LOS ANGELES ? Behind Floyd Mayweather and The Money Team or TMT is a pair of proud Filipinos who happily work for the unbeaten American champion despite his upcoming super-fight with Manny Pacquiao.
Marikit, simply known as “Kitchie,” is the organizer behind The Money Team.
After moving from the Philippines at age 11, Kitchie worked as an assistant as well as in marketing and publicity. She met Mayweather by chance and eventually became his personal assistant, making sure that all of the boxer’s needs ? in and out of the ring ? are taken care of.
“We were putting gas and he was with a bunch of friends, and I knew one of the friends that was in the car,” Kitchie said of her initial meeting with Mayweather.
“We were keeping in touch, and the next thing you know, I was around him. He was like, ‘would you like to work for me as an assistant?’ I thought he was joking, pero I took the chance,” she explained.
Meanwhile, the man behind the lens who shoots Mayweather’s videos is James Dayap, who got his start in media as an intern for The Filipino Channel.
Dayap worked as Pacquiao’s cameraman for several years. After forming a friendship with strength and conditioning trainer Alex Ariza, the two eventually went on to work with Robert Garcia’s fighters.
When Ariza joined Mayweather’s team, Dayap also came along as the new “video guy.”
“I am Floyd’s videographer, and I shoot and edit videos for him all the time,” said Dayap. “I shoot everything that he’s okay with me shooting, and I travel with him everywhere when we go on vacations.”
