it’s fight time now and now we’re getting ready to show what we can do.
Q:
As you’ve been on the outside watching that over the years, do you think it has worked against certain guys?
Mosley
I think so. I think a lot of the press and media and just the whole event of all that can kind of distract a fighter but at this time, I just try to be; like I said, I just try to just think about focusing on the fight. Now it’s getting close to the fight and we need to worry about the fight instead of worrying about what people are saying about us.
Q:
Shane, just a couple things. First of all, I want to clarify are you defending your WBA title in this fight? Is that up for grabs?
Mosley
I don’t think so.
Schaefer
No, actually I can answer that for you. It looks like the fight will not be for Shane’s WBA title, however Shane will be; I mean Floyd is not fighting for the WBA title, but Shane is.
Q:
Okay, that’s kind of what I thought. I wonder Shane, I know this is a business, but the guys that get in the ring and do the fighting like to have belt fight to win titles and certainly in the instance of you against Floyd, arguably the two best welterweights in the world fighting for a lot of money, but pride as well as for maybe the championship of the world and you seem willing to do and I’ve heard a lot of comments from Floyd where he talks about well, the belts just collect dust and this and that. What is your take on that sort of attitude where I know you’re a guy that likes to fight the best guys and obviously wants to earn a lot of money doing it, but also I know takes certain pride in being champion. What do you think that says about Floyd where he has just this cavalier attitude where he at least publically says he doesn’t really give a darn about it?
Schaefer
No, you know my opinion about the subject. I think at that level, it really depends on the fighters. I think boxing is a sport of champions and it is the belt and it signifies the champion and so I think really at that level it is up to the fighters. Some fighters want to fight for a belt, others don’t. I think it depends on the fight and it depends on the circumstances. But let’s see what Shane has to say.
Mosley
I don’t know what to think about that. I think he should want; I mean everybody grows up wanting to fight for a belt and want to be world champion and for them to just dismiss it like oh, I’m bigger than the belt, I don’t know. That just doesn’t seem like he’s in the sport for the sport. He’s in it just for the money, which is good if he wants to do that. If he wants to fight for money, to each his own, but I love the glory, the legendary status of being a champion and winning belts and being the best guys out there. If he did that, the money is going to come regardless.
Q:
One other question for you about Floyd. He has stated, as has been discussed in this call, he’s the greatest fighter of all time, better than all the Ali’s and Sugar Robinson’s as we’ve covered. And then you look at his resume and he was the welterweight champ of the world when he beat some guys that he beat and then of course gave that up when he retired. But there are a lot of people, myself included, who have criticized the level of his competition particularly since he’s come out of the Lightweight division. When you look at his resume, do you think he has any real resume as a welterweight that by beating you, that would be clearly by far and away his best welterweight victory to do that?
Mosley
I always say that the best fighters, you have to let the people decide that. You can’t be the one to say oh, I’m the best, I’m the best.
Q:
But what do you think of his resume as a welterweight so far?
Mosley
As a welterweight, he hasn’t fought another top welterweight and I’m the first one that’s he fought that’s world champion so it makes the fight a big fight. All the other guys have not really been the best, if you will. There are a lot of great welterweights out there that he could have chosen to fight instead of fighting the ones that he fought. The guys coming from …-47, 35-47, so like I said we’ll see what happens in the fight.
Q:
Hey, Shane. I appreciate your taking my call. I just had one question. I image you’re going to want to put a lot of pressure on Mayweather and I was just wondering how you plan to deal with that … right hand of his?
Mosley
Well, that’s what’s being worked on, different things like that. So, hopefully, we’ll implement that into the fight when we fight him.
Q:
Okay, so you’re keeping it a secret?
Mosley:
I’m supposed to.
Q:
Strategy wise, you guys are both incredibly fast fighters and I’m curious of your perception of Floyd’s speed. Do you think you’re as fast as Floyd at this point in your career and how are you going to counter that speed?
Mosley
Well, I think I’m as fast as any fighter out there and especially Floyd. I’m one of the fastest. I’ve always been quick. We’ll see when we get in there. I’ve never been in the ring with Floyd so I don’t know how to answer that, how I’m going to counter. I’m just going to do what I do best as Sugar Shane Mosley.
