by Geoffrey Ciani – This week’s 100th edition of On the Ropes Boxing Radio featured an exclusive interview with Floyd Mayweather Senior. His son, Floyd Mayweather Junior, is widely regarded as the best all around boxer in the world today. Mayweather Senior provided his thoughts on his son’s future and the prospect of a fight between him and Manny Pacquiao. He also gave his thoughts on Pacquiao’s victory over Antonio Margarito last weekend. Here is a complete transcript of that interview.
JENNA J: I think it’s actually time for our final guest of this week’s epic historic milestone show. He is an OTR favorite having appeared in episodes 30, 70, 71, 78, 82, and episode 90. We are once again joined by the one and only Floyd ‘Joy’ Mayweather Senior. How is everything going today, Floyd?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER SENIOR: Everything is going great.
JENNA: That’s good to hear, Floyd. We’re happy to be talking to you on this, our 100th episode. What are your thoughts on this past weekend’s bout between Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito?
MAYWEATHER: I think well you know, both of them are with Bob Arum and I think that he didn’t care about one as much as he cared about the other one. That’s what I believe, and I believe that he didn’t care about one as much as the other one. I believe that Pacquiao, to me there was no doubt anyway. I told everybody that Pacquiao is going to beat him up real bad or stop him, and that’s what he did. Pacquiao caught myself I believed, when the guy hit him to the body, I can’t say who told Pacquiao to act like he did, like he was hurt. Man, he wasn’t hurt. Believe me. He might have been hurt before when he got his ass whopped by one of them little bitty fighters when he was fighting in a smaller weight class when he got stopped when a guy hit him to the body. But now, when he got hit this time by a much, much, much bigger man, he got hit solid. If another smaller guy hit him like that and he put him on the ground and he couldn’t even get up, how is a big old man this big, way, way bigger than him with way, way more weight and hit him to the body and then he just comes out of it. He was hit to the head a few times by some good straight right hands. It never moved him. So I don’t know. If somebody don’t see what’s going on, I don’t know what. What’s in my mind stays with me and there it is.
JENNA: Alright, so you don’t believe he was at all hurt in the bout?
MAYWEATHER:No, I don’t believe it. Hell no, there was nothing wrong with him. He was fighting too strong and stuff on the end. When a big guy hits you with a shot, a big guy that big, he will at least shake you up or pummel you or something or you know. A guy hits you to the body like that when he’s that big, usually a man his size would go out or fold over or something. Pacquiao folded over, yeah he folded over but he came back with all kind of punches and hard punches. It didn’t take nothing out of him, so it lets me know that something ain’t right. That’s all I can say to you. Something don’t fit right with me. That’s all I can tell you.
JENNA: Were you at all surprised that Pacquiao came in so light for the bout? He was outweighed by seventeen pounds.
MAYWEATHER: There is nothing that man can do that surprises me, because right now the world is behind him and whatever he’s doing, the world is behind him. Whether it’s right or wrong the world is behind him, and that’s the way it is and even the people of boxing now days, if there is anybody not doing something like they were checking Margarito for drinking the coffee. All that was, was a big scam for people to look at on TV. Oh, he’s concerned that Margarito is taking some kind of enhancement, this or that. They’re looking at Margarito doing that. You know what? You do that to keep people on view. That’s what you do, and then I honestly believe to make the fight look good, when he hit Pacquiao to the stomach and Pacquiao portrayed to be hurt—and I don’t ever believe he was hurt, at all, in the fight period. I just think it’s a bunch of sham that’s going around. It ain’t what it looks to be. It looked like it was supposed to be against a secondary person and that was Margarito getting beat like he was, and that was no surprise to me, anyway. I have never seen a man that small beating all these big men. It has never happened in boxing and it probably never will and my suspicion with what’s going on, hey! It’s so plain to see a blind man could see it. That’s all I can say.
JENNA: Now Floyd, so you don’t think it had anything to do without Margarito maybe not having the snap on his punches without the loaded gloves that some people have accused?
MAYWEATHER: Margarito has got a better snap than him. Margarito really punches harder. Do you think a man that small can hit harder than a man that big? All of them do the same thing when they’re working out, unless something is outweighing something over there. That’s all I can tell you. Something just, something is going on. That’s all I can tell you. I believe that.
