Eve of Destruction
Last of a three part series
2009-05-01
By Melody K. Hoffman

Floyd Mayweather, Sr., says his job is to win.  However, when Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao and Ricky "Hitman" Hatton meet in "The Battle of East and West," on May 2, more than just Hatton's IBO junior welterweight championship belt will be at stake. The ante will also include Pacquiao's coveted title as boxing's No. 1 pound for pound fighter.

Simultaneously the stakes will be just as high for their trainers, Mayweather Sr. and Freddie Roach, regarded as the two best trainers in boxing today.

Mayweather is set to prove he is the best in the game, and the winner will take home a specially designed four-tier trophy, measuring over five feet in height, with the inscription "No. 1 Pound for Pound Best Trainer in the World," to be presented to the trainer of the winning fighter. 

In these few days, Mayweather Sr. takes time from camp to talk about how prison saved his life, why his lung disease hasn’t slowed him down and what Ricky’s strategy is for Saturday.

Q. How is Ricky doing in his last days of camp?
A. The training is going great...it’s just a few little things that I don’t like. I’ll be able to mention it to you after we dismantle the Pacman, but right now, as far as the preparation, as far as Ricky being ready, we are ready. He’s slipping, he’s smarter, clever, he’s on target and you have a dumb coach Freddie Roach that can’t teach shit.  You have a man that I’ve forgot more than he has ever learned. So the game is over.

Freddie Roach have him throw a double hook, a right hand and a drop and that’s all he do. He does nothing exciting. Freddie aint no trainer.  Freddie should be somewhere cleaning his own damn gym.

Q. Do you think you need to be an exciting boxer in this sport?
A. Being exciting is something good. Being smart is good. Being clever is good. Being slick is good. The overall picture is being exciting. If you aint exciting, how can you draw people? If you can’t draw nobody, you aint going to make no money.

But my man, as long as he do what he’s supposed to do, for his situation, I’m good. We have prepared him very good for this fight. He’s ready.

Q. As a former fighter and now a trainer, when did you begin to understand the business of boxing?
A. That didn’t click a lot of years for me before I started making some good money. Everything takes time and you go through the hard knocks and stuff before you get yourself really on your feet. I’ve done a little bit of everything to try and make money the way that I felt like it was necessary for me to do. I sold drugs…I wasn’t a bad person but I did sell drugs and it didn’t mean anything to me because when I got caught, my thing wasn’t telling on anybody.  I did the crime; I’m going to do the time. That’s the way it went.

I’m here to tell you that all of it was a learning lesson for me though.  If I had not learned what I learned, I’d probably be in a graveyard somewhere had I not went to prison. I think the prison saved me. The Lord saved me and did something to take me away from what I was doing, and when I got in prison, I prayed.  I prayed a lot, every night and sometimes in the day because I couldn’t even believe I was in prison. I came out of prison and the Lord landed me on my feet and hopefully I don’t ever look back.

Q. How did you not return to your old ways?
A. I would definitely say boxing saved me all the way. I vowed that I would not go back to prison. You know that I trained my son to be world champion. Lil Floyd called for me and wanted me to come down there and train him after I got out of prison and got through with being on probation and all that stuff and that’s what I did.  I went down there for six months and made him a champion.

Q. Was that your first paid training job?
A. No, I trained some fighters before I went to prison, so I knew the ropes anyway.  It wasn’t like I was just learning the ropes. I knew the ropes.

Q. On the HBO show “24/7”, you talked about your disease sarcoidosis. When were you diagnosed?
A. In 2001. I’ve been dealing with it and it’s been a hectic, rough, difficult thing to deal with, but the Lord blessed me to be here.  Whatever He puts in front of us, He not going to give us no more than we can take, so I’m happy with what I got.  I don’t want it, but I’m going to live with it.  I’m going to be happy with it right now if that’s what He choose to give me…and try to live my life the best I can.

Q. How has it changed your life physically?
A. Physically it’s a bad day for me pretty much every day. Sometimes until I take it off my head (when it’s not on his mind), it only manifests because we talking. When you talk about it, it gets in my throat, it makes me cough. It’s the truth. We can talk all day, I will never cough.  As soon as you say something about sarcoidosis, it’s going to happen. It just do.

Q. So is it a mental thing?
A. I realized it got to be a mental thing. It’s a mental thing that manifests itself.    It’s something I can’t do about it because when I talk about it, it happens.
Bernie Mac had it, I got it.  I know quite a few people with it now…it will attack any tissue in your body…but I do what I have to do. 

Q. From day to day, as you’re training Ricky, does it hinder you?
A. I always cough a lot when I’m training Ricky. I train him on the pads and stuff…or when I hold the ball, that’s hard agony.  That’s rough and tough agony right there. Because when I want something done, I’m going to cough for at least 15 minutes straight.  Usually when I’m there, a friend will give me a cup of water or a bottle of water…and that cools me down right quick.  Because if not, I’ll be coughing up the whole gym.

I’m much better now.  I got medicine from the holistic doctor from a little town close to Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Now I’ve been taking vitamins and that makes me feel even better.  So it aint bad as it has been. 

Q. Are you doing anything to bring boxing back to Grand Rapids where you started?
A. No I haven’t thought about it yet.  I am thinking about in the near future—I’m thinking about it-I’m not saying that I’m going to do it yet—but I am thinking about getting my own gym.  And once I do something like that, I’m pretty sure that I’m going to step over into the next category and start making things happen for the fighters that are there. My son is probably the only one that can fight there now. Not Lil Floyd, my other son.  He’s 21, Justin Jones. 

Q. Have you thought about where you would open the gym?
A. I think the best place for me to open a gym would be Vegas.  I don’t want to be nowhere, even in my hometown, not saying nothing bad about my hometown, but I don’t want to go nowhere where everyone wants to get in and play and nobody wants to pay.

Q. What is the strategy for tomorrow night?
Ricky’s in good shape. He’s smart, right now, more technically sound, he’s using his jab more, he’s using his feet more and he’s throwing more punches.

Come May 3rd, Pacquiao’s ass will be grass and we’ll be the lawn mower. Come Sunday, the lawn mower will be in the garage cooling out. That’s pretty much the way it’s going to be. Trust me. 

Floyd Mayweather, Sr. Part 1 - High Stakes
Floyd Mayweather, Sr. Part 2

The Pacuiao- Hatton championship bout airs Saturday May 2 on HBO Pay-Per-View.

UPDATE: Mayweather’s dreams of Trainer of the Year were short-lived. Pacquiao destroyed Hatton in a second round KO.