World-renowned trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr. had a lot to say about the recent rumors of his son possibly entering the sport of mixed martial arts. "They ain't going to need a referee because he's going to tap his own self out," he stated as he made it clear that Lil Floyd would be making a big mistake. You don't want to miss what else he had to say in this exclusive, must-read interview. Check it out!
PC: I know it's been a couple of weeks, but did the fight between Lil Floyd and Ricky Hatton go the way you expected it to go?
FM: No, it didn't go the way I thought it would go. To be honest, I thought it would go sort of like the Gatti fight is how I thought it would go. I thought it would be that way and really, it could've been that way, but Hatton came to survive. Hatton didn't come to fight. Hatton came to hold, grab and tie up. Hatton made sure that he punched and grabbed on the inside and that's basically why the fight went as long as it did. If he would've went out there and boxed like a boxer's supposed to box, then I think the fight would've been over a long time ago.
PC: On the inside, he smothered his own offense trying to stay so close to Lil Floyd.
FM: Yeah, yeah, yeah! He was smothering his punches and my son's punches too. If you notice, even when my son stopped him, it wasn't an in-close shot; my son was off of him where he could get a solid shot off. He wasn't smothering him. That was the biggest thing he had going for him man, grabbing and trying to survive. He wasn't in the same caliber as Lil Floyd in no kind of way. I don't know why
well, I guess that's the best England had and that let's you know England ain't got shit! It was so plain to see, Stevie [Wonder] could have seen how that was going to go down. I was really surprised that Cortez let him fight that way. I was surprised he was letting him hold like that. Lil Floyd did what he was supposed to. The whole thing is man, I think everybody got a chance to see Hatton and what he is all about and there it is.
PC: After his fights, do you speak with him to congratulate him, maybe through text messaging, or have you not spoken to him?
FM: Nah man, me and my son haven't spoke, but you know what man, I'm a father before I'm anything. I don't worry about my son and his ways. He could say what he wants to say, the world already know who trained him and put him where he's at and if he don't know that or hasn't learned it yet, sad on him. It's going to be a rude awakening coming to him, that's all I have to say. I'm a father man and ain't nobody out there is for all of this bickering going on with my son. If he still wants to act like a kid, that's fine. My life goes on, whether it's training my son or not, it will still be father and son. You ain't got to worry about money because I'm living as good as you are; it ain't about that so I don't know what his hang-up is about. I know he's got a hang-up about a lot of things that I supposedly had done when he was younger as far as his daddy beating him; everybody know I ain't never beat Lil Floyd. I don't know why he's lying like that because everybody knows that, even in Grand Rapids where I'm from, everybody know that. Was I a disciplinary trainer? Yes and that's the way I still am today, but the thing is, what I did made him what he is today. If he had to do it all over again, he would be glad I did what I did because he wouldn't want to go through
end up smoking dope, selling dope, on skid row or under a bridge somewhere. Your daddy stopped all of that. Your daddy did things to make sure you didn't do all of that. The thanks I got out of it is him saying, "My daddy didn't do this; my daddy didn't do that!" Who in the hell did it then? Roger has been out here for 32 years and he ain't but 30, so who the hell showed him? Who started you fighting? You won the National Golden Gloves when you were 16 years old. He beat two 24-year-olds, a 22-year-old, a 21-year-old and a 17-year-old. He was telling me then, "I don't want to do this." Man, it's always been like that. "I don't want to do this. I don't want to do this." I told him, "if you don't want to do this, don't fight; don't worry about fighting." At the time, he was 16 and he was trying to tell me what he didn't want to do. He didn't want to wear the combat boots and chop no trees and stuff like that. I'm telling him what to do and he didn't want to do it so I told him, "guess what
do it or don't fight." He's one of the youngest guys to ever win the National Golden Gloves. My fighters know they are not going to shortchange me. Even when Hanshaw was down there, that motherfucker was fighting his ass off down there. Whether he lost or whatever, he didn't lay down. None of my fighters lay down. I got certain things I do that I put into a fighter man. People don't understand. I can't do that with everybody, but overall, I'm pretty good with it. I can make them get down.
PC: It seems like you don't take on fighters that you don't have that chemistry with?
FM: It ain't no bullshittin' going on with me. If you fake me out and mess over me this time, it's your last ride; don't worry about it. You better make waves with this one because if a motherfucker quit on me and say "No mas," that's the end of the whole story. We close the ship down and that's that. That would be the end of the road right there.
PC: I don't know if you read yet, but Lil Floyd has been talking to Mark Cuban about fighting in mixed martial arts?
FM: Now that's one thing right there (laughing) I can speak out highly on. He needs to leave that shit alone. He's going to get the same fucking thing Vince Phillips got; leg broke, arm broke or whatever. Vince Phillips got his arm broke. You can't mess with that
that's what they do. You can't beat nobody at their own game. Even though I'm a trainer right now, I can't come over there and take over what you're doing. I can't do it. What you're doing right now, you know the ins and outs of what you're doing right now. I wouldn't even know what kind of questions to ask you. This is their field. You have to stay in your own zone man. When you get out of your zone, that's when you about to run into some problems. All of this he talking about right now, this martial arts shit, I'm telling you, he about to get broke the fuck up right now. I'm telling you, he could forget all of that stuff being cute and how you supposed to hit somebody with a check hook. Man, them motherfucker's going to take that check hook motherfucker and squeeze your guts out. I'm just being real with you man. I don't know what's wrong with him and that stupid ass Leonard Ellerbe supposed to be an advisor, but what kind of (laughing)
what are you advising him? What are you advising him to do man? Leonard Ellerbe stuck up Lil Floyd's ass so fucking far, he can't fucking breathe. Make sure you put that in there because I want him to know. That Leonard Ellerbe got his head stuck so far up Lil Floyd's ass, he can't breathe. Anything Lil Floyd says
if Lil Floyd says the sky is pink, then the sky is pink to Leonard because Lil Floyd said it; that's the way it is. The thing is, the Lord said he would feed the needy and not the greedy, but this is the greedy over here.
