(Photo credit: Esther Lin/Showtime) After the final press conference for MAYDAY concluded, both Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Robert Guerrero took the time to address members of the media for brief one-on-one interviews and media roundtable interviews.
Many questions were answered, ranging from topics inside and outside of the ring. I took the privilege, along with other media members, to partake in an exclusive media roundtable interview with Floyd “Money” Mayweather. Here’s an exclusive transcript of a few of the many questions that were answered were Mayweather answers questions dealing with his motivation, his line-up of rising stars under the Mayweather Boxing Club, Guerrero’s rough house tactics and his appreciation to the fans all over the world.
Question: “Do you ever get tired of all the attention you receive, even during sparring and workouts?”
Floyd Mayweather, Jr.: “It’s crazy. I got to the gym every day. I box in front of 200 people every day. I spar in front of 200 people every day. I’m accustomed to a crowd. They’re making noise every day. It’s basically like a boxing match every day in my boxing gym.”
Steve Lopez: “At this point in your career, you can pretty much retire. Financials are not a problem. What are the things that motivate you going forward?”
Floyd Mayweather, Jr.: “Like I said before, I’m not here to talk about money.”
Steve Lopez: “Oh, yeah. Money aside.”
Floyd Mayweather, Jr.: “Money aside? I like pushing myself. Testing my skills with against other top fighters in the sport of boxing. To be 36 years old, I don’t have a lot of wear and tear on my body. I still got all my faculties. I’m still smart, still strong, still witty. And that’s what it’s all about. Testing my skills against other top competitors in the sport of boxing.”
Question: “How do you see the fight between J’Leon Love and Rosado going down?”
Floyd Mayweather, Jr.: “Of course I’m going to stand behind my fighter. We don’t want to be like other promotion companies where you got fighters where they pick and choose. When they go into the fight, you already know who is going to win. We like to test our fighters early on and put them in tough early battles. J’Leon Love is in tip top shape, he’s in top condition. Like I said before, at the Mayweather Boxing Club, you take some of the good fighters and you match them with some of the other good fighters from all around the world. We’ve got fighters from the UK, Romania…from all walks of life. It’s top notch work every day in my boxing gym.
Leonard Ellerbe: “I want to touch on what Floyd just said to be clear. J’Leon Love asked for the Rosado fight. Just want to be clear on that because there’s a misperception out there. He asked for that fight. Yeah, Rosado is not a Golden Boy fighter. He came to me and he said he wanted to fight Rosado. He discussed it with Floyd.
Floyd Mayweather, Jr.: “Some names came up. What about this guy Rosado? Would you like to fight him? He was like…’Yeah, I’ll fight him.’”
Question: “One thing that you mentioned is that you received a lot of letters.”
Floyed Mayweather, Jr.: “I think I got about 200,000 letters.”
Question: “What did the letters say?”
Floyd Mayweather, Jr.: “I love my fans. I even look at it like this. If someone took the time to make a negative comment, you know? They took their time out of their life to write about me. Whether it’s positive or negative. Thank you. I had your attention at that particular time.”
Question: “Floyd, I read today somewhere that 50 Cent is going to be at your fight. Have you guys talked at all recently? Do you expect to talk at the fight?”
Floyd Mayweather, Jr.: “You know, my team is staying all over. My team is staying at the MGM Grand. They’re staying at different hotels. I don’t know if 50 is coming or not. I really don’t know.”
Question: “Floyd, do you feel a sense of responsibility to sort of carry the sport?”
Floyd Mayweather, Jr.: “This sport will live on. When I take the time to just take things to the next level, it’s going to be huge.”
Question: “Well, there’s no other huge PPV star out there. Does that make you have more responsibility for you to keep on going?”
Floyd Mayweather, Jr.: “Well, I feel that if I give them 30 months, that’s enough. Then I can get on that venture like Oscar, Leonard. I’m ready to go on the other side after six fights.”
Leonard Ellerbe: “I think his actions speak for themselves. Just look at the awareness that he has single-handedly brought to the sport by announcing his deal. This wasn’t just an announcement in boxing, an announcement in sports. This was an announcement in the news and the business world. Like I said, with boxing being a niche sport, you know, taking his persona to the next level.”
Question: “Will there be any discussion with the referee about Guerrero’s dirty tactics?”
Floyd Mayweather, Jr.: “Well, I just focus on what I gotta do and let the referee do his job. That’s not really my focus. What I want to focus on is going out there, being a clean fighter and executing the gameplan.”
Leonard Ellerbe: “Obviously, Floyd is 100% correct. What I’ve personally noticed from the films that I’ve watched, Robert Guerrero is a very dirty fighter. And all I’ve said is that here in Nevada, being the best commission in all of boxing, they won’t allow those tactics. Holding with one hand, hitting behind the head, all those little things that he’s gotten away with in his last fight. Nevada just doesn’t play with that.”
Steve Lopez: “What would you say is Guerrero’s best strength? Those dirty tactics?”
Leonard Ellerbe: “We don’t really care about none of that stuff. Floyd will just go out there and be Floyd. Everyone else just has to adapt. He’s just a dirty fighter.”
Question: “A couple of last words to your fans?”
Floyd Mayweather, Jr.: “To all my fans, thanks for the support. Follow me on FloydMayweather.com. Go to my website. Buy a shirt, buy a hat. Thanks to the fans, to the media for 17 years. To get me to this pinnacle. I’m thankful for that.”