If you don’t follow boxing, it’s possible that you’ve never even heard of Maidana. But of course, saying that Mayweather vs. Maidana isn’t worth watching because Maidana has little chance to win is like saying that Jon Jones vs. Glover Teixeira wasn’t worth watching because Teixeira had little chance to win. Floyd Mayweather (like Jones) is a rare, once-in-a-generation talent; you don’t tune in to see a competitive fight, you tune in to see a great artist at work.
Showtime has released a pair “All Access” videos in advance of the fight, and if you’re a fan of completely absurd shows of wealth — like, rich-oil-sheik-making-it-rain-type stuff — you really, really need to watch them. Mayweather earned “the biggest payday in sports history” for fighting Canelo Alvarez last year, and it seems like Mayweather won’t rest until he’s spent every cent of it. Fun fact: He has bought 88 luxury vehicles from Towbin Motorcars. Fun fact #2: He once invited Robin Leach over to the Big Boy Mansion just to do live narration of his wealth. That’s at the beginning of episode 2, after the jump. Crazy, man. Just crazy.
(Just skip to 2:14 to see all the rich-guy stuff. / Props: ShoSports via Fightlinker)
If you don’t follow boxing, it’s possible that you’ve never even heard of Maidana. But of course, saying that Mayweather vs. Maidana isn’t worth watching because Maidana has little chance to win is like saying that Jon Jones vs. Glover Teixeira wasn’t worth watching because Teixeira had little chance to win. Floyd Mayweather (like Jones) is a rare, once-in-a-generation talent; you don’t tune in to see a competitive fight, you tune in to see a great artist at work.
Showtime has released a pair “All Access” videos in advance of the fight, and if you’re a fan of completely absurd shows of wealth — like, rich-oil-sheik-making-it-rain-type stuff — you really, really need to watch them. Mayweather earned “the biggest payday in sports history” for fighting Canelo Alvarez last year, and it seems like Mayweather won’t rest until he’s spent every cent of it. Fun fact: He has bought 88 luxury vehicles from Towbin Motorcars. Fun fact #2: He once invited Robin Leach over to the Big Boy Mansion just to do live narration of his wealth. That’s at the beginning of episode 2, after the jump. Crazy, man. Just crazy.
(Skip to 9:57 to see a bunch of bored women on a private plane.)
(Mayweather vs. Canelo All Access Episode 1 | All Access Videos via ShoSports Youtube)
Friday we brought you the fourth and final episode of the Showtime documentary mini-series, Mayweather vs. Canelo: All Access yesterday but it occurred to us that some of you might not yet be caught up on the prior episodes so, here ya go. Get ready for the biggest boxing match of the year tonight by getting inside the lives and training camps of Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.
Chances are, whomever you are rooting for, you’ll walk away from this doc series with some admiration for both men. Some of our favorite things that we learned about each fighter from All Access:
The private “Canelo” refuses to let his daughter be seen on television. Respect.
Mayweather hires women to be around he and his friends. Respect?
Want more tidbits? Watch the show.
Parts 2-4 after the jump.
(Mayweather vs. Canelo All Access Episode 1 | All Access Videos via ShoSports Youtube)
Friday we brought you the fourth and final episode of the Showtime documentary mini-series, Mayweather vs. Canelo: All Access yesterday but it occurred to us that some of you might not yet be caught up on the prior episodes so, here ya go. Get ready for the biggest boxing match of the year tonight by getting inside the lives and training camps of Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.
Chances are, whomever you are rooting for, you’ll walk away from this doc series with some admiration for both men. Some of our favorite things that we learned about each fighter from All Access:
The private “Canelo” refuses to let his daughter be seen on television. Respect.
Mayweather hires women to be around he and his friends. Respect?
An emergency motion obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal shows Mayweather’s lawyers will ask Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Melissa Saragosa as early as today that the former Olympic bronze medal winner be allowed to serve the remainder of his sentence on house arrest.
The 35-year-old’s physical conditioning is deteriorating under the stress of being jailed at the Clark County Detention Center, and he is being held in “inhumane conditions,” lawyer Richard Wright said in the motion filed Monday.
The boxer is being segregated from the general population and confined to his cell 23 hours a day in a locked-down section populated by felony defendants, Wright said. And in the hour each day Mayweather is allowed in a recreation area, he is alone and unable to use training facilities.
(Solitary confinement: Still not as bad as salad-tossing.)
An emergency motion obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal shows Mayweather’s lawyers will ask Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Melissa Saragosa as early as today that the former Olympic bronze medal winner be allowed to serve the remainder of his sentence on house arrest.
The 35-year-old’s physical conditioning is deteriorating under the stress of being jailed at the Clark County Detention Center, and he is being held in “inhumane conditions,” lawyer Richard Wright said in the motion filed Monday.