Q:
I mean when you watch the tapes, what’s your perception of his speed?
Mosley
I think he has good hand speed, but I think my hand speed is good, too. I don’t know if I’m going to be faster or I’m going to be slower. I have to get in the ring and see. I believe I’m faster. I believe that I’m going to have the advantage in the speed, but we’ll see.
Q:
It seems like you and Naazim have two have very different personalities, but you both have the same understanding of the sport. I just wanted to know like how it was when you two first started training together, like how long it took for you two to gel and what your thoughts are of him as a trainer compared to everyone else you’ve been with in your career.
Mosley
I think he’s a great trainer. I think he’s the best trainer, one of the best trainers that I’ve worked with.
Q:
You had it right the first time. He is the best trainer in the sport.
Mosley
Yes. It’s been great working with him. Right from day one, we gelled perfectly because we had the same philosophies about boxing and different things. We worked great. Right from day one it was a great match.
Q:
To me, from my own experience with Naazim, he seems to be the most honest guy out there. He’ll always tell you what’s on his mind, never in a disrespectful manner, but he’s not going to sugarcoat anything. Has that caused any problems in training? I know some guys they tell you what you want to hear and Naazim tells you what you need to hear. Do you feel like his take is more refreshing than what most others are willing to tell you?
Mosley
I think so. I think him giving me his honest opinion on what he believes and what he feels makes it that much better when we get into the fight. We understand each other. I know what he’s telling me is the truth and it’s not I just can’t just guess and say okay, well can you sugarcoat it a little bit for me? I know that he’s telling me the truth when I get into the fight or when I’m sparring or whatever. Whatever it is, he’s going to give me his honest opinion and I’m happy with that.
Q:
Does that give you more confidence once you step into the ring? I mean I know it’s only the one fight with him, but this will be your second.
Mosley
It’ll definitely gives me more confidence definitely since I’ve been to the ring. I know that I definitely need to do the work. All the good work for this fight I’ve done, the training and different strategies and moves we did, I know that I’m ready and prepared for the fight. All I’ve got to do is just execute.
Q:
Good, good, good. I’m not sure exactly how to ask this, but the fight is being portrayed by some people as sort of a good versus evil, although I think evil is a little bit strong. Does that seem appropriate to you? That would be my first question.
Mosley
Good versus evil? I don’t know. I don’t really think so. I think that Floyd just acts out because of that’s just being himself. But you know, probably outside of the fight, you probably could see some good qualities Floyd has. He can charm up a little bit and be more friendly or whatever. It’s just when the fight happens, he just starts getting a little crazy and starts going back to the things that he’s used to doing. But, I don’t know if you’d say good versus evil. But it’s just going to be a great fight.
Q:
You sort of answered my follow-up. I believe you told me that you don’t really think he’s such a bad guy. It’s just sort of stuff that he says.
Mosley
Yes, some of the things that he says, it’s bad and it reflects and looks bad on him when he says the different things. Some of the things he says I don’t really think he means. He just kind of says it to get a reaction out of you to see what happens and see what you do and that’s probably part of his plan or his strategy before the fight. It’s like fighting before the fight. He’ll just say what’s on the top of his head and just get a reaction out of you. If he gets a reaction out of you, then he’s done a good job, he’s won. So, I don’t perceive him as being a real, like an evil person. That’s just sometimes his nature.
Q:
Okay. So last thing. So one on one, when you’ve run into him over the years, you guys have been fine with each other?
Mosley
Yes, we see each other like I said on the basketball courts or I might see him out and about. We’re fine. There’s no problems. I see like his family members, Roger and Floyd, Sr. and a few other guys. I don’t hate any of those guys. We have a job to do right now and it’s competitive. It’s a competitive sport. We want to know who is the best and I’m here to get in there and show that I’m the best.
Q:
I just wanted to ask and sort of follow-up on that last question and then I have another question. Do you think after this that you and Floyd will have any kind of relationship? I don’t know if you guys had any kind of relationship previous to this, but can you see yourself maybe having any kind of relationship with him whether it’s a professional relationship or whether it’s a personal relationship or being friends or hanging out or anything like that?
