Monday, April 19, 2010

Inside camp Mayweather: Floyd Sr. calls Mosley into question and speaks of the danger that awaits

Over the years the father-son tandem of Floyd Mayweather Sr. and Jr. has seen its share of ups and downs. Having trained his son since he was just a toddler, the elder Mayweather was able to see his child flourish in the sport and while he saw championship potential he would soon discover that things weren’t going to play out nearly as he expected.

While Mayweather Sr. took a great deal of pride in guiding his son to his first world title in late 1998, a feat that helped garner him Manager of the Year honors by the Boxing Writer's Association of America, underneath the surface their was tension between the dynamic duo. Within a few years' time the pot would boil over and bitter falling out would ensue, leaving Floyd Sr. on the outside looking in.

Still one thing you can say about the two men is that they have often found a way to put aside their differences and settle their issues. And just as Little Floyd prepares tirelessly for his May 1st clash with ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, so too does his father put out his share of effort and emotions as he watches his son intently on a day to day basis as he trains at his own personal gym. With the Mosley clash less than two weeks away Floyd Sr. recently opened up on the speculated history that has surrounded the two fighters.

“What happened is Little Floyd won the title against Genero Hernandez and then we challenged Shane,” Floyd Sr. states. “He was pound for pound back then and the lightweight champion. Little Floyd was jr. lightweight champion and we challenged them but they didn’t want to take the fight. I know for a fact that Little Floyd challenged Shane three times and he never took the fight. At that time I don’t know whether Shane did it or their daddy did it but they asked for ten million dollars at that time. At that time they weren’t passing that kind of money out. Now he’s probably fighting for less. He has an opportunity right now to take care of his business. We don’t want to hear any s*** after he gets his ass whipped that he wasn’t training right.”

When asked whether or not Mosley was a more formidable challenge years back as opposed to today, Mayweather began to critique and evaluate the situation. Trying to remain objective, it is obvious that Floyd Sr. has a certain lack of respect for the accomplishments of the Pomona fighter, who is widely regarded as one of this generation’s finest pugilists.

“Anytime somebody is younger they are more dangerous,” Mayweather states. “They have more speed, they have more power, and you got good legs. Everything is always better when you are younger. I really don’t know whether Shane could have whooped Little Floyd at any time. We’ll find out on the first. I’ve heard people say that Shane is as fast as Little Floyd and that’s bull****. It might look like it but it’s not. He does have power. But his punches are wide and he leaves himself opened up. Whenever he opens up like that you are open. All Shane has to is what he is asked to do and what he is supposed to do and the fight is on.”

Mayweather Sr. went on to speak about not paying any mind to the rematch clause in his son’s fight with Mosley and said that the team is prepared for anything. With that Floyd Sr. turned his attention to his checkered relationship with his son over the years, pointing out that even from a distance he always found a way to show his child support.

“You know what? I do remember telling my son ‘Look, listen to me. You know I aint gonna tell you nothing wrong’”, he said. “The last fight you saw with Marquez? I instructed that. Another fight would be Diego Corrales. That was around the time that I had my separation from Little Floyd. I called my son up because I had my doubts about that fight. I told him the things he need to do with Corrales. I thought it was a rangy guy plus he had a hell of punch. That was my concern. The whole thing was that he didn’t really have to worry about that. I know that guys who have to load up on punches are usually in trouble.”

Over the years the elder Mayweather has never been shy about proclaiming his son’s greatness. He has seen his son rise in weight while succeeding in multiple divisions and offered up more insight when asked what Little Floyd’s best weight class was and how he would have fared against legends of the past.

“I can’t really say,” Sr. states. “To be honest he has fought well in every weight class. I can’t say because every weight class he has fought at he has looked superb. Against Leonard when I fought him I already had an injured hand, otherwise I felt I could have beat him. I really think that [Thomas] Hearns would have been a much more difficult fight because of his range and his power. He didn’t have a great chin but he really could punch.”

Mayweather’s brief rap session closed out with his thoughts on whether or not Floyd Jr. would be able to possibly stop Shane. When informed that Floyd has 25 knockouts in 40 fights, Mayweather delves into the danger that Mosley faces on the 1st and also points that his mindset might not be in the right place.

“That’s a good knockout ratio. To be hitting like that and knocking guys out, Shane has a good chance of being knocked out too. If you attack the body you have a better chance of breaking him down. Everybody you know who has hit him to the body has caused him problems. [Floyd] pours a lot of energy into his fights and the whole thing is he is going to be up to the fight. Shane has finally stepped up because he has no choice but to step up. He has borrowed money from Golden Boy and that tells you something isn’t right.”

Author: Chris Robinson

Source: Examiner.com


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