The boxer is being segregated from the general population and confined to his cell 23 hours a day in a locked-down section populated by felony defendants, Wright said. And in the hour each day Mayweather is allowed in a recreation area, he is alone and unable to use training facilities.
Wright stated that others who have committed similar misdemeanor offenses are treated differently and Mayweather’s celebrity status “cannot be accommodated at the CCDC.” [Ed. note: “similar misdemeanor offenses”? Floyd got busted for beating up his ex-girlfriend in front of their kids, not jaywalking, right?]
Prosecutors are expected to oppose the motion…
The 35-page motion, which included affidavits from Mayweather’s co-manager, Leonard Ellerbe, and personal physician Dr. Robert Voy, stated that if Mayweather remained in jail, it would threaten his career. He had planned on fighting for at least two more years, according to the motion.
Voy, through a court order, examined the boxer for 90 minutes on Friday, while jail medical staff observed.
“Medical opinion shows that CCDC administrative segregation threatens to end or shorten Mr. Mayweather’s boxing career,” the motion said.
Voy determined Mayweather is consuming less than 800 calories a day. He is eating fruit, bread and energy bars bought at the commissary. Under his normal daily training routine the boxer consumes between 3,000 and 4,000 calories.
Voy also investigated Mayweather’s ability to exercise. He found Mayweather has no room to exercise in jail, and he is not allowed to use the training areas because he is in isolation.
“After examining Mr. Mayweather, Dr. Voy was concerned with Mr. Mayweather’s dehydrated appearance, his lack of muscle tone and his dry mucus membranes,” the motion said.
Voy also “expressed deep concern for Mr. Mayweather’s health and explained that any lengthy period of time with an inappropriate diet, coupled with lack of regular exercise, will most likely lead to irreversible damage to Mr. Mayweather’s physique,” the motion said.
“Such damage could and, most likely, would lead to Mr. Mayweather being unable to continue his boxing career,” the motion said.
Voy was concerned that Mayweather was withdrawing into depression and developing anger issues that he normally can “dissipate” through his exercise routine…
Wright identified several differences between the way Mayweather is treated versus those in general population.
Mayweather is allowed access to shower, watch TV, use hot water to prepare food, use phones and exercise for an hour a day. Other inmates have access to phones and TV, can play games with other inmates and are out of their cells “for most of the day.”
Inside his cell, Mayweather doesn’t have access to hot water to prepare food for himself or clean himself, and he was recently told he cannot receive bottled water because he is in isolation.
According to the motion, Mayweather has not been a problem inmate and has treated jail staff with respect. Still, “he (Mayweather) believes he is treated in a very unfair and inhumane way,” Voy said in the motion…
Wright added in the motion, “To lose his physique and ability to box because of being placed in administrative segregation is a blow he should not have to take.”
That Mayweather is being held in isolation and not able to maintain his training regime “may cause, not just huge financial harm to Mayweather, but also huge emotional harm if he is no longer able to pursue his boxing career because of the de-conditioning he has suffered.”
Wright said that Mayweather believed he was only going to be in isolation for a week before being moved to another area of the downtown jail. Wright said jail officials have indicated he will remain in isolation. His scheduled release date is Aug. 3, according to jail records.
Wright said in the motion that Mayweather would be willing to work with jail officials to find “an appropriate location” to serve house arrest if the judge agreed. It’s unclear whether the appropriate location would be Mayweather’s 12,000-square-foot mansion in the ritzy Southern Highlands development. The mansion sports a walk-in closet bigger than his jail cell.
Mayweather has asked to be put in the general population, according to the motion, but jailers have declined to do so because of his celebrity status.
This is the way boxing ends — with Pacquiao getting robbed, and Mayweather’s body disintegrating in solitary confinement. Screw “celebrity status.” If Floyd wants to live among the commoners in general population, he should be granted that right. And if something nasty should befall him, well…jail’s not supposed to fun, is it?
Floyd Mayweather Jr. may be one of the richest prizefighters ever. But the unbeaten five-division champion who goes by the nickname “Money” is about to trade life in a posh five-bedroom Las Vegas home for almost three months in a cell about one-third the size of a small boxing ring…
As a high-profile inmate, police say Mayweather, 35, probably will serve most of his time in a small solo cell. There is floor space for sit-ups and push-ups. But Mayweather’s stint in the high-rise Clark County Detention Center is expected to limit his ability to train for another fight.
