With all the talk in the past week in boxing centering around the rematch between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley, discussion about a rematch not happening has also been in the news. Floyd Mayweather Jr. announced that the fans can choose his next opponent, and the options are between Amir Khan and Marcos Maidana. The thought was that Maidana was no longer available after Adrien Broner exercised his rematch clause, but when you are boxing?s #1 fighter, clearly you can call the shots, rematch clause or not.
In part 2 of my interview with Floyd Mayweather Sr, I discuss with him the Mayweather Jr. sweepstakes and what fighter he ultimately prefers to see his son step into the ring with. I also talk with Floyd about his son?s incredible run as a boxing champion and what he thinks about the significance of it. Additionally, Floyd gives his views on the future of Adrien Broner, and if he believes that a Maidana rematch is the right move for the young former champion, and his thoughts on how a rematch would play out. Here is what Floyd Mayweather Sr. had to say.
Jenna J: Floyd, there is a fan vote to decide your son?s next opponent. As the trainer, who do you want your son to fight?
Floyd Mayweather Sr: Like I said, it don?t make a difference to me with either one of them because Marcos Maidana he?s not in Floyd?s class either. He might be better than Khan, but he ain?t better than Floyd. As a matter of fact, Khan beat him didn?t he?
Jenna J: Yeah he did.
Mayweather Sr: Alright then, that?s gonna show you what time of the day it is then. Both of them know the deal, any of them guys, they aren?t slick enough, clever enough, smooth enough. None of them can do nothing with Floyd, none of them. Floyd ain?t even in their class, there?s a whole other different class. Floyd?s an A+ class and these guys are C?s and D?s.
Jenna: Floyd, in regards to your son, have you talked with him about getting back to the gym and start training, because it?s starting to get to that point where you guys want to start making preparations. Have you had any talks with him?
Mayweather Sr: Oh my son was at the gym the other day. He started the other day when he got up, he asked, ?Daddy, do you think it?s alright what I?m doing right now?? I said, ?Yep, you?re doing it right, keep doing what you?re doing.? He just started the other day. He has started the training now.
Jenna: I found something interesting about your son, it?s been 18 years since he medaled in the Olympics, and it?s kind of an amazing stat that he?s at the top of his game after all this time, it?s a rare feat for boxers in history. What do you think about that?
Mayweather Sr: That?s amazing, it is amazing. I never heard of nobody doing it. He?s still right at the top of the game now. I?ll be honest, I don?t know if anybody did it before.
Jenna: Not at this level. Muhammad Ali, he was a champion 18 years after he won the medal but he had lost to Leon Spinks and he had to win back his title, then he retired after that, but not someone like Floyd at the top of their game.
Mayweather Sr: So far in that aspect, Floyd has surpassed that. Ali is one of my favorite fighters. I like the younger Ali, Cassius Clay, that?s who I like. Even though I liked Ali when he was fighting, a lot of things that he did, I realized myself at the end of the day that it wasn?t good, doing the Rope-a-dope and things like that. That? what I think pretty much got him in this kind of condition that he?s in right now, but it don?t make a difference, he was still one of my favorite fighters.
Jenna: Last time I had you on, you talked a lot about Adrien Broner and his future. Apparently he wants to fight Marcos Maidana in a rematch next, he exercised the rematch clause. I?m curious, do you think he can win that fight after not looking so good last time out?
Mayweather Sr: I?m gonna tell you, anytime someone gets their ass whooped like Broner or even Pacquiao got whooped, I don?t think there?s no coming back, and especially with the trainer that Broner has. There ain?t no coming back. They don?t know anything to do or what to do because they?re one dimensional, they have no plans for him of how to fight.
They?re gonna sit him in there with the same thing that he had before, he?s going up the same row and he?s gonna meet the same man and he?s gonna get hurt worse this time. I?m telling you the truth because when Maidana hits him upside the head again, he knows he went down before.
In this fight right here with Maidana, listen to me and listen to my words right now, he?s either gonna get knocked out by Maidana or he?s gonna quit! He?s gonna quit on the stool or he?s gonna quit in the fight somewhere or he?s gonna get knocked out, it?s gonna happen.
Jenna: Do you think it?s a mistake that he?s going right after the rematch?
Mayweather Sr: I think the way he got beat up, I think he should have took at least two good tune ups, at least. I don?t think nobody should go right back behind a terrible beating like that. As a matter of fact, I know he?s doing it out of anger.
He ain?t doing it by thinking with his mind, because his trainer is not even thinking. If they were thinking, they would tell him, ?No, we are not gonna take this fight right now, right back to back.? If his trainers were in control, they would be telling him right now that he doesn?t need that fight and he shouldn?t take that fight, but instead he?s calling the shots and he?s the one telling them, ?Look I want it right now.?
He?s talking about wanting Maidana right now, but he doesn?t want Maidana right now, he doesn?t want Maidana at all to tell you the truth. When Maidana gets through this time, you don?t got to worry about it because the whole game will be over. I?m here to tell you, he?s gotta do something magnificent to overshadow what happened to him the last time.
He?s got to do something incredible, and I don?t see that in him. If he?s trying to do the Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr. stuff, he cannot do it, he cannot do it. Hey, I?m the master of showing that, I?m the one that showed my son. If he wants to learn it, he?s gotta come here, but you know what? This time he started again without the Mayweather?s, it?s gonna end the same way.
