We recently had the opportunity to interview one of the best trainers in boxing, Mr. Floyd Joy Mayweather, Sr. As we know, the senior Mayweather will be back in his son’s corner for the May 4, 2013 fight with Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero. Floyd wanted to set the record straight for fans and media alike. Here’s what he had to say…
Chip Mitchell: Floyd let’s jump right into it. I was going through some old CDs the other day and I came across a song by Peaches and Herb titled “Reunited”. I started singing along and I (jokingly) dedicated the chorus to you while I was singing, which leads to my question. How does it feel to be reunited with your son as his trainer?
Floyd Mayweather: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I remember that one! It’s an awesome feeling. It’s a great feeling. It’s all good man. It’s just like Peaches and Herb. It’s the truth! To be honest, I did things to keep myself active. I think that’s what a lot of people can do in life. Some people find something and harp on that and stay on it man. No, go find yourself something to do. Don’t get me wrong. It’s a great feeling coming back. Everything that he does, his daddy done already did it. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Floyd is a copy of his daddy. Floyd fights the way that I taught him. I fought the same way, behind my shoulder. Catching punches off my shoulder, countering back, slipping and sliding, being slick.
Robert Uzzell: How did you find out about Floyd’s decision to bring you in? Did he tell you why he needed you?
Floyd Mayweather: He made that decision himself. Matter of fact I was in the gym and I was training one of his fighters Mickey Bey. I was training Mickey for years anyway. I stopped training him and my brother Jeff took over and trained him for a couple of years. Me and him are the same people in a lot of ways. He’s not going to tell you why. He won’t say why he does this or why he does that. But he’s the one that told me he wants me to train him right now. I’m pretty sure he has his reasons for why. I didn’t worry about that. I didn’t get into the depth of why he wanted to do it. He told me he wanted me to come back and I had no problem with it. That’s my blood anyway. My blood runs through him and his blood runs through me. The whole thing is because we had a dispute, that’s nothing man. A whole bunch of people have disputes with fathers, mother, sisters, and brothers and you know what happens? Sometimes they kill ‘em and shoot’em and stab them to death. That didn’t happen with us. What happened is we had a debate or disagreement, and the thing is the whole world don’t see what everybody else does. The whole world sees us is because the lights are on us. What we are doing everybody can see because there’s a great big old tv station that got all that stuff around you man. You can’t avoid that stuff man. It’s not a big thing with me. Things like that happens with fathers and sisters and brothers and mothers, you know. Even with my son when I was in his gym training Mickey Bey, I had already got the word. I didn’t come there for trouble.
Robert Uzzell: Okay Floyd, tell us about Robert Guerrero. What challenges does he bring to your son?
Floyd Mayweather: I’m gonna really be honest with you man. I haven’t even taken a look at Robert Guerrero yet. But trust me. Matter of fact I’m going to take a look at him today. I was supposed to been took a look at him. A guy filled my trunk up full of tapes. He said they were in there but I never seen them. So I never seen the tapes. I don’t know what happened to the tapes man. But I’m planning on going in and checking somebody and I’m gonna get some tapes and I’m gonna see what’s going on.
Chip Mitchell: Floyd what makes you a great trainer?
Floyd Mayweather: What makes me a great trainer? I think because I can do so many things that people can’t do. A lot of people try to copy off of what I do. But I still help a lot of people. But a lot people always trying to do what I do. But… there’s only one me, what can I say?
Chip Mitchell: Okay Floyd, let’s talk about the Internet battle going on with you and Guerrero’s father. What’s up with that one?
Floyd Mayweather: (Laughing) Man that’s joke time man. (Laughing harder) Look here, I might be older than the man, you understand? I might be older than him! Cause I just turned 60 the other day! Let me tell you something man, that is not even a fight. You see me on tv the other day and I said that ain’t even worth talking about.
Chip Mitchell: Wait a minute Floyd! Did you see him doing the one-handed pushups? I don’t know Floyd. He looks like he’s in good shape…
Floyd Mayweather: (cutting in) Man I don’t give a damn if he could do 1,000 one-handed pushups! That don’t mean NOTHING to me! Like I said yesterday when that TV was running I said look here. I said that man right there is talking about whopping me man that’s a joke. That’s the biggest joke I heard in my life. And another thing he knows what he gonna get if he comes this way. All that one-handed pushups, weight lifting, all that man look here man…. Buddddtt BOP! (punching sound effects) THAT’S the way it’s gonna get done!
Chip Mitchell: One question that fans have been telling me to ask you for years. There was a very entertaining sparring session with you and a kid a few years back. He threw a wicked body shot at you and it didn’t seem to faze you at all. However, every right hand you threw after that seemed to have bad intentions. Firstly, who is the guy you were sparring? Secondly, did that body shot make you mad? You were throwing some serious right hands after that. (See sparring session here): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yINeFX-SC4s
Floyd Mayweather: Ohhh, that little thing that went on down there. That incident happened at Johnny Tocco’s gym. Yeah man that right there, he would get it. But he would get it way worse than that man, trust. That right there I wanted to set him. We were supposed to go three to four rounds, that’s how it supposed to go. But as you can see, it would have never gone that far.
Chip Mitchell: Also, he landed a sucker punch on you near the end of the video. The camera didn’t really catch it. Were you hurt badly from the shot? Did you go down? And who was the kid that jumped in and started swinging at him in your defense?