At least for the first week, Mayweather will be segregated for his protection from the other 3,200 inmates in the downtown Las Vegas facility, police Officer Bill Cassell said this week…
Floyd Mayweather Jr. may be one of the richest prizefighters ever. But the unbeaten five-division champion who goes by the nickname “Money” is about to trade life in a posh five-bedroom Las Vegas home for almost three months in a cell about one-third the size of a small boxing ring…
As a high-profile inmate, police say Mayweather, 35, probably will serve most of his time in a small solo cell. There is floor space for sit-ups and push-ups. But Mayweather’s stint in the high-rise Clark County Detention Center is expected to limit his ability to train for another fight.
At least for the first week, Mayweather will be segregated for his protection from the other 3,200 inmates in the downtown Las Vegas facility, police Officer Bill Cassell said this week…
[Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Melissa] Saragosa said when she sentenced Mayweather that she was particularly troubled that he threatened and hit ex-girlfriend Josie Harris while their two sons watched. The boys were 10 and 8 at the time. The older boy ran out a back door to fetch a security guard in the gated community.
However, the judge accepted the deal that had Mayweather plead guilty to misdemeanor domestic battery and no contest to two harassment charges. Prosecutors dropped felony and misdemeanor charges that could have gotten Mayweather 34 years in prison if he had been convicted on all counts.
Mayweather’s jail stay will be capped at 87 days, because the judge gave him credit for three days previously served. It could be reduced by several weeks for good behavior, Cassell said Thursday. Mayweather also was ordered to complete a yearlong domestic violence counseling program, 100 hours of community service and pay a $2,500 fine…
Mayweather will be housed in a standard administrative segregation cell no larger than 7-by-12 feet, with a bunk, stainless steel toilet and sink, a steel and wood desk with a permanently bolted stool and two small vertical windows with opaque safety glass…
Mayweather could have about an hour a day out of his cell with access to an exercise yard, Cassell said. Depending on his behavior, the boxer could later get several hours a day for exercise with other inmates also being held in protective custody.
He’ll get a standard-issue blue jail jumpsuit with the letters CCDC and orange slippers.
Mayweather will be able to deposit money into a jail account to purchase snacks, soap and personal hygiene items from the jail commissary.
Damn it…this place already sounds better than my apartment complex. Anybody want to take bets on how many days he actually serves? Related question: This Timothy Bradley dude is going to get royally ass-dug, right?
Not that Mayweather (42-0) and Cotto (37-2) aren’t capable of putting on a great show in their light-middleweight championship fight, May 5th in Las Vegas, but the boxing world is always transfixed by the best possible matchup. Mayweather vs. Pacquiao has headed that list for a long time.
The 31-year-old Cotto is the real deal and is capable of pushing Mayweather, 35, to the limit. An upset may be a real possibility. Not only does Cotto have sensational power, he is capable of launching a barrage with either hand.
The other factor working against Mayweather is that he may not respect Cotto as a fighter. You can tell that by the trash talk — of which there has been very little. The two fighters have been very respectful of each other and that’s very unusual for Mayweather. In one of the pre-fight press conferences, Mayweather spoke of his admiration for Cotto’s straight-forward and hard-hitting approach. He also used the opportunity to belittle Pacquiao, suggesting that he is barely paying attention to the opponent in front of him.
Not that Mayweather (42-0) and Cotto (37-2) aren’t capable of putting on a great show in their light-middleweight championship fight, May 5th in Las Vegas, but the boxing world is always transfixed by the best possible matchup. Mayweather vs. Pacquiao has headed that list for a long time.
The 31-year-old Cotto is the real deal and is capable of pushing Mayweather, 35, to the limit. An upset may be a real possibility. Not only does Cotto have sensational power, he is capable of launching a barrage with either hand.
The other factor working against Mayweather is that he may not respect Cotto as a fighter. You can tell that by the trash talk — of which there has been very little. The two fighters have been very respectful of each other and that’s very unusual for Mayweather. In one of the pre-fight press conferences, Mayweather spoke of his admiration for Cotto’s straight-forward and hard-hitting approach. He also used the opportunity to belittle Pacquiao, suggesting that he is barely paying attention to the opponent in front of him.
You could see that for yourself on HBO’s 24/7 series in which Mayweather is shown taking a phone call while he is in training for the fight. Specifically, he’s hitting the speed bag with one hand and talking on the phone while he holds it on his shoulder. It’s not that Mayweather isn’t hitting the bag impressively with one hand — it’s shockingly fast — but it’s just as obvious that he has other things on his mind beside the twice-beaten Cotto.
That could be a mistake. There may be two defeats on Cotto’s resume, but he has gotten revenge for the biggest defeat he ever had. Cotto lost to Antonio Margarito in July 2008, and that defeat weighed heavily on him. Cotto appeared to dominate the fight through much of the early going but Margarito kept coming and coming, and Cotto’s defensive skills were lax. Instead of blocking or sidestepping Margarito’s punches, it seemed that Cotto was intent on catching every one of those shots with his head. The fight was stopped in the 11th round and it appeared that if the fight had not been called at that moment, serious and perhaps permanent damage could have been done.
