Mayweather grants first post-retirement interview

[Pleeb]

And he says HBO is racist:

GRAND RAPIDS -- Floyd Mayweather, who often heard himself pointedly criticized on HBO boxing telecasts, responded in kind Friday, during his first post-retirement interview.

Mayweather criticized the network's announcers for a bias against black fighters, and for not treating their own indiscretions as seriously as those committed by people they cover, during an exclusive interview with The Press.

"Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant, Emanuel Steward, they're always talking about the negative things in my life," Mayweather said. "But I've seen Jim Lampley in the same strip club as me before. They always want to talk about me going to strip clubs, but they don't want to talk about that.

Mayweather, the Grand Rapids native who returned home this weekend to host a holiday carnival and entertainment festival, was convicted on four counts of misdemeanor assault, and pleaded no contest to another, earlier in his career.

The convictions often proved fruitful topics for television one-liners.
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• More on Mayweather's first interview

"He caught a court case himself, too. But when they catch a case, all they do is take them off the air a couple weeks, then it's over."

Lampley, the lead announcer on HBO boxing, last year received three years' probation for violating a restraining order brought by a live-in girlfriend who accused him of domestic abuse. Lampley never was charged on the original abuse complaint.

HBO televised 21 of Mayweather's last 22 fights, either on its main network or pay-per-view arm.

The two sides have quibbled before, most notably after Mayweather in 1999 called a long-term offer from the network a "slave contract." The fallout led to more than a year of acrimony, during which Mayweather fought two low-level bouts on HBO, one of them a non-title match.

Mayweather ultimately signed a reworked long-term contract with the network, beginning with his 2001 breakthrough win over the late Diego Corrales.

Mayweather reserved most of his criticism Friday for HBO's announcers, though he did blame network executives for participating in a sequence of high-level business events which forced him to plead no contest to an assault he insists he did not commit.

Mayweather was charged in conjunction with the 2003 incident at The Radio Tavern, later destroyed in a fire, where bouncer William Morris -- a former school mate of Mayweather's -- was beaten and bloodied.

Mayweather denied the charge, but negotiations for his first pay-per-view main event, against Arturo Gatti, stalled when Gatti's promoter, Main Events, insisted Mayweather resolve the case first.

Mayweather in 2005 pleaded no contest, then rendered the Gatti fight no contest in a six-round pummeling.

He now says HBO sided with Main Events in pushing him to cop a plea.

"In the past, different things have gone on in my life, like that case in Grand Rapids," Mayweather said. "I know I didn't do anything wrong. But they said they couldn't make the fight if I didn't resolve that case. So I had to plead no contest to something I didn't do.

"I'm not going to do that, because that's not me. That's not who I am. That's not how I live. But I had to plead to something I didn't do because I wanted the Gatti fight, and HBO said they weren't going to make the fight while that case was hanging."

Mayweather was aware of the stir his comments will cause after they circulate this holiday weekend.

"I'm happy. I feel clear. I feel free as a bird," he said. "I feel good that I can finally speak out, and say the things I want to say."

He said HBO should return to a format in which a prominent former boxer serves as an analyst. Sugar Ray Leonard, George Foreman, Lennox Lewis, Roy Jones and Kevin Kelley are among the former champions who have served on the network's telecasts in years past.

"There aren't any fighters commentating on boxing, that's the problem," Mayweather said. "They need to go to gyms, really learn what they're talking about. I'm not going to comment on stuff I don't know."

Mayweather said he isn't interested in the job.

The Lampley shit cracked me up.

[elgigante]

so manny's an uncle tom according to mayweather eh?

[Tauvington]

"In the past, different things have gone on in my life, like that case in Grand Rapids," Mayweather said. "I know I didn't do anything wrong. But they said they couldn't make the fight if I didn't resolve that case. So I had to plead no contest to something I didn't do.

"I'm not going to do that, because that's not me. That's not who I am. That's not how I live. But I had to plead to something I didn't do because I wanted the Gatti fight, and HBO said they weren't going to make the fight while that case was hanging."

What a fucking douche bag. "I was innocent...I have integrity...but I sold out big time because I wanted an easy 3 million dollar paycheck, and HBO made me do it."

[BobbyBrez]

Well I think he makes some salient points, however:

I'm pretty sure Jermaine Taylor is darker than night. Jim Lampley swung from his balls in EPIC fashion.

[Pleeb]

And Lamps like the same hoes Mayweather does.

[BobbyBrez]

Yes, the ladies of the Spearmint Rhino can attest to that.

[Tauvington]

"There aren't any fighters commentating on boxing, that's the problem," Mayweather said. "They need to go to gyms, really learn what they're talking about. I'm not going to comment on stuff I don't know."

This is something else about Mayweather I've found annoying on a regular basis over the years. He's always had a rather childish-like insecurity complex (more so than most pro athletes, it seems) when it comes to taking criticism, especially when said criticism is coming from a journalist/commentator who hasn't fought for a living. He's tried to pull rank, copping this sort of "How dare you ridicule me or anything I've done in the ring? You know nothing about boxing!" attitude whenever somebody without gloves on makes a comment he doesn't care for.

Mayweather tried peddling that crap to Kellerman back in the day on ESPN2, but Max wasn't having any of it. Later, he started going fucking ballistic on Brian Kenney during interview sessions on the same network (which were hilarious, because you could just tell by Kenney's checked smile that he enjoyed poking Floyd with a stick and watching him get pissed). Then, more recently, there was his snide little rant to Larry Merchant following the lop-sided win over Baldomir. I mean, what...does Mayweather really expect these people to not do their jobs, and simply kiss his ass every waking moment the way those thugged out retards in his posse do?

