Taking a break from training for his May 4 fight in Las Vegas against Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero, eight-time and five-division boxing champion Floyd “Money” Mayweather was in Atlanta to take in the NCAA Final Four tournament games and talk up his May Day fight.
Mayweather arrived at Ruth’s Chris steakhouse in downtown Atlanta with an entourage of about 20 men. The boxer wore sunglasses throughout his speech and told reporters that he had not slept since Thursday.
He said he was still training for his fight with Guerrero, but seemed less than intimidated by the six-time and four-division world champion who will be his opponent.
“I’ve beat everybody already,” Mayweather said. “I barely even know who Robert Guerrero is. I’m being honest. When people buy a pay-per-view they’re buying it to see Floyd Mayweather.
“I’m really not worried,” he continued. “The main thing he’s got to worry about, he needs to worry about what I do. I don’t have to worry about what he does. I’ve showed what I can do.”
The undefeated boxer recently signed a deal with Showtime that has faced criticism from boxing enthusiasts because it will essentially allow Mayweather to choose his opponents for the length of his contract with the network. Some are concerned that those opponents won’t give the champion much of a challenge, but Mayweather said it’s a contract that he deserves.
“I earned the right to pick and choose whoever I want to pick and choose,” he said. “I’m almost 40, I’m not 21. I feel I have the right to choose who I want to choose and pick who I want to pick. Nobody is forced to watch it.”
Mayweather also talked about his relationship with his father, his new documentary on Showtime and why he was in Atlanta less than a month from a pay-per-view fight for the WBC and Ring Magazine Welterweight World Championships.
“I love basketball,” said Mayweather, who calls himself an avid fan of the college game. “I honestly feel if it aint blood, sweat and tears it’s not a sport. To me, it’s just an activity if it’s not blood, sweat and tears. These guys pour their hearts out.”
As for the tournament, Mayweather talked about his “busted” bracket in which he picked Indiana to win it all, with Michigan, Duke and Wisconsin rounding out the Final Four, and his plans for Monday night’s national championship game between Michigan and Louisville.
“Both teams are stacked with talent,” he said. “When Syracuse had a lead over Louisville, they got comfortable and Louisville was able to come back; the same thing they did with Wichita State. But I think that if Michigan gets a lead like that it’s gonna be kind of hard to come back.”
Mayweather said he would be placing a small wager on the game’s outcome, but wasn’t ready to say on which team he would be placing his money.
“I’m gonna watch the first half, then I’ll bet,” Mayweather said, adding that he’d be putting down “about 50 [thousand dollars]” on the game’s outcome.
About Post Author