Cotto would also lose to Pacquiao in 2009 via TKO, and he appeared to be old news as a light-middleweight fighter. However, Cotto went back to work, rediscovered his power and figured out how to defend himself a little better. The psychological damage of the loss to Margarito was still impacting him, but when Cotto got revenge by stopping his rival in the 10th round last December, it was clear that the Puerto Rican champion was back. In his mind, he had avenged the worst moment of his professional career and he was willing to fight anyone.
Cotto now gets his opportunity to see exactly where he stands in the rankings. It’s one thing to get revenge over a fighter like Margarito who had a damaged eye and is fairly easy to hit, but it’s quite another to match wits and fists with Mayweather.
Mayweather’s straight right hand has been one of the most devastating weapons in boxing and there’s no stopping it. If Cotto is not quicker than Mayweather — and he is not — he’s going to get hit with that punch quite a bit. When you are getting hit in the face repeatedly and hard, you are going to have a difficult time keeping your mind on your own gameplan.
Mayweather must believe that beating Cotto is just a matter of showing up and moving quickly. “Money” knows all about Cotto’s past defeats and he plans to use those losses to help him with his strategy. And that could be the biggest issue for Cotto. He’s fighting Mayweather, a man who bitterly resents Pacquiao, and he doesn’t want to look bad against an opponent that Pacquiao previously TKO’d. He wants to beat Cotto worse than Pacquiao did, and that’s his motivation.
The only problem with that is Cotto’s power. If Mayweather goes for an early- or middle-round knockout, he could leave himself in a vulnerable position. Cotto can drop the hammer and Mayweather has never shown an inclination for being willing to take a big punch.
There could be some dicey moments for Mayweather, but he should find a way to get past Cotto. He still has designs on the mammoth pay-day that would occur if a fight with Pacquiao actually took place, and the best way to make that happen is to take on Cotto and handle him.
In boxing, as in life, you have to follow the money. That’s why Mayweather will take charge in the late rounds and keep his dream scenario of a fight with Pacquiao intact.
(How about $1 Million dollars and an autographed 8×10?”)
Manny Paquiao told reporters during a recent media scrum that Floyd Mayweather recently called him up and offered him a guaranteed $40 million purse, but said he wasn’t willing to share a cent of the pay-per-view cut.
“I spoke with Floyd on the phone. He called me on the weekend. I told him, ‘Let’s make the fight happen and I agree for 50/50 [on the pay-per-view] and whatever blood testing you want, as long as you agree for 50/50.’ And he said, ‘Let’s do this. I’ll give you this amount and no more pay-per-view for you,” Pac Man recalled with a chuckle. “After that, I gave it to my people [to handle]. He was very serious. It’s okay with me that he has a bigger guarantee and I have a smaller guarantee, but it’s 50/50 for the distribution of the pay-per-view.”
According to Paquiao’s manager, the final offer given to Mayweather was a $50 million guarantee for Manny and a 45-55 percent split of the pay-per-view revenue, but “Pretty Boy Floyd” just wasn’t having it.
(How about $1 Million dollars and an autographed 8×10?”)
Manny Paquiao told reporters during a recent media scrum that Floyd Mayweather recently called him up and offered him a guaranteed $40 million purse, but said he wasn’t willing to share a cent of the pay-per-view cut.
“I spoke with Floyd on the phone. He called me on the weekend. I told him, ‘Let’s make the fight happen and I agree for 50/50 [on the pay-per-view] and whatever blood testing you want, as long as you agree for 50/50.’ And he said, ‘Let’s do this. I’ll give you this amount and no more pay-per-view for you,” Pac Man recalled with a chuckle. “After that, I gave it to my people [to handle]. He was very serious. It’s okay with me that he has a bigger guarantee and I have a smaller guarantee, but it’s 50/50 for the distribution of the pay-per-view.”
According to Paquiao’s manager, the final offer given to Mayweather was a $50 million guarantee for Manny and a 45-55 percent split of the pay-per-view revenue, but “Pretty Boy Floyd” just wasn’t having it.
“Manny said,’ ‘Let’s make it a prize fight where the winner will get a prize less than 10 percent more than the loser,” he explained.
Paquiao revealed that the bout, if it does happen, could be his final fight and said that his family wants him to retire too.
“My kids — the youngest one is 11 years old and he said, ‘Daddy, I want you to retire, but, before you retire I have one request.’ I [asked him], ‘What is that? And he said, ‘Give me one [more fight]. Fight Mayweather, beat him, and then retire.’ Even my kids [want to see that fight happen].”