Floyd Mayweather: The Lord is my witness and I don’t play with the man above… he never hit me. Because in all honesty if he would have hit me behind the head after the bell had rung, man ain’t nobody in that gym would’ve been able to get me off his ass. Nobody! That was my fighter. One of the guys I train he’s undefeated. That’s Ladell Rose, he’s 14-0 now. Ladell Rose jumped on him because he tried to swing at me when I was off guard. Ladell took it over from there because hey… I let my lightweight take care of that.
Robert Uzzell: Floyd, your son has been criticized for not punching enough during rounds. He opened up more against Cotto but seemed to be tired in a couple of rounds. He’s also been getting hit more. First of all how have you felt his defense has been in the past few years? Secondly, do you want more offense from him knowing that he may sacrifice his defense more by doing so?
Floyd Mayweather: I’m going to tell you just like this man. First of all one thing is his daddy is back. And another thing is that he is getting older. I can get back and help him so far but I can grant you, he won’t be getting hit much this time. People can say what they want to say and believe what they want to believe. Father Nature will step in on all of us man. You going down. That’s why I’m trying to tell you about Guerrero’s father talking about he’s 30-0 and everybody done went down and this motherfu—- fittin’ to go down with the rest of them. Cause he ain’t fought nothing but some winos. You know that.
Robert Uzzell: Do you think you’ve received your proper respect as a trainer? I mean if Floyd fight 4 times and doesn’t lose, do you think people will then give you credit?
Floyd Mayweather: I’ve been up here in Las Vegas 14 years. You know what that means? I done made seven champions up here. I’ve been up here 14 years. So you know what that means? That means I made a champion every two years. That’s what it’s been. That’s what it’s been. What I’m doing is for my son and for my son only. Floyd is my son at the end of the day. At that time he was much younger. And I’m thinking that he done went to jail and done got hip to what’s really going on. He’s come back out and appears to be a better person.
Robert Uzzell: I have to ask this one. Have the Mayweathers ever been approached about a reality show? It would be must-see-tv!
Floyd Mayweather: I’ve been approached many times. About my son I’m not really sure. I’m pretty sure he’s been approached. I’m sure he has. I don’t know. Of course anybody likes to get a family that seems like they are feuding. That’s what I hate about the whole damn thing right there. The whole thing could’ve came out and been a beautiful thing. Not to say that it’s bad now because we are boxing ourselves. We are controlling boxing. We are boxing right now. So I’m just telling you that it could’ve better than it was. And it can be better today than it is.
Robert Uzzell: Floyd, what happens on May 4, 2013?
Floyd Mayweather: May 4? I can’t really tell you exactly what’s gonna happen. But I’m gonna tell you this here- I’m gonna look for Guerrero to get a whooping like all these whooping he tells you he gives everybody else. I’m looking for him to get the same damn thing. I’m looking for him to get it worse than he gives to everybody else. He gotta understand one thing now. His daddy talking all this garbage about his (Floyd’s) daddy gotta have three trainers against me and this and that. All he needs is me, and that’s enough. We have a team and being that we have all the pieces, we are there. He’s got to deal with that.
Robert Uzzell: can you expound on Floyd being a changed person after prison? You seem to be a very wise person yourself. Are you saying that the wisdom he gained during his incarceration and maybe the wisdom he sees in you, that’s part of the reason he wanted you back in his corner?
Floyd Mayweather: I think so. He’s wiser. It appears that way to me. Lil Floyd is getting up there in age. Like you said he’s been getting hit a lot. The man brought that to Floyd last night. He asked if Cotto is a D fighter, why is he getting hit so much by Cotto. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. I’m not trying to take over anything from my son because Roger been there quite a while with my son. We all getting older. Roger is slowing down. We all got to face facts. Just like I said with my son, Floyd is getting older you know? So when you get older, some things you might not lose. But some things you are going to lose. You got to try to keep it all together if you want to win. You got to try to keep it all together because you’re only going to be young one time. You’re only going to be young one time, and it’s over. I’m concerned with my son winning. My son is a fast boxer. And I’m fast. I’ve always been fast and I’m still fast today. Floyd’s got six fights left… six fights left. I know what my son needs though. He needs speed now. He needs speed. I mean you know not that he ain’t fast still. But he needs to be fast- real fast. Not that it’s because of Guerrero. To be honest, I don’t give a damn about no damn Guerrero. Ain’t worried about no Guerrero, to be honest with you. But I do have common sense to know that you need speed in this game. Can’t be slow. You slow in this game and you get messed up.
Chip Mitchell: I know you aren’t the promoter, but let’s assume Lil Floyd wins on May 4th. If it was up to you, who would he fight next? Give me a short list.
Floyd Mayweather: A guy asked me that last night but I told him I had no comment on it. I’m gonna tell you like this right here- before the 6 fights are over, it looks to me like he’ll be 39 years old. Or maybe 40. That’s what it looks like to me. Unless he fights once a year like he’s been fighting. In that case right there he’d be 41.
Chip Mitchell: Alright Floyd. I hope you can help me out on this one. You are known as the poet laureate of boxing. In closing, can you grace boxing fans with some of your work?
Floyd Mayweather: Okay. I’m gonna give you a little something. (You can hear some of his work here: http://youtu.be/Gcuad4dCupU
Chip Mitchell: Floyd it’s been a pleasure. Robert and I would like to thank you for your time. We’d like to get you back on sometime after this fight and before the next one. Anything you want to say to the fans in closing?
Floyd Mayweather: All I want to tell the millions of fans is get your tickets and get pay per view or come out here to see the fight yourself. And guess what? Guess what? It ain’t gonna be no shock what’s fittin’ to happen. Young Floyd Joy is the best!