Despite their bad relationship, “I am the innovator, motivator and creator of Lil? Floyd”
JM: It?s been a while. How is everything looking with Floyd Jr. for Saturday night?
Floyd Mayweather Sr: I don?t know man. I ain?t staying in touch with my son right now.
JM: Recently, on HBO?s Mayweather-Cotto 24/7 it appeared as if the two of you had somewhat of reconciliation. That’s not the case?
Floyd Mayweather Sr: The reason I was down at the gym anyway was because I was bringing a girl that [my brother] Roger used to train down to the gym. She wanted to go down there and visit Roger and that?s why I was down there, visiting the gym. All that stuff on that Lil? Floyd saying on TV about me stopping by the gym to get on TV is crazy. I was on TV before he was born, so what the hell is he talking about? I don?t know what he is talking about. He would never have been on TV in the first place if it wasn?t for me.
JM: How do you feel about the Mayweather-Cotto HBO 24/7 series displaying the bond between your son and Roger, who is his trainer?
Floyd Mayweather Sr: Man, with all the time I invested into my son, he is going to go around and say the stuff he says about me? Man, I?d tell Lil? Floyd like this, you should be ashamed of yourself young man. That is still my son at the end of the day. When he wins, I win because that is my son. I birthed him and I taught him how to fight. Roger can talk about how he made Lil? Floyd but what the hell is he talking about? I made Lil? Floyd. He can go scream about how Roger did this and how Roger did that because Daddy was in prison. I?ll tell you just like I would tell him right now. I trained you all the way up to when you was 16. Then all of a sudden by the time when you were at that age you had developed the same style of fighting that you use today. Using your shoulder, you?re fighting just like your daddy used to, Lil? Floyd. Roger never used his damn shoulder, his daddy did. He is fighting just like me, not Roger. So he can say whatever the hell he wants to say. Roger is going around saying that he is the best trainer? I was the one that made Lil? Floyd a champion, I made [Oscar] De La Hoya a champion three times, I made Steve Forbes a champion, I made Chad Dawson a champion. Who the hell has Roger trained? My son, that?s it. Besides that, he ain?t trained anybody else. What the hell have you accomplished Roger? You training a fighter that somebody else trained from the start, you didn?t have to do anything. Lil? Floyd was already made when Roger got to him. Roger’s little son likes to box, why don?t you go train your own damn son? Go make your own son champion. I made my son champion, not Roger. Then Freddie Roach got a show on HBO? Do you really think that I am going to waste my time and look at some sh*t like that on my TV? Freddie the joke, coach Roach think he the best damn trainer in the world too. Man, I?m telling you we should have some sort of training competition, where we all get together and train the same fighter and then let the people be the judge. All that bullshit about who is the best would take a rest. I am the innovator, motivator, and creator of Lil? Floyd.
JM: What are your thoughts on your son?s fight on Saturday night?
Floyd Mayweather Sr: I think Cotto will put up a good fight. Yeah, Cotto will put up a good fight. Cotto has some skills but Lil? Floyd got more skills than Cotto. Cotto gets cut easy. This is going? to be a tough fight for Lil? Floyd. Anybody can give you a tough fight but it?s really about if you can you get the win at the end of the day. When you step into the ring anybody has a chance, Cotto is no different.
JM: What type of game plan would a fighter need in order to beat your son?
Floyd Mayweather Sr: Well how would I know? You see what he saying on TV. He is saying that his daddy ain?t taught him anything, so how would I know? Roger been with him for 11 years or whatever it is, it don?t make any difference. I trained that boy since he came out the crib and he won his first world title with me. I tell you this here man, in order for a fighter to beat Lil? Floyd the guy would have to have a non-stop body attack and be consistent. I?ll just leave it at that, they have to be consistent. Look, he is still my son at the end of the day.
JM: What are your thoughts on Miguel Cotto?s new trainer, Pedro Diaz?
Floyd Mayweather Sr: (laughs) That man is comical, very comical. Cotto could?ve stayed with Emanuel Steward or anybody else that he had and he would?ve been alright. The game plan he came up with [in the rematch against Antonio] Margarito worked for Cotto well. But who the hell is Margarito though? A big mummy man. He stands in front of you all night like a damn mummy. Cotto could?ve whooped his ass without that trainer anyway.
JM: Who are you picking to win the Saul Alvarez-Shane Mosley fight?
Floyd Mayweather Sr: It depends on what Shane comes in. That?s what it really depends on, the Shane that comes into the ring that night. My sight and my belief is that Shane is fighting for the money and Alvarez is going to tear his ass up. Like I said, it depends on which way Shane comes. I doubt that we will see the Shane that we used to see years ago. If the Shane that fought Margarito comes to the ring that night then I think we will see a good, hell-of-a war.
JM: What about Manny Pacquiao?s upcoming fight against Timothy Bradley?
Floyd Mayweather Sr: (laughs) That right there is a joke man. I?ll tell you like this right here, I?ll refrain from commenting on that because I?m going through litigation right now and I don?t want to get hung up on telling you how I really feel that man.
JM: You once trained Chad Dawson. What do you think about his performance against Bernard Hopkins this past weekend?
Floyd Mayweather Sr: I think Chad?s performance was bad and I ain?t saying that because I trained Chad before all these other trainers trained him. I don?t care what kind of shape Hopkins was in, all I know is if a man is 18 or 19 years older than me, I?m going to whoop the shit out of him. Chad didn?t whoop shit. He was in there throwing one punch at a time. For a young buck like Chad, he should?ve looked a lot better. He should?ve thrown jabs and combinations but instead he?s in there throwing these big, wide punches. He was throwing one or two punches at a time. Man, he wasn?t doing shit. Hopkins did well for himself in his career but everybody has their time and his time is up.
JM: Any closing thoughts, Floyd?
Floyd Mayweather Sr: Yeah, Saturday night is going to be a rough fight for my son. Cotto got skills to make it a rough fight for lil? Floyd but lil? Floyd going to win. To all them trainers out there like my brother, Roger and Freddie Roach: let?s all get together and have this training competition to see who is the best. I would win by a landslide.