PC: The rumor is they're offering somewhere around 30 million dollars to get Lil Floyd to fight in mixed martial arts.
FM: Who's offering him that kind of money?
PC: Mark Cuban, the billionaire that owns the Dallas Mavericks.
FM: Oh, he was on "Dancing with the Stars" too. He the one that had Lil Floyd
PC: He walked to the ring with him for the Hatton fight.
FM: Yeah! Lil Floyd might be doing something strange. If he ever want to take a motherfuckin' loss, you bout to take one right now motherfucker. Go ahead and try that. One of them motherfuckers grab you and bing, bing
hit the floor twice motherfucker and it's over with. Muhammad Ali tried that and he stayed on the floor because if he would've tried to get up and do something
you remember when Ali tried that.
PC: Yeah, I know what you're talking about.
FM: Yeah, that's when Ali's legs and shit got all swollen up though. I think these dudes here use knees and everything huh?
PC: Yeah, knees, elbows and everything.
FM: Lil Floyd about to get his ass tore up man. He ain't about to whoop them motherfuckers. He can forget that shit! I wouldn't even try to fight none of them sons of a bitches.
PC: I've already talked to a few martial arts guys that would like to fight him. Lil Floyd has to know these guys are not going to stand with him; they're going to take him straight to the ground.
FM: That's where they're going to take him. If they want to take him to the ground, then guess what, that's where he's going to be and his ass better hit the floor. Greed overcomes common sense. There it is that stops everything right there. The root of evil is money; there it is. All they going to do is a fake and then pick his ass up by the legs and pin him to the ground and then it's over. They going to put they elbow in his neck man and shit, you could call it a day.
PC: I didn't think it was serious at first, but the more I read, it seems like he may try it.
FM: Man, let me tell you something, they don't even need a referee for this shit right here. They ain't going to need a referee because he's going to tap his own self out if he's able. I'm just saying, if he's able to hit the floor three times
they not going to give a motherfucker 30 million dollars to fight nobodies. They are going to put him in there with a motherfucker that can tear his ass up. Ain't nobody going to go for no shit like that. All Lil Floyd doing is making himself look like a fool really. Right now, Lil Floyd is in the driver's seat, like Oscar De La Hoya was in boxing. He ain't got to do all of that to get money. Lil Floyd could damn near get 30 million dollars to fight Cotto. Floyd trying to go where he could get the quickest money, that's all. The quickest money going to get his ass where he can't make no money. They going to break his fucking limbs. One of them motherfuckers hit him upside his fucking head and he may never be the same. I'm just telling the truth.
PC: They fight with 5 ounce gloves in mixed martial arts Big Floyd.
FM: Them 5 ounce gloves too; not 10 ounce? That's like your damn fist. Those gloves ain't no bigger than your fucking hand. He could be as quick as he wants to be, when they hit them legs, your ass coming down.
PC: Those guys fight in a cage rather than a ring as well.
FM: (a relative can be heard in the background saying, "He's brave!") No, he ain't brave, he needs to be saved. (Relative again, "Maybe it's a publicity stunt.") What you mean a publicity stunt? They offering that kind of money, you don't think Lil Floyd going for it? It ain't no way I would go and do that. If he in that big of a hole and then made over a 100 million dollars
if he that bad off with the kind of money he got, sad on him man. Ain't nobody advising him right and that's a fact right there. Leonard Ellerbe always says, "I don't like to be seen." I can't tell. Can't nobody tell. Every time Lil Floyd is in an interview, Leonard right there mumbling. He ain't saying a goddamn thing man. You have to know something to tell something and he don't know shit.
PC: I think he wants to visit a few gyms to see how everything is and make a decision. That's what is being reported.
FM: He needs to go visit a psychiatrist. That's where he better go if he wants to go get the real rundown on what's going down. He's about to put himself in a bad situation.
PC: Would you rather see him just retire?
FM: He ain't got to worry about retiring. When they get through with his ass, he will be retired. He will be retired fucking with them motherfuckers. They would love to fight him. This ain't no fucking boxing; ain't none of these motherfuckers scared of his ass. I'll fight one of them motherfuckers if they just want to throw their guards up. I'm old and I'll beat they ass, but when they start talking about that going to the ground, elbows and knees and all of that, man fuck that shit. I ain't about to go in there. Them motherfuckers dangerous man. One thing about it, them guys can take a fucking punch man. Those guys will laugh at Lil Floyd when he hit them. All Lil Floyd gotta do is shut his fucking mouth man and he could make money. He'll make money off of commercials and stuff like that. He's going to do what he wants to do. I'll have to be honest with you Percy, I don't think he's going to do it. Once Lil Floyd sees how strong those guys are, he'll know they'll pin his ass down. Lil Floyd right now can't pin me, so how the fuck he going to pin somebody else?
PC: I didn't know if you had heard about that, but we're going to get together again soon. I'll make my way to Vegas this year and you have to come back down this way.
FM: Oh yeah! I look forward to that. That's going to happen, don't even worry about that. I'm ready to see your face in the place.
PC: I'll definitely make my way there in '08.
FM: I can't wait man. We'll get together. I'm going to have a lot of stuff to say in 2008 and you know you can call me any time and get me.
PC: No doubt! Take care my man.
FM: You too man.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]