[Pleeb]

Thugs don't weep in post fight interviews.

Gotdamn Tauv this is why miss you in this forum. For some reason it's been regarded as a bad thing for speaking truth.

[Bert McGirt]

Originally Posted by Tauvington

[i] Later, he started going fucking ballistic on Brian Kenney during interview sessions on the same network (which were hilarious, because you could just tell by Kenney's checked smile that he enjoyed poking Floyd with a stick and watching him get pissed).

God I miss those days.

[Animal Squabbles]

"BIG RIGHT TITTY lands for Candy, and she backs away as if to say COME ON, FIGHT! Harold how do you have it?"

[DAZEDJELLYLEGS]

Originally Posted by Tauvington

"There aren't any fighters commentating on boxing, that's the problem," Mayweather said. "They need to go to gyms, really learn what they're talking about. I'm not going to comment on stuff I don't know."

This is something else about Mayweather I've found annoying on a regular basis over the years. He's always had a rather childish-like insecurity complex (more so than most pro athletes, it seems) when it comes to taking criticism, especially when said criticism is coming from a journalist/commentator who hasn't fought for a living. He's tried to pull rank, copping this sort of "How dare you ridicule me or anything I've done in the ring? You know nothing about boxing!" attitude whenever somebody without gloves on makes a comment he doesn't care for.

Mayweather tried peddling that crap to Kellerman back in the day on ESPN2, but Max wasn't having any of it. Later, he started going fucking ballistic on Brian Kenney during interview sessions on the same network (which were hilarious, because you could just tell by Kenney's checked smile that he enjoyed poking Floyd with a stick and watching him get pissed). Then, more recently, there was his snide little rant to Larry Merchant following the lop-sided win over Baldomir. I mean, what...does Mayweather really expect these people to not do their jobs, and simply kiss his ass every waking moment the way those thugged out retards in his posse do?

Yup. He did the same with Merchant.

Merchant - You said it was going to be entertaining. Why wasnt it ?

Mayweather - (Bitch Bitch) Larry Merchant should stick to commentating and Floyd Mayweather should stick to fighting.

Merchant - Well I am Floyd and thats why I am asking you.

I dont think Mayweather is the wanna be gangsta playa people believe or he hams himself up as before fights as he can be very eloquent and classy but he does have an undeniable chip on his shoulder.

[elgigante]

Originally Posted by Truth Machine

"BIG RIGHT TITTY lands for Candy, and she backs away as if to say COME ON, FIGHT! Harold how do you have it?"

do us all a favour and shut the fuck up

[Tauvington]

Originally Posted by Truth Machine

"BIG RIGHT TITTY lands for Candy, and she backs away as if to say COME ON, FIGHT! Harold how do you have it?"

"Hahaha! Okay, Jim--I have some neg reps for Animal Squabbles! Jim, ya gotta take away a few extra points for the useless crap he gave us in that last post, and if he continues being a pest here in the boxing forum, he's gonna start finding his shit deleted in these threads."

[Pleeb]

Floyd is reaffirming that his retirement is real and Sr. is now saying it isn't.

As reported on boxing scene:

Despite the recent comments of Floyd Mayweather Jr., his father/former trainer, Floyd Mayweather Sr., still feels the big paydays will lure his son back to the sport of boxing. Last Friday, Mayweather Jr. spoke out for the first time since announcing his retirement a few weeks back, and told the Grand Rapids Press that he would not return unless there was a $100 million dollars waiting for him.

"I'm through," Mayweather said. "Once I tell people I'm through, I'm through. People say, 'Oh, he retired and came back, after the De La Hoya fight.' I didn't retire and come back. I just fought one more fight, against Ricky Hatton. And as soon as I beat him, it was, 'What about this guy?' and 'What about that guy?' It's never good enough. Some boxing people weren't going to be happy until I take a loss, and that's not ever going to happen. I achieved all I wanted to achieve.

"And if I did want to come back, I was going to make, what, $50 million (for the De La Hoya rematch)? You know what, don't call my phone unless you've got $100 million. I was truly, truly blessed to have good people around me and I was smart during my career. "I made great investments. By the end of this year, I should be a billionaire."

Floyd Sr. was going to train Oscar De La Hoya for a rematch with his son, previously scheduled for September, but the fight was obviously scrapped after Mayweather Jr's retirement announcement. He thinks his son made the right move by walking away, but at some point he sees a return.

"He made the right decision," Floyd Sr. told the Las Vegas Review Journal. "But he'll be back. When? I can't tell you that. But what will bring him back is the money. He likes those big paydays."

De La Hoya's bout has been changed to December 6 and Floyd Sr. says their camp for the fight will begin shortly. The opponent has not been set. Miguel Cotto, should he beat Antonio Margarito on July 26, is the favorite to get the fight. Floyd Sr. reunited with De La Hoya for the May 5 bout against Steve Forbes. He liked what he saw in Oscar's offense, but he felt the former six-division champ was lacking the proper defense and took too make punches during the twelve-round win.

"Oscar was so focused on his offense that his defense wasn't as sharp as it should be," Floyd Sr said. "But he's learning to relax in the ring and not waste energy."

Good luck getting that $100 million.