Media Alert by Ben Cohen: USA Today reported today that Oscar De La Hoya has decided against having his usual trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr. prepare him for his May 5 bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, Richard Schaefer, stated that Mayweather Sr, had asked for too much money to be taken seriously. The elder Mayweather was quoted as asking for an incredible $2 million for his services in training DeLaHoya to beat his son.
“We checked with some other managers and found out what (Mike) Tyson used to pay his trainers,” Schaefer told USA Today. “We don’t want to be out of line. Oscar has always been very fair in what he pays to a trainer. But $2 million is way beyond what any trainer is ever paid.”
“We felt that $2 million was excessive”, continued Schaeffer, “and maybe it was Floyd Sr.’s way of saying he really didn’t want to do it.”
“Oscar had his own doubts about whether Floyd Sr. should be doing it ” continued Schaeffer, “because at the end of the day, as even Floyd Sr. has said, Floyd Jr. will always be his son.”
“Oscar thought about it, and he doesn’t want to put Mayweather into a difficult situation,” Schaefer continued. “It’s not just father and son. It’s the brother (Roger Mayweather trains Floyd Jr.). It’s the mother and grandmother. It’s the whole Mayweather clan. Oscar doesn’t want to stir up or create more friction.”
Schaefer added: “This is about not just the biggest boxing event but one of the biggest sporting events in history. This is not a circus. We want this to be a night when the sport of boxing can hopefully shine.”
According to the report, a new trainer will be finalized within the week