Mosley
Yes, of course. It’s nothing personal. I know for me, it’s all business. This is business and this is a competitive sport. This is our legacy on who’s the best fighter. It’s a challenge. So it’s a challenge that I’m ready to take and I’m ready to go into the history books as being the guy to beat Floyd Mayweather and the guy that beats everybody out there, the last man standing. I’m into that. So, when I say that, I mean yes definitely I’ll be there. We can be friends. We can go to dinner, whatever after the fight. It’s all good. The families can get together, all that. But for now, I guess we’re enemies.
Q:
Okay. And the second question, how disruptive has just the Olympic style training and having to let these guys know where you are 24 hours a day and just sort of opening up your camp to the testing, has that been a disruption for you or has it thrown off what you normally would be doing in preparation?
Mosley
Actually, no. Actually, I like the fact that they come all the time and I learned a lot of different things about different things to do. Different things that, if you will, just eating natural and normal foods without taking any of the vitamins. Taking a bunch of vitamins is a good thing for your body. I feel good. I feel great. This has actually been a breakthrough. I like it.
Q:
Okay. You mean say like if you had the sniffles or you have a cold, most people would just like reach for the Tylenol Sinus or whatever. You can’t just reach for that. You have to sort of find out whether it’s okay to take something for the sniffles or sinus infection or cold or whatever, right?
Mosley
Yes it’s been educational, but you can take Tylenol or some other things if you get the sniffles. But there’s other things to take that’s natural that you can use that you can take too as well. It hasn’t bothered me at all. Everything has been great. I love the fact, like I said, it’s been like a breakthrough for me with this USADA thing. It’s actually a good thing.
Q:
Now have they said how far up to the fight that they’re going to keep testing?
Mosley
I don’t know. I’m fine with it. All my testing has been real quick. I did like five of them already and everything is good.
Q:
Okay, five tests. How many for blood?
Mosley
I did three for blood and five for blood and urine.
Q:
Okay. Did you feel weak after the blood test?
Mosley
No, no. They just put a little needle in. I guess it’s psychological. If you feel weak or whatever, that’s a psychological thing with a needle going into you, but with me, I never got weak with needles or blood. That never affected me.
Q:
Just one question for Richard. Could you please go back and explain the belt situation? What exactly is on the line for Shane?
Schaefer
Well, it is not a WBA world championship fight. That’s the fact. However, on the separate side, we are currently discussing with the WBA that for Shane, Shane would be defending his belt. But for the purpose of this call, it’s basically a non-WBA fight. The two best fighters fighting each other I guess. That’s what’s at stake here.
I think that is wrapping it up and again, it’s only a few days for Fight Week. We’re excited about it and look forward to see you all there on May 1 for the great showdown between Floyd Mayweather and Sugar Shane Mosley. See you at the Fights.
Thank You for your time.
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Floyd Mayweather Conference Call Transcript & MP3
Good afternoon and welcome to today's conference call featuring the money man himself: Floyd Mayweather. We have a week to go and I have to say, this is, as I just predicted, shaping up as the most heavily promoted fight of all time. We are for the first time utilizing all available new media and all media platforms and generating a pre-fight buzz, which I frankly have never seen before.
This fight is not just getting coverage in the boxing and sports media, but it has captured the interest of the financial and the entertainment press here in the United States, but frankly around the world. The general public is embracing this fight as what it is, truly one of the all time greatest showdowns between two of the best athletes of our time.
The talk is 'Who Are You Picking?'. Your opinions are changing everyday as we have seen in the many polls which are up. It seems that the urban sites, such as Spike and the financial sites like CNN, entertainment sites like People and Entertainment Weekly are heavily favoring Floyd Mayweather, while the Hispanic polls and the general sports fans are more towards Shane Mosley. Within the boxing community, it is shaping up as a dead even race.
The one fact I want to point out here is that with nine days to go, we have already experienced an unprecedented 20 million impressions. The number of people participating in these various polls is approaching over a quarter of a million votes. I am convinced that we are on track to break the all-time pay-per-view record.
Don't miss this weekend as well, the third episode of 24/7, which is bringing in itself record ratings. And by the way, Floyd, I was really impressed with Cash Flow. That kid is going to be very special just like you are. It's a pleasure now to introduce to you, our co-promoter Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions.
