MAYWEATHER SR: A FATHER'S POINT OF VIEW

After a few days of silence following the July 16 deadline that Bob Arum gave to Team Mayweather, Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe released an official statement denying that any negotiations had ever taken place. Not long after, the Mayweather family started to talk. Floyd Mayweather Sr. was featured in an exclusive On The Ropes Boxing podcast and, as expected, he gave us a number of entertaining and educational statements. The following are some lengthy excerpts from the interview. Afterwards, I’ll try to summarize the exact message that Mayweather Sr. was trying to relay.

1. Question: Floyd, I’m sure you know, Bob Arum has come out in the press and he put a deadline on Manny Pacquiao versus Floyd Mayweather Jr. He said the deadline passed. What are your thoughts on the whole contract situation trying to make that fight happen? 

   Response: My problem is, Bob Arum don’t call no (explitive) shots. Bob Arum don’t call the shots. The fight can be made anytime they want the fight to be made. Little Floyd definitely ain’t scared of no Pacquiao. That’s the last thing in the world that little Floyd is scared of, a little Filipino midget. Definitely that’s not the case.
   

2. Question: When Bob Arum was asked about the drug testing, he said, “I think the drug issue was resolved, I don’t want to go into further details.” Do you think that it was all the way solved? It wasn’t just a fourteen day deadline? Or do you think it was basically what the terms were last time?

   Response: If it was me, I’m going to say about the whole situation. If it was me about the fourteen day thing, there shouldn’t even be a fourteen day thing. It should be a random thing. That’s what it should be. It should be random. I’m saying that I don’t know what Bob Arum’s got to say about this and how he’s calling on the shots. I don’t know how all that’s going down but I’m just telling you it should be a random thing because that way, there is all kinds of ways people could do things. So I would do a random test, that way you can get tested anytime, even the day of the fight. That’s what it should be and that little pint of blood ain’t going to hurt nobody.
   

3. Question: So you think he’s afraid to fight your son?

   Response: Yeah, he’s scared. The only thing they’re trying to do is to switch this around and make it look like it’s my son that’s scared. He ain’t the one that’s scared. I know who’s scared for real. They want to try and make it look like Floyd is scared, and he wants to do this, and make him take the test. No. You take the test. There ain’t nothing wrong with you taking the test. You take the test, but one thing about it, don’t ask for the same amount of money because you don’t deserve it. You don’t deserve it.
   

4. Question: Now he said in the transcript after the deadline passed that he never directly spoke to the Mayweather camp, that he only spoke through Ross Greenberg of HBO and he spoke to Al Haymon. Do you think there was ever any real agreement in place? 

   Response: I definitely don’t think so. I don’t think so, not at all. My thing is, I think what this thing comes down to be is that my son don’t want to be paid like Pacquiao. He’s the big draw, not Pacquiao. He drew more numbers than Pacquiao and he wants to get paid like he’s supposed to be, not no 50-50. He wants to get paid like he’s supposed to get paid and I don’t blame him. I would be the same way. If you draw way more people, how in the world can they be paid the same? I’m pretty sure that’s what the whole deal is right there. Pacquiao claims he wants half, but it don’t go that way. He’s not the best fighter anyway. He knows he ain’t the best fighter and Bob Arum knows he ain’t the best fighter too. So why should you belittle yourself and take less money than you’re supposed to?
   

5. Question: Now Floyd, taking things back to your son and his potential fight with Pacquiao. If you could speak to Pacquiao right now face to face, what would you say to him? 

   Response: I’d tell him he’s a faggot. You know what I’d tell him. Go stick your head up under your dress. That’s what I would tell him. I’m being real with you. I’d tell him he ain’t nothing but a sissy and a little girl. They got, as a matter of fact, I’ve seen a thing in one of these books. Hold on just a second. Hey Lloyd! Where’s that book at about all of those athletes? That book about all of the athletes? You know the one, it had Pacquiao in there and Kobe in there? Well, you know what, I’ll tell you just like the book says it. Hold on one second here. Here it is right here, here’s the book. It has nothing to do with no sissy. Just hold on just a second. I got something right here. I’m trying to find something right here. This is exactly what I would tell him. It’s in this book here. It’s “The Twenty Biggest Bitches in the Sport.” That’s what it says, “The Twenty Biggest Bitches in the Sport.” Guess who’s right here? Manny Pacquiao. It says “Biggest Bitches in the Sport” and that’s what he is, a bitch.

Now, if you don’t mind, let me try to analyze and summarize his statements as simple as possible:

1. Floyd Sr. says Lil Floyd is not scared of Pacquiao, a little Filipino midget. He just doesn’t want Bob calling the shots.
2. Floyd Sr. insists that the 14-day cut-off period for drug testing is not acceptable. It should be random, even until the fight.
3. Floyd Sr. feels that team Pacquiao or Bob Arum is trying to make Floyd look bad in the public’s eye and that Pacquiao will have take the tests and do whatever Floyd insists. He insists Pacquiao is scared to fight Lil Floyd.
4. Floyd Sr. says Lil Floyd is the big draw, not Pacquiao, and Lil Floyd is the best fighter. He also says that a 50/50 spilt is unacceptable because Lil Floyd deserves the larger amount.
5. Floyd Sr. is quite pissed and irritated with Pacquiao.

There you go. That was pretty well put, except for that fifth quote. Floyd Sr. summarized all of the major points why the fight got busted. He points out first that the drug testing issues was not resolved because, according to him, Pacquiao is scared to take the drug tests for fear of being caught using an illegal substance called the “A-Side Meth”, which the brothers Floyd Sr. and Roger have claimed all along. As explained by the Mayweather brothers, this illegal drug was used by Filipino soldiers during the war and when properly used, soldiers would be immune to bullets, causing them to bounce off of their bodies. Another point raised is the 50/50 cash split. Floyd Sr. gave us an idea that their team demands the higher split on revenue. No exact details were given about how much they are demanding though. A third point is that Floyd is the bigger attraction and the main star, making a 50/50 split unacceptable. For his last point of view, I don’t need to elaborate anymore, but from the looks of it, the fight we were all hoping for is now on the verge of annihilation. I must admit, however, being a father is a much harder job than most of us think it is. Just ask Floyd Mayweather Sr.