04.12.07 – By Matthew Hurley: As Floyd Mayweather concludes his preparations for Saturday’s welterweight showdown with Ricky Hatton, the “Pretty Boy” has dismissed rumors that he had damaged his hands in training. The rumors began several weeks ago and were fueled by a segment in HBO’s 24/7 documentary series that showed the fighter undergoing a wax paraffin treatment and quietly acknowledging the damage to his hands and body that has accumulated over his career.
“She (my doctor) thinks I shouldn’t be fighting too much more,” he said. “My body’s tearing down. My left hand is tearing down. And I never used to have hand problems until it started happening later in my career as a professional. Now my right hand, my elbow, my back… The shit goes on and on. It’s nerve wracking.”
This week Mayweather has eased his fans concerns, and the concerns of odds makers, by insisting that his hands are fine.
“I’m a professional fighter and like most professional fighters I have had difficulties with my hands in the past” he told reporter Steve Bunce. “I have invested in the latest technology to help me prepare for fights and so far all is well. But, my body is most definitely sending me signals that time is running out. I’ve had boxing gloves on since before I could walk and been in gyms all of my life. The end is getting closer for Floyd Mayweather.”
Mayweather’s hand problems have long been documented and were the cause of the only knockdown of his career when he crashed his left hand on the top of Carlos Hernandez’s head back in 2001. Floyd, grimacing in pain, took a knee. He survived and won the bout, fighting basically one handed, but since that moment his brittle hands have always been a source of concern for the fighter and his camp.
But Floyd’s advisor Leonard Ellerbee says that rumors about injuries and why Floyd continues to keep his sparring sessions closed to the public have become part and parcel of any Mayweather training camp. He does concede, however, that the interest in this fight has forced Floyd to vary his routine.
“Floyd has been overwhelmed by the interest in this fight and he is a very private person and it’s because of his privacy that the rumors started,” he says. “Sure Floyd likes to spar in private but then so many other great fighters have done the same. It’s ridiculous to think that there is something wrong simply because the doors were closed on Floyd’s private gym.”
Floyd and Hatton are set to face off for one final press conference tomorrow before Friday’s weigh in. Hatton is prepared for more verbal taunting but he’s long since grown used to Mayweather’s motor mouth. He is more concerned should Mayweather point to his hands if the underdog from Manchester manages to pull off the upset.
“It is common knowledge that Floyd has bad hands,” he recently told the Sporting Life. “I just hope that on the night when I beat Floyd he doesn’t start making excuses.”