L. Ellerbe
Thanks, Richard. First off, I'd like to thank everyone for joining the call today. It is my great pleasure to introduce not only an extremely talented individual who is a complete athlete, but is a great father, son and a provider to a lot of people.
Floyd has been training with unbelievable intensity. It's amazing. For this fight, not only has he been training so hard, he still finds the time to be a great father, as he's doing today. Right after this call, he's going to see his daughter for an award ceremony. So without further ado, none other than the greatest fighter of all time, the best fighter in the world today, Floyd Mayweather.
F. Mayweather
Thanks for having me on this call today. I want to thank all the writers and all the media. I also want to thank Richard Schaefer and Golden Boy, and I want to let Richard Schaefer know that they've done a tremendous job with Shane Mosley, layering Shane Mosley's career, but also with the rest of their fighters. I wish everybody nothing but the best.
I really want to thank Leonard Ellerbe and Al Haymon and the rest of my team. I truly believe in my heart they've done a tremendous job with my career and I'm very, very appreciative. I just want to thank all the writers and everybody.
May 1, I know we're not that far away. I'm going to give the fans one hell of a fight. I'm in tiptop condition and tiptop shape.
Q:
Last week when I asked you about remaining undefeated, you said that wasn't what was driving you. Let me ask you this. As far as the legacy of your career is concerned, is this fight about enhancing it or preserving it?
Mayweather
Every fight at this point is always about...it all depends on who the opponent is. At this point, it's about enhancing it. So like I said before, I think Shane's a solid welterweight. He's been around the sport for a long, long time and he's done some things in this sport. I've done a lot of things in this sport. I've done a lot of things that a lot of fighters weren't able to do in this sport and didn't do in this sport. So like I said before, I think with Shane Mosley, it's going to of course, enhance my legacy.
Q:
First of all, can I get your thoughts in which ways do you think that you and Shane are similar as fighters and which way you think you're different?
Mayweather
I think we're totally different.
Q:
Do you? In what ways?
Mayweather
I think we're totally different. I think that he's a fighter that always worries about landing one big shot. He's worried about who is extremely strong and I worry about being smart and winning. So we approach fighting in two total different ways, always.
I mean, Shane may be loading up with wide shots and kind of using not really a fuller jab and I use a fuller jab. You know when I shoot my shots, I look at my opponents and I look where I'm punching. When Shane punches a lot of times, he closes his eyes if you go back and look at some of Shane's fights. So I think we are two total different fighters.
Q:
Is there any way you think you might be similar?
Mayweather
Yes, we're fighting May 1st.
Q:
What are your thoughts on the fact that you cannot fight for the WBA title in this fight? Did you know that?
Mayweather
I'll let Leonard answer that. I didn't want to fight for the WBA title.
Q:
You didn't?
Ellerbe
At this level, Floyd did not; it's not about belts. It's about fighting, like he said, to improve his legacy and also it's about money.
Q:
Okay. So the title never entered into the equation?
Ellerbe
Never.
Mayweather
No.
Ellerbe
Floyd's already the best fighter in the world. What does he need to fight for a belt to prove that?
Q:
Hey, Floyd. I'm curious if you could talk about some the fighters you admired while growing up and if you modeled your style after any of them? And then also, this fight coming up, kind of talk about the potential for it to be along the lines of some of the great Hagler/Hearns fights or Leonard/Hagler fights of the 80's.
Mayweather
As a kid, I always liked to go watch. I used to like to watch the fights always, especially either on HBO or closed circuit. I used to love to go watch Hagler, Hearns, Leonard, Duran, Larry Holmes, Pryor and Pernell Whitaker, Roger Mayweather, Mike Tyson and the list goes on and on. I used to love just to go watch boxing. I was just a fan of boxing. I used to love just to go. I used to love just to go watch boxing, especially and of course, the build up to the fight before the two get in the ring on HBO, it used to be just so unbelievable.
