During any high-profile boxing match there always seems to be many subplots and storylines surrounding the event itself. Such was the case on September 19th of last year when Floyd Mayweather soundly defeated brave Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
On the surface what stood out most to fans watching in the arena or at home was Mayweather?s still-apparent speed, timing, and ring generalship. It was a whitewash performance, one that signified that Floyd was indeed back in the big picture, but moments prior there were developments of a different kind taking place.
Former IBO Jr. lightweight champion Jeff Mayweather, now a top-flight trainer who is a fixture in the Vegas scene, was in the building to check his nephew out but he couldn’t have expected the change that was right around his corner. Out of the blue Mayweather would be confronted by former title challenger Miguel Callist who simply pointed at him and said ?You are the one?.
Little did Mayweather know that Callist had been having his eye on him for some time, as the Panamanian felt that he would be the perfect fit for his good friend, IBF and WBA Super bantamweight champion Celestino Caballero. Callist told Mayweather of his wishes for the men to work something out and Mayweather was receptive. Months went by and Mayweather kept in touch with Caballero and his team until the Colon native finally made his way to Las Vegas earlier this year.
Training together for the very first time at Richard Steele Boxing Club, Mayweather and Caballero began getting to know each other as both professionals in the sport and as men outside of the ropes. Mayweather instantly was able to relate to the champion?s modest demeanor and claims that his tireless work ethic was a breath of fresh air.
Caballero?s presence was felt in the gym as well, as aspiring amateurs and professionals began taking notice of his commitment and care free nature. There were initially rumors of a tune up bout in Panama followed by a big showdown with WBA featherweight champion Yuriorkis Gamboa but those whispers soon deceased when it was announced that Caballero had been added as the co-feature to the HBO televised showdown between Andre Berto and Carlos Quintana this Saturday, April 10th. Both Mayweather and Caballero arrived in South Florida for the bout earlier this week and when asked about what the showdown means to their respective careers, Mayweather concedes that much is at stake.
?It?s our first time working together so it is a situation where everything is based on your first performance,? Jeff says. ?It?s a situation where we both worked very hard and to be honest I think we make a great team. Not just me and him but his manager as well because all three of us basically have the same temperament. All three of us are very laid back and humble guys. It?s an ideal situation for me to be in. Now it?s just a matter of everything taking place inside the ring because and the end of the day that is what counts. Basically we worked very hard and Celestino is going to be extremely hard for anyone to beat and I would say that for anyone all the way up to 135 and 140 pounds. He?s that good. At the same time right now we have to deal with what is in front of us.?
For the bout Caballero is moving up to the featherweight division to face off with unbeaten yet relatively untested Daud Yordan, best known for fighting Roberto Guerrero to no-decision in March of last year. The interim WBA belt will be at stake and while Yordan is far from a household name that hasn?t stopped the Kalimantan, Indonesia native from dishing out some venomous threats to Caballero.
?He?s a confident guy and he?s been talking trash,? Mayweather states of Yordan. ?He?s talking about how he is going to smash Celestino but I look at him and ask ?Who have you beaten??. I?ve looked at his record and most of the guys on his record are unknown. He hasn?t really beaten anybody to be talking so much trash. It?s alright to be confident but you are talking all this smack and what have you done? A manufactured record happens all the time in boxing. It’s one of those situations where he pissed me off. He?s not going to rattle Celestino because he is going to do his talking in the ring where it counts.?
When discussing his tandem with Caballero further Mayweather notes that the fighter is a genuinely great guy who he would have chosen to work with if the situation had been different. Mayweather?s beliefs were only heightened during a recent visit to South America in which he was able to see first hand how Caballero interacted with the people in his native country.
?The one thing that I liked about him was when I was down with him in Panama is that I saw that this guy is truly the people?s champion down there,? Mayweather reveals. ?Everywhere he goes he stops and there are always people cheering for him. He takes his time out to talk to anyone. He doesn?t think he is better than anyone and that?s how he lives his life. We even went to Colon and that is a bad, very bad, ghetto in Panama. That?s where he grew up. It was kind of weird because these people just accepted you with open arms. A lot of people already knew who I was too. Basically it was a good feeling because the people were showing that they appreciated the fact that I was training their champion. And they wished us all the best.?
Immediately following their 10-day visit in Panama Mayweather returned briefly to Las Vegas before heading east to South Florida. With their pivotal bout only three days away the two men have been finishing up their training at Contender?s Gym in Fort Lauderdale. Upon entering the facility Mayweather recalls being taken back a few years to a time when he guided his fighter Sultan Ibragimov, who was then the WBO Welterweight champion of the world.
?Of course the first thing I do in any kind of gym is walk around and look at the posters that are on the wall,? Mayweather claims. ?I saw the poster of the fighter I used to train, Sultan [Ibragimov] and his fight with Klitschko. And it was a great memory. Even though we didn?t win it was a good feeling to see a poster and know that I was a part of that history. We trained at the gym that John David Jackson runs. John had quite a few fighters that he was training there. We didn?t talk much but we did speak and exchange pleasantries. He let us use the ring because out of respect that Celestino is a champion. I thought that was very respectful and John has always been a good guy.?
The week leading up to a big fight in a pugilist?s career is always interesting for the fighter and his team. Mayweather?s last few weeks have been full of hustle and bustle and with the emotions surely high heading into this weekend he insists there isn?t any other place he would be then in his fighter?s corner guiding him along this Saturday night.
?Saturday and Sunday were very long days for me. Because Saturday I left Panama and left for Vegas. I wasn?t even in Vegas for 24 hours. I landed in Vegas at 6 o?clock. And we left at 8 that morning to be on my way to Florida. The flight from Panama was probably about eight hours and then the flight to Florida was even longer because I had a three and a half hour layover in Charlotte. My last two days were basically spent on a plain. When I got there I was very, very drained but I know I have to be here because this is where it is all going to happen.?