JENNA:Well after the bout the fight that they all talked about, and you hear it a million times a day, is a fight between Pacquiao and your son. Do you believe that Floyd looked at that fight and saw how many times Pacquiao was landed on?
MAYWEATHER: Well he ain’t going to hit him like that. Floyd ain’t no stand up fighter like this guy. That guy was there to be hit. He was there to be hit. You can’t miss it. You can’t miss it. Not that many months ago, Shane stopped him. Every punch Shane had thrown hit him. Me myself personally, if they had the fight I’d tell my son not to fight him! Not because my son can’t beat him, because my son could beat him easy. He’s nothing big. He’s nothing hard to find. He can be found, and even Margarito showed you can hit him when you want to hit him. How in the hell is Margarito hitting somebody as big and slow as he is? He couldn’t hit me in my sleep. So how in the world is he hitting this man now? I know my son is different. He’d tear him apart, but the whole thing is I’m like this right here. If I was my son, I have my reasons why I would not fight that man. I would have my reasons for not fighting that little bitty man. I got my reasons why, and I ain’t got to tell nobody nothing. Everybody knows what time it is.
JENNA: Now Floyd, when you looked at Pacquiao do you think he looked more vulnerable than he has in previous fights due to the fact that somebody as slow as Margarito was able to hit him?
MAYWEATHER: Well that’s what I just told you. I said how could my son not him all day. If Margarito can hit him once my son can hit him four or five times and that’s just obvious. I mean if, I don’t see no reason why. I’m just saying this right here, my concern is for my son’s protection. My concern is for my son’s life, that’s why. If my son’s fighting that little man, I’m concerned about my son’s life. That’s what I’m telling you.
JENNA: Let’s say that Pacquiao does finally agree to everything that your son wants testing-wise. Do you think you’d be more apt to want to see that fight happen if Pacquiao does that?
MAYWEATHER: I would agree to that fight if they had people from Little Floyd’s Camp in Pacquiao’s Camp for random, any time they desired, to check him out. Check him out. Give him a thorough check every time you go. Pacquiao has the same choice to do that with my son and there ain’t no doubts, no questions in my mind that the fight would take place tomorrow.
JENNA: Floyd, we’re also joined by my co-host Geoff.
GEOFFREY CIANI: Hey Floyd! It’s a pleasure to have you back on the show.
MAYWEATHER: How are you doing?
CIANI: I’m doing very well, thank you. Now I wanted to ask you, you mentioned Mosley before. Now Mosley knocked Margarito out. He had your son hurt at one point in the second round. Now Pacquiao was unable to knock Margarito out or knock him down—
MAYWEATHER: See that stuff don’t mean nothing. That kind of stuff don’t mean nothing. This little man that we’re talking about—the littlest man in boxing today—that little man right there had enough ammunition in his hands to take Ricky Hatton out in two rounds. Floyd took Ricky Hatton out in the tenth round, and he’s doing it with everybody. He’s doing it with all the big names and stuff. Come on, man! People got to realize man, people got families man. That’s all that it’s going to take to divide up a lot of people’s lives and cause a lot of people to be going to funeral homes. That’s what it’s going to cause. Something ain’t right, that’s all I can tell you. Something ain’t right, that’s all I could say.
CIANI: Well going into this fight did you think there was a good chance that Pacquiao would stop Margarito?
MAYWEATHER:Oh yeah, easily! I knew he was going to beat him, anyway! That was nothing big to me. He’s going to beat the next man he fights, and the next man he fights. Whatever it takes to get him and my son’s fight going, hey! All he has to do is get it going. Everybody needs to do the right thing, get it going, and let it happen.
CIANI: Okay, now Shane Mosley, he faced your son and aside from a couple of moments early in the fight, he got dominated by little Floyd. A lot of people think that Pacquiao was reluctant to fight Shane. Do you think Shane would have any chance of beating Pacquiao, or do you think that’s another fight that Pacquiao wins?