I don't know, I can't say how this fight matches up, but I think I'm a 15-round fighter. I think I'll show the world that I'm always in tiptop shape and I'm in the best condition. You know, the guys from 24/7 say that they went to every other fighter's camp and they went to some other guy's camps, some mixed martial arts guys and they said they always ask them, well who works the hardest and they say well, hands down Floyd Mayweather. Nobody pushes to the limit like I do, so I was happy when I heard that. Like I said before, the only thing I want to do is just be the best. So I'm going to continue just to work hard and I'm pretty sure Shane's in good condition, we're going to put on one hell of a show May 1.
Q:
If I can just go back to when Shane entered the ring last September, like you, I didn't think it was very cool. I thought that was your moment. I'm wondering did him doing that have anything to do with your prefight hype talk being a little bit more personal than usual?
Mayweather
No. If you ever noticed, I think that Shane is out of character. That is not Shane Mosley to be trash talking. I've been doing that my whole career, so this is nothing new. If you go back and do your homework, Floyd Mayweather has been doing this since I've been fighting the Tuesday night fight, since I've been fighting on HBO, ESPN, my early days, since the '90s. I've never known Shane to be a big trash talker. And the thing that I think that is not cool is how Shane is talking about; well, I didn't like when 24/7 was out, Shane kind of downplayed Jack Mosley. That's not cool. Jack Mosley stuck by us on our side. Jack Mosley was a good trainer and a good father. He helped his son. He stood by his son's side through the ups and through the downs of his career. For him to say his Dad wasn't giving him 100% and I didn't like that at all. I think Jack Mosley is a cool guy, personally.
And as far as taking it personally, no, this is my job. I know what I have to go out there and do. Like I've always said before and it's the truth, period. There's no remedy on how to beat Floyd Mayweather. There's no remedy on how to beat me yet. So the thing is this, everyone is trying to solve the problem. It's like a difficult math problem that no one can solve. No one can solve it. So, they go and try to solve the problem, how to beat Floyd Mayweather. That's the ultimate goal. I mean they say, "Who are you picking?" but the ultimate goal is, "How can I beat Floyd Mayweather?"
Q:
One last thing. You mentioned on the last 24/7 that you think you're better than Ali and Sugar Ray Robinson. Why do you think that, Floyd?
Mayweather
Why not? I take my hat off to them. I got respect for Sugar Ray Robinson. I've got respect for Muhammad Ali. But I'm a man just like they're men. I put on my pants just like they put on their pants. What makes them any better than I am? Because they fought a thousand fights? In my era, it's totally different. You know? It's pay-per-view now, so things change. It's out with the old and in with the new. Things change. Like I said, Muhammad Ali is one hell of a fighter. But Floyd Mayweather is the best. Sugar Ray Robinson is one hell of a fighter, but Floyd Mayweather is the best.
Q:
In 24/7 you talk about being better than Ali and Robinson. I'm curious where you put Mosley and Manny Pacquiao on that list.
Mayweather
Well, I don't know where I could put Mosley. I can't see how a guy can call himself great. I can't see how a guy like Mosley can even call himself great or he can't talk about; I can't see Mosley talk about putting himself as a future Hall of Famer and this was a guy we don't know how long he was taking enhancement drugs. So this is something that we don't know.
Okay, Manny Pacquiao struggled twice, which we really know he got beat, struggled twice with Marquez, which we know he really lost, right? And we know he's been knocked out twice. And he's been out-boxed by Eric Morales, but they still give him Boxer of the Decade. So that's something I don't understand. He beat a Miguel Cotto who just got pummeled with a cast. So I mean, tell me what it really is. He beat Miguel Cotto that got pummeled with a cast and he beat a Ricky Hatton that got stretched by me. I'm trying to find out what it really is. That's not for me to choose. That's not for me to put him in the Hall of Fame. All I'm saying, if you're a clean athlete, take your test. That's all I'm saying. That's all I've got to say. If you're a clean athlete, take the test. Show the world, you know what, I'm a natural. Take the test, that's all I say. That you saw they come get you at any time and take the test.
We're talking about what these guys are doing. We're talking about me. I've been dominating since the 90's. That's what we talk about what I've been doing. Like I said before, when guys like this fight De la Hoya and then they say, "Oh, it's unbelievable." When I fight De la Hoya, they said, "De la Hoya's washed up." See? Things like this that I don't like. Would you like when I go out and beat Mosley, I'm going to go say he's over the hill. It's always an excuse. But they don't talk about how I won the title in one year. I had the title all through my career, retired, came back and beat the number two dude pound-for-pound, but they say you was too big for Marquez, but you got too big for Manny Pacquiao. Well him and Marquez are the same size.
