By John Martinez, IronBoxing.com: It was reported earlier this week that trainer extraordinaire, Floyd Mayweather Sr. would begin his new duties as head overseer of IBO light welterweight champion Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton’s preparations for his upcoming duel with the IBF light welterweight boss, Paulie Malignaggi on November 22 in Las Vegas. Reportedly, Hatton expects his new instructor to arrive in the UK by late September to continue the provisions that will be needed in order for a victory to be sealed against Malignaggi..
Not mentioned, but surely not lost, on many people’s minds are what about Mayweather’s most highly profiled charge, Oscar De La Hoya, and his upcoming camp for the Golden One’s battle against Manny Pacquiao?
What does Oscar have to say about splitting time with another fighter’s camp?
Floyd assured me that this shouldn’t be a problem if both Hatton and De La Hoya agree to a proposed compromise.
“We can all go to Big Bear and we can all work together. I’ll train both of them at different times and we’ll all learn from each other and we can all go on runs together.”
I asked Floyd if he really thought that Oscar would consider this option viable and how he even came about as Hatton’s new head trainer.
“You know, I’m going to tell you something. I haven’t spoken with Oscar since around the Steve Forbes fight. I got to do what I got to do that’s good for myself and my family.”
“I’m just trying to make an honest living and I need to stay busy. Just this morning, one of Oscar’s people called me and asked what was going on with me training Ricky.
I told him what I just told you; we can all go to camp together and work together and everything will be fine. He said he agreed with me, but that he’d get back to me after he told Oscar what I proposed.”
So does this mean that Floyd expects Oscar to possibly remove him from his training duties from here forth?
Floyd replied “I’ll tell you like this- I won’t count on it for me to be there (Dec. 6). I understand he’s supposed to fight two more times after the Manny fight.
It’s all up to him, but I haven’t heard back from him (Oscar) yet.
If we can’t work it out, then it is what it is and that’s how it will have to be.”
Quick Notes- Before we ended the interview, I gave my predictions for upcoming fights to Floyd. He in turn gave me his. Here is how they played out beginning with the Juan Diaz/Michael Katsidis fight.
He and I believe that Diaz will have serious trouble, but will eventually eke out a victory. I say by TKO.
I have Nate Campbell beating Joan Guzman. Interesting point here, Mayweather (Guzman’s trainer) has Guzman in a “very exciting fight.” Yet he gave no prediction for the outcome.
Regarding the Malignaggi/Hatton rumble? I have Paulie winning on points. Mayweather stated flatly that “Paulie will have no choice but to run after he feels the heat that Ricky is going to bring that night. Ricky is going to have more head movement, jabs thrown, spacing, balance, and power. Paulie will have to quit or run. Either way, he loses.”
And one final point- we both agreed that Oscar should enter the ring against the new king of kings, WBA welterweight champion Antonio Margarito. A fight with Manny is good, but shouldn’t Oscar face a foe that is his size, his strength, powerful, very well conditioned, and extremely hungry?
Shouldn’t he (Oscar) give the opportunity to Margarito to face him in the ring seeing as how he was willing to square off against the smaller Cotto had Cotto disposed of Margarito in July?
Why be willing to face the winner of the Cotto/Margarito fight if the winner was only Cotto? Why not face the winner of that fight despite who won?