MAYWEATHER: Let me tell you this. Shane Mosley, let me tell you this right here. Whatever Shane Mosley has been doing over the years, it finally caught up to him and right now, even though Shane beat Margarito, whatever happens Shane Mosley really has no chance of whopping Pacquiao. Right now to tell you the truth, there is a lot things he don’t have. Even after the whopping he took from my son, but he ain’t going to take no whopping like he’s going to take from Pacquiao because Pacquiao is going to have bombs in his hands, man. He’s going to have missiles in his hands man, and when he hits you with them, my goodness! Let’s go. That’s all I can tell you. When Pacquiao hits him, oh my God the smallest man in boxing, when he hits when of these big guys they’re going down—I’m telling you, they’re going down. He’s the hardest hitting man, the most fastest man, he throws more punches, thousands and thousands of punches a round. This guy man, he’s incredible. He’s got the greatest footwork, and he’s greater than Muhammad Ali, and of man this guy is a bunch of bullshit. It’s the real deal, that’s what it is.
CIANI: Now Floyd, when we had Freddie Roach on our show last week—
MAYWEATHER: Who? Freddie ‘The Joke Coach’ Roach!
CIANI: Yeah, we had him on our show—
MAYWEATHER: Or is it Freddie ‘The Dope Coach’ Roach? Which one are you going to talk about?
CIANI: Well Freddie said that if your son doesn’t come around, he said they might look for the winner of the Williams-Martinez rematch and have Pacquiao move up to fight for the middleweight title against the winner of that. Do you think that Pacquiao, as small as he is, would you think that he could move up to middleweight and win a portion of the middleweight title?
MAYWEATHER:Look here man, you’re asking me questions that you can’t even put an answer to it because you know how it is. You know how it is. You know exactly what I’m talking about. You know what it is. You know what’s going on just like everyone else knows. That’s all I got to tell you.
CIANI: So you do think he could win a portion of the middleweight championship, though? That’s what you’re saying?
MAYWEATHER: Hey! Pacquiao? Oh hell yeah. He can win the heavyweight title! Shit! You better put him in there with somebody where he might win but it would be tight. Let’s put him in there with the Klitschkos. That’s going to be the only person that can kind of halfway slow him down a little bit. These other big guys you’re talking about, bigger than him, you got to go higher. You got to go to the heavyweights. That’s what it is right now. This guy right here is impeccable, exceptional, excellent, truly second to none. That’s what he is right now. Somebody has got to stop him. You know what, to tell you the truth they say what they want to say but if I was my son, I wouldn’t do anything until Floyd’s people in his camp go with whatever Pacquiao wants to get whatever done, and Floyd’s people should be there. And it should be likewise with Pacquiao. All their people can come and watch little Floyd when he’s randomly checked. That’s just the way it should be at all times. If it don’t be that way there shouldn’t be no fight anyway. Everybody needs to know what’s going on. That’s all I got to say.
CIANI: Okay, going back to your son for a minute and going back to Margarito for a minute. For a long time, rightly or wrongly, a lot of fans thought that your son was afraid of Margarito—
MAYWEATHER: You, you think that, everybody thought that—
CIANI: I didn’t say I thought that. I said a lot of fans did think that—
MAYWEATHER: Yeah, they did but you know what? People can think what they want to think, but see, after Shane beat his ass and he beat Shane that just showed them right there what time it is. Don’t get me wrong, styles make fights, and definitely for sure Floyd’s got the right fight to beat Margarito. Really that’s not a problem whatsoever. Margarito takes about three minutes to throw a punch. So who in the hell is he going to hit?
CIANI: So what do you think would have happened if your son was in there against Margarito instead of Pacquiao?
MAYWEATHER: My son would have beat Margarito, man. He’ll beat Pacquiao! Look man, it’s the craziest thing in the world that I’m even on the phone talking to you about a dwarf, a midget—about a midget knocking out giants. It’s ridiculous, man! Is this what’s news today? A midget knocking out a giant? It was Goliath and Sampson or something like that, whatever it is.”
JENNA: Alright now Floyd, also when we had Roach on he mentioned that he thought his other fighter, Amir Khan, would have a very good shot to beat your son. What are your thoughts on Amir Khan as a fighter?
MAYWEATHER: Amir Khan would get the shit beat out of him. That’s another thing. They’re from the same camp now. So whatever they’re doing, all of them could be doing it or whatever. They’re from the same camp. It’s the same thing. There ain’t nobody going to beat nobody. There ain’t no more daylight. You know? Amir Khan got a glass jaw. He’s got a glass jaw so I know damn well if somebody hit his ass and he’s still standing up, okay. If you’re still standing up, okay. Something must be behind it to make him still standing up. Why would he be standing? He’s got a glass jaw!