Q:
In your view, would it shut everybody up if, you just fought?
Mayweather
I don't care about nothing. I don't care about shutting anybody up. I don't care about shutting anybody up. I'm happy with myself. I'm happy with my career and I'm happy with my family.
Q:
Floyd you talked a lot, just mentioned actually your retirement in your last comments to the other reporter.
Mayweather
Hold on real quick. Let me find out when my daughter...Hold on real quick. Hold on one sec.
Rafael
Hey, Floyd. Being a good Dad, right?
Mayweather
Yes. My daughter is getting an award today. She's like the number one kid at her school.
Q:
What I was going to ask you is you had mentioned in one of your past comments you were talking about how you had retired and come back and still easily defeated Marquez in September. I wondered if at any point since you've come out of your retirement and well, let me put it like this. When you were retired and you gave up your Welterweight Championship and you gave up your perch as the number one fighter in the world because you weren't fighting and you had said you were retiring and you were done for a year and a half or more, and at that point, other fighters moving up the ladder, that's when Pacquiao took over the number one mantle in most people's thoughts and was winning along the way, at any point do you regret retiring for the year and a half because you obviously could have had some big fights during that period of time?
Mayweather
No, not at all. No, not at all. I'll let Leonard answer that.
Ellerbe
No, I mean and actually when Floyd came back, he's bigger than he was when he left the sport. All it did was allow him a chance to spend more time with his family and get a chance to really enjoy his time off. He came back and he's still the best and the reason why he's the best is because he's never been beat.
Q:
No, understood, understood, Leonard. But I wondered from Floyd's point of view if he hadn't of retired, he theoretically would still be considered number one and there really wouldn't be....
Mayweather
That's only opinionated. We know that. We say numbers never lie. Numbers and stats, stats don't lie. Numbers and stats don't lie.
Q:
It seems Floyd when others say that somebody else is number one, it does seem in your comment that it seems to irritate you a little bit.
Mayweather
No, I'm not worried about that. I know where I stand there. I'm not worried about that. I know where I stand there. It's like this. Most people that got an opinion don't know nothing about boxing. And that's one thing that Roger, when Roger be on the show, when he be talking about, which is true, most people that got an opinion about boxing; you've got to realize that most of the commentators on HBO knows nothing about boxing. The only one that knows something about boxing is Lennox Lewis. The rest of the commentators on HBO knows nothing about boxing.
Q:
Okay. Let me change the topic real quick, wanted to ask you about 24/7. I think is like your fourth time or fifth time being on the show. It's it your fourth? Fourth time?
Mayweather
Yes, I think. Something like that.
Q:
Been a lot of times, so I wonder is it getting to the point where whenever you go into your training camp to do your thing that that's just, they're as much, the guys that do it, are just as much a part of your daily routine in life as it would be getting your hands wrapped or working the mitts with your Uncle? Does it just sort of go along with training for a big fight? And if so, we've seen so much of you on the show. What else can you do to sort of make it different than what maybe it's been for the past several fights, even though it's still entertaining?
Mayweather
Well, the thing with 24/7, I asked them, we have a lot of different things, a lot of other things. But I'm not the editor. I'm not in the office. I'm not in the office or the editing room editing the tapes. So it has nothing to do with me. If it was up to me, there's a lot of other things that I would love to put in there. There's a lot of other things that I would love to put in there.
Q:
Like what?
Mayweather
It's so much stuff, you know. They've got so many behind the scenes things that they can't show.
Q:
Could you say an example or two?
Mayweather
I mean 24/7, you talk to 24/7 they could tell you guys. It's so, so much stuff. It's just a lot of stuff.
Q:
Floyd, I've tried to rank your top like one through five victories based on the circumstances, your performance, and I kind of went Corrales, Hernandez, De la Hoya, Hatton, Gatti, maybe Castillo and I wondered whether you could briefly address what of those performances you thought were the best and maybe address the circumstances around why your performance was so good in those fights.
