Q
In your only other rematch, with Castillo, I think that was a fight that you won certainly much easier than whatever went down in the first fight. Would you agree with that?
F. Mayweather
But you know what I’ll say is, you know what you have to do. I’m one that always speaks his mind, and I speak from the heart so a lot of times people don’t like that. A lot of people they say certain things and I just speak on what I feel is the truth.
So if you guys really just go back and look at the Castillo first fight, and you can just put your TV on mute, the first six rounds he’s not even landing a shot. So if I win six rounds and we got six rounds left, and people don’t think out of six rounds that I’m capable of just winning just two rounds that still would be eight to four. So like I said before, I’m good with math and I’m still sharp.
But this training camp has been tremendous. I mean I’m talking about I’m in good shape. I just boxed yesterday, well the day before yesterday, fifteen rounds, and out of fifteen rounds only took one break. So I feel good.
Q
Is there anything you can take from the situation of having an immediate rematch with Castillo into this immediate rematch, only the second time in your career you’ve had a rematch, going into the Maidana fight?
F. Mayweather
I just have to go out there and just be me and be first. I can’t really say how the fight is going to play out, but I’m pretty sure he’s going to be once again extremely dirty and wild, and my job is to keep everything under control the best way that I can.
Q
What do you remember then about after the first Castillo fight of preparing yourself for a rematch with the same guy you had just fought a few months earlier?
F. Mayweather
I don’t know, with Castillo I already knew what he had done the first fight. But, with me the commentators persuade people to think a certain way. Put it on mute, put your TV on mute and watch the fight, you’ll look at the fight in a total different way. I can look at a fight and hear the commentators start saying certain things, and I’d be like sometimes the commentators will say certain things, I’ll be like what is he talking about, what is he watching.
Q
So are you saying, Floyd, in your mind you didn’t really need to make an adjustment because you felt like you won the first fight so easy you’re going to just do the same thing a second time. Was that your mentality?
F. Mayweather
Absolutely. You couldn’t say it any better.
Q
Okay. I have to ask you another question. Can you explain what is the role, if any, of Alex Ariza in your training camp?
F. Mayweather
Alex Ariza, I think he’s out in Las Vegas, I don’t know, taking care of some personal stuff. So our gym is open to everyone. In the past I’ve spoke about Alex Ariza, but I never knew him. He’d come by the gym, he’d watch me train, and he showed me some stretches before I ran and that’s it. However he handles business with his other fighters is how he handles business.
Q
So is Alex Ariza not working for you in any official capacity? Just a friendly hello at the gym?
F. Mayweather
I’m not enemies with Alex Ariza. We may just talk about boxing, we just talk about normal things. What Alex Ariza has said is “I’ve never seen a fighter in my life train as hard as you and work as hard as you. Now I see why you where you’re at. He said I just wanted to come see for myself. He basically said that I thought that ALL ACCESS was just camera tricks. I didn’t really know you worked that hard.” When he came and said I’ve never seen a fighter work as hard as you. Now I see why you are where you at in the sport of boxing.
He showed me stretches. Actually, yesterday after my run he showed me some other stretches that I can do that could help me.
Q
So he’s not part of The Money Team? Is that true, or is he going to be part of the team on fight week, either way?
F. Mayweather
I can’t say who’s going to be around me fight week. I really don’t know. I can’t really say. Leonard used to be around me a lot fight week, but I mean he’s doing different things now so he’s not around me fight week. So we don’t know who’s going to be around, but fight week I’m not around nobody. I’m at home resting. That’s where I should be.
Alex came to the gym more than just on one occasion, but just because a guy comes to the boxing gym and watches me train or a guy goes to eat with us that doesn’t mean he’s my strength and conditioning coach. He happened to be a strength and conditioning coach and showed me some stretches so far.
The only thing I can say is that he’s a strength and conditioning coach that showed me some stretches. Has he ever received a check from me? Absolutely not.
Q
There’s a love/hate relationship between Hispanics and Latinos because you have beat a lot of Latino boxers, yet they admire you because of your history. But in some way you have pushed some buttons wearing sombreros in the ring. What is that all about?
F. Mayweather
My thing is, I’m the face of boxing. I don’t have nothing against anyone in the sport of boxing. I love the Mexican, the Latino, the Spanish fans, I love them, and I appreciate them supporting the sport of boxing as a whole, and so I appreciate them all.
L. Ellerbe
Let me touch on that. Actually that’s just a myth that’s out there. Hispanic fans obviously are a huge part of the boxing fan base, but Floyd has a tremendous global base, not just only with the Americans. Everyone appreciates a great fighter, and that’s what Floyd has been able to display.
I’ll use an example, we were on the Canelo press tour. I was actually quite surprised that the Hispanic/Latino support since once we got to Mexico City the fans actually loved Floyd, moreso than their own fighters, because they actually know the sport. A lot of times what’s happened in the past is that coming up, fans feel a certain kind of way and people are always going to have opinions. But as a whole people appreciate what Floyd brings to the sport, not only just the American fans, but all the Hispanic, Mexican, everyone.
Q
Since you also said you’re an entertainer do you have anything planned for the Maidana? He’s Argentinian.
F. Mayweather
I’m pretty sure we got some interesting for the walkout and for the people. We always want to give the people excitement all around the board, so I’m pretty sure we got some excitement.
Q
With all the dirty moves that Maidana pulled in the first fight what have you prepared to do differently this time?
F. Mayweather
I can’t prepare for that. Well, I can actually. My job is to prepare for everything all around the board, but I’m going to let the referee do his job and be fair to both parties.
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