JENNA: Now Floyd, you mentioned many times before that you thought Roach was a “joke of a coach”. You thought he should be called “The Dope Coach”, but what do you think of his training abilities? Do you think he’s a good trainer?
MAYWEATHER: I’m going to be honest with you, and with the Lord as my witness—I don’t play with the big man above, it’s the truth—no. Don’t get me wrong now. We got a different type of sickness. I got a sickness, too. I got sarcoidosis. It’s a bad disease, too, what I got. It’s a lung disease, but it has me, the last couple of weeks I’ve been in the hospital because of this right here. But like I said, the things they were doing about Freddie Roach the other day with those guys doing all this stuff. I didn’t get a chance to see it. A lot of people were telling me about it. They were doing the shaking things and whatever. That’s bad. I don’t like that at all. It has nothing to do with it, but do I think he’s a good coach? To be honest with you, no I don’t and a lot of other people don’t either. I got to give him some props because he’s doing what he’s doing. He’s making good money. You can’t take that from him. He’s brought himself to the point to where some people believe it. A lot of people that don’t box and don’t know boxing, they believe things that are really not there. Soon enough, when things keep happening and things come down the whole world will get a chance to see, how good was he really? How good was he really? Was he false or was he the truth? That’s what they’re going to come down and see. Is he the real Freddie Roach? Or is he the joke? That’s what it’s going to be, and like said as a trainer he’s no good. If they followed up all that stuff and t hey do what he said they were going to do, I mean have little Floyd go to their camp while they’re doing his thing? Well we ain’t got to go to the camp. Each guy goes to the other guy’s camp when the other one’s doing what they’re doing, and then you will find out. You will find out. Pacquiao was nothing that the people thought he was, and you will see that his coach was nothing, either.
JENNA: Now Floyd you mentioned before that you were in the hospital the last couple of weeks. Can you tell the fans out there, because people were concerned, can you give them a health update and tell them how you’re feeling?
MAYWEATHER: I’m feeling good today. I’m ready to take care of my business. I’m ready to get back in the gym and do it like no other. Hey! I bet you one thing. People who come to my gym will sit down and learn something. You got all these fans. You know what? Listen if they’re on an equal ground, Floyd and Manny Pacquiao, then you will see what happens there. If me and Freddie were on equal ground, you will see what happens there. Guess what? The Mayweathers rise to the occasion again.
JENNA: Since you’re planning to get back in the gym now and fans have been eager to see you training fighters again, who are you working with?
MAYWEATHER: I’ve got a few guys that’s coming. Right now I’m working with another guy in the bay area and I’m working with this middleweight guy named Huey. I’m working with about three guys now. I get calls daily. I got another guy who’s supposed to come in this week. One of them was named Juan and the other one was named, I think his name is Carlos. I trained one for a few months and the other one I trained him for a week. I’m getting ready to train those guys over here as well.
JENNA: Well we’re definitely looking forward to seeing you back out there Floyd, but I have just a couple of more questions before we let you off the line. There have been a lot of questions about your son’s future and who he’s going to fight next. You said you don’t want to see him fight Pacquiao if Pacquiao doesn’t take the test—
MAYWEATHER: No! No, no, no. What I’m saying is, my thing is know where he could—even though my son is not a big, my son is a good puncher but he’s not a big puncher. He’s not a, I mean he’s got a good knockout record himself. He ain’t no great, great puncher but he’s a good puncher and he’s got speed, and he’s got smarts, and he’s slick, and he’s clever, and he’s smooth—something that Pacquiao does not have. All those things I just named, Pacquiao ain’t got. He got the power, but hey! When do they say where did he get it from? Now all of a sudden he’s got all this power? Something is just not right. I know the world knows what’s happening. The ones who want to be true to the game and face up to the facts, then they know. Whatever it is, I don’t know what it is. Is it some kind of spiritual kind of power that he’s got? I don’t know where he got it from but hey, more power to him. That’s all I could tell you.