Mayweather
I don't know. I don't even rate myself. Like I said before, I don't even watch boxing. All I do is go out there and just do my job. I go do my job. The main thing is I was just giving my kids my time. That's the main thing now because I'm a critic, I'm a harsh critic of myself, so no matter how I go, I always say to myself I could have done better. When I fought Corrales, I said well, I could have done this better. When I fought Gatti, I said I could have done this better. Even when I fought Oscar De la Hoya, if we had fought in eight ounce gloves or I would have fought him in gloves that I chose, we would have chopped him up. So things happen, but like I say, you just take the good with the good and you take the bad with the bad and you just keep striving. My main thing is I don't worry about; I try not to rate myself. I just try to go out there and perform well, at least when I go out.
Q:
Okay Floyd, obviously when you took all that time off, you came back and you came back, you came back against Marquez and there were some things said about you by like Dana White and Bob Arum that you had no drawing ability. But your pay-per-view numbers went right through the roof with the Marquez fight...
Mayweather
Okay, no, no. I was talking to my daughter. She came up and people told me I had to wait a little bit longer.
Q:
But yeah, there was some things said about your drawing ability, that you couldn't draw flies, that kind of stuff, but then your pay-per-view numbers went right through the roof with that first fight back. Do you in any way feel vindicated by that?
Mayweather
Well, the thing is this, like I said before, of course I want to please the fans and I want to please everybody that's buying pay-per-view. But self-preservation is the law of the land. I come first. I must fight for Floyd Mayweather first. But everybody's entitled to their own opinion. I called Dana White up because the thing is, I was friends with Dana White before, before he even got involved with the MMA. That's the thing. Dana White used to hang around. He used to be with my Uncle Jeff. My Uncle Jeff is one of the people, he's the guy who got Dana White started. Dana White was teaching boxing aerobics and somebody had to teach him about boxing, so my Uncle Jeff Mayweather taught him about boxing. And in the beginning of my career, White had asked me, he said basically, he asked me can I wear this little patch.? He was trying to build this thing I told him I could do it as a favor. In the beginning of my career, you go back and look at my trunks and it had a little thing on it, a little dog on there, this little patch on my shorts for Dana White. So after the fight, I called Dana White up, after the Marquez fight and I just talked to him like a man. I said I don't have nothing against you at all. You do your thing and I wish you guys nothing but the best and I'm pretty sure you feel the same way. That was it and I asked him if he wanted to go eat lunch and sit down like men and talk about it and he said he would get back with me, but he never called. But I never worried about it.
You know Bob Arum always says that I can't draw flies and he says black fighters can't do numbers. That's something that he's going to say that forever. But the thing is, he's always trying to get his fighters to fight me. So like I said before, every fighter often goes to fight Floyd Mayweather not matter what happens because if you notice, I mean with De la Hoya, he got his biggest pay fighting Floyd Mayweather. Shane Mosley is getting his biggest payday with Floyd Mayweather and the list goes on and on.
Q:
Okay, Floyd. I really appreciate that. Last question, you mentioned Shane's Dad and how he disrespected him or how you felt he disrespected him on 24/7. How has it been for you to have your Dad in camp and has it made things better? Are you more motivated? What is different about having him in camp and can you talk a little bit about the reconciliation process?
Mayweather
I just think that I think we got the bomb squad in camp. It's truly unbelievable. I got my Uncle Roger. He's not just got experience as a trainer, but he's got experience at being in the crunch, being in a championship fight. My father of course, like I said before, he got experience with being a top contender in the sport of boxing.
The thing with Shane's trainer, if I'm not mistaken, when it comes down to crunch time, how can you possibly tell a fighter what to do if you've never been in crunch time? And the thing is this, when he was talking about, just like Shane's trainer said he wasn't going to get into a debate, a back and forth debate. But once again, we baited him in, so he's going back and forth, you know and that's something that he said he wasn't going to do. He wasn't going to be trash talking. He wasn't going to go back and forth. He wasn't going to get baited into doing that. I guess we up one cause we baited him in to talking trash and he said that that's something he wouldn't do. He said he wouldn't stoop that low. Well, it's obviously not that low if he stooped to that level.
See You at the Fights.
Thank You for your time.
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