GRAND RAPIDS — Throughout his adult life, in so many ways, he has been the “other” Mayweather.
Even now, he watches from the outside, while the other members of his prominent boxing family work toward Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s fight with Oscar De La Hoya next month.
But Jeff Mayweather knows something they don’t: He knows what it is like to fight De La Hoya, because he did it.
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“I got that fight,” he said, “because I was fortunate enough to have the last name Mayweather.”
Jeff Mayweather lacks the acerbic method of his brothers, Floyd Mayweather Sr. and Roger Mayweather. He doesn’t have their quick name recognition in the boxing community, even though he shares their surname. He never could punch much, which is a major reason why.
But he has some things they don’t, like a college degree, and an Internet boxing column, and virtually universal respect from anyone who meets him. He also has his own burgeoning career as a professional trainer going, and is scheduled to work the corner in a heavyweight championship fight this spring.
And while Roger Mayweather is training Floyd Mayweather Jr. to fight De La Hoya, and Floyd Mayweather Sr. worked six years as De La Hoya’s trainer, Jeff Mayweather has a unique perspective.
De La Hoya was fresh out of the Olympics, with a 4-0 record, when he fought Jeff Mayweather in 1993 at Las Vegas Hilton.
They had sparred together a couple months earlier, and Mayweather knew it was a troublesome situation, despite his 23-2-2 record, because of the power disparity.
“It’s one of those feelings you get, that any fighter knows, that realistically, the only way you can win is if the other fighter gets counted out,” Mayweather said. “It’s a horrible situation, especially when you know you don’t have what it takes to win.”