JENNA: Now Floyd, I was mentioning though about your son. If he doesn’t fight Pacquiao for whatever reason it is, do you think the winner of Martinez-Williams is an attractive match-up for Floyd in May?
MAYWEATHER: I don’t see either match-up. What’s that guy’s name? Paul Williams or what was his name?
JENNA: Sergio Martinez.
MAYWEATHER: Or Sergio Martinez. I don’t think little Floyd’s a candidate for none of them, because I feel like little Floyd should stay in his division and not being like a Pac-Man that’s tracking all over the place, and eating everything, and getting strong and big and stuff. I just don’t think little Floyd can do that. Going weight after weight class, you go ten, fifteen, twenty pounds above your weight class and are knocking guys out and beating them up and making them quit and all that. Hey look! I don’t think so. I wouldn’t advise my son to do that. He’s a grown man. Understand me, he has a choice to do what he chooses to do, but I don’t think he will do it, either. There is no gain there for him in doing that. I wouldn’t do it if I was him because fighting at your weight class, you don’t need to try and be the Pac-Man and doing all that pecking and stuff and get yourself like that. So just be natural, just stay natural and be Floyd. That’s what he should do. Stay and be Floyd.
JENNA: But I have to ask you from what you’re saying here, if it’s not Pacquiao and it’s not the winner of Martinez-Williams, do you think your son might call it quits and he might retire because of a lack of opponents out there?
MAYWEATHER: There is no reason for him to fight, especially when stuff ain’t right. That’s all I’m going to say. Especially when things are not right, no he shouldn’t fight. That’s why I don’t want him to fight, because I know things are not right. And you know just what I’m saying. It’s so plain to see, anybody could see it.
JENNA: Alright, well Floyd I have one final question for you. Pacquiao is turning 32. Your son is 33 now. Where do you think the sport of boxing will be when both Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Junior retire?
MAYWEATHER: Well you know I’ll be honest with you. The game is not looking up at all and I would advise my son, if he chooses not to fight anymore he’s got enough money to live the rest of his life. Leave the game alone. It ain’t worth it. You already proved yourself. He’s a Hall of Famer. There ain’t nothing left boxing can do for you, anyway. So it’s about money. If you take a chance with your life for money, hey! Look, it’s only you at the end of the day. You don’t have to take chances like that. It’s just like if he was standing out on, what are those things? When you walk across? When a guy Is working construction? When guys are working construction and they walk across those things that keep it up? The things that are coming down there and holding it up? I’m just telling you that these are the types of chances that you’re taking. So you ain’t got to walk the small line and be on a pole vault and all this. He ain’t got to do all that. Quit! Leave the game alone! You already made your mark in the game. You showed people who you are. Everybody knows Mayweather. There ain’t nothing to tell. Everybody knows Pacquiao. Everybody knows Mayweather. They’re going to continue to know Mayweather. They’re going to remember Mayweather from the one who was scared of Pacquiao. That’s just alright. You know what? You ain’t going to be no further than him at the end of the day. The only thing is he’s going to break down real fast at the end of the day for being that man. Pacquiao’s done things he shouldn’t be pecking on. So that’s why the Pac-Man when he quits, guess what? That kind of stuff happens when you’re pecking on things you have no business pecking on. So you got that right.
JENNA: Alright well Floyd, it’s been a pleasure talking to you and I actually just have one final question. Is there any message you want to give out to the fans there about what they can expect from you in 2011?
MAYWEATHER: Well I’m writing a book this year. I’m writing a book and I’m planning on doing a sitcom. There will be about ten of them. There will be about 30 or 40 thousand an episode. Then the book will be on the shelf and I’ll be traveling around the cities and writing books and giving some books away. So that’s going to be pretty much my thing next year. So everything is doing pretty good right now.
JENNA: Great! Well we love to hear that. We’ll definitely have to keep our fans posted about that book you’re having Floyd, but again I’d like to thank you for your time. It was a pleasure having you on, especially on our 100th episode, and we thank you for your time and wish you the best of luck in the future, Floyd.
MAYWEATHER: Thank you, I appreciate it.
CIANI: Thanks Floyd.
MAYWEATHER: Thank you. Bye, bye!
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For those interested in listening to the Floyd Mayweather interview in its entirety, it begins approximately one hour and twenty-two minutes into the program.
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