FLOYD MAYWEATHER will not be truly appreciated until he retires declared his advisor, Leonard Ellerbe. Appreciate Floyd while he?s here, we?re told, because his career only has three fights left to run. For now, the multi-weight king is focused on the first of that closing trio ? Marcos Maidana ? on May 3. They have no interest in discussing Manny Pacquiao, a fighter Ellerbe believes Mayweather dwarfs in popularity.
?Floyd has tunnel vision,? Ellerbe said. ?He don?t see nothing but his next opponent. People want to see him knocked off his perch, and pay good money in case that happens. Look how long he?s been on top. He?s fought the best of his era. He?s still doing his thing and he?s 37 years old. Once this deal runs out [he?s three fights into a six-fight deal with Showtime] that will be that. There will be nothing left to prove. People will have a greater appreciation of what he has done for boxing when that happens, when he?s long retired. He?s the biggest star and he?s completely changed the game.?
Ellerbe, who claims the Maidana fight has already amassed over $14million in gate receipts, stated that the Argentine slugger is the hardest puncher Mayweather has faced.
?Maidana is the biggest puncher – in my opinion – that Floyd has faced up to this point,? he said. ?He has the highest knockout percentages. His fights are always entertaining. He touches people and it has an effect. Look at the Adrien Broner fight [whom Maidana outscored in December 2013]. Maidana lands a grazing shot and Broner was f***** up and after that he could not recover. There won?t be no moving around, he knows he?s got to bring it to Maidana to win this fight.?
?Maidana can fight his ass off. I don?t pay attention to no odds because we?re in a fight. This guy comes, he?s busy, he?s unorthodox and anything can happen. We saw in 2010 with the Shane [Mosley] fight. Floyd was in tip top shape and he took a big shot in the second round. We?re expecting a very exciting fight.?
Ellerbe was responding to Bob Arum?s criticisms that Mayweather-Maidana is a poor fight, that the huge underdog has no chance, and therefore, should be ignored as a viable contest. The veteran promoter?s scorn came on the back of the MGM Grand electing to heavily publicise the fight when Top Rank?s own Manny Pacquiao?s return with Tim Bradley was just days away.
?We put on the biggest events,? responded Ellerbe. ?The difference is that we?re already at $14.2million at the live gate [Mayweather-Maidana]. They barely did $8million [for Pacquiao-Bradley II]. It doesn?t compare. It?s night and day. But I?m not here to badmouth their event. Both fighters [Mayweather and Pacquiao] are very, very good.?
