"Camp is going tremendous and I'm very, very happy and pleased with this training camp. I think I'm a lot stronger this training camp actually. I'm a lot stronger...the bar is set so high for Floyd Mayweather. Everyone is used to seeing me either win 11 rounds or 12 rounds or knock the guy out. I don't think they have ever seen me with a guy coming out so aggressive for the first 3 rounds. I think it was a very exciting fight, but I know I clearly won the fight. I can't take nothing away from Maidana. He came out and gave it his best...I won 9 rounds out of the 12. I mean, I guess I'll try to knock the guy out or win 12 rounds. That's the only thing I really can do," stated undefeated pound-for-pound king Floyd "Money" Mayweather, who recently spoke to FightHype.com about his upcoming September 13 rematch with former welterweight champion Marcos Maidana. Check out what else he had to say!
BT: What's up, Champ? How's training camp been going?
FM: Camp is going tremendous and I'm very, very happy and pleased with this training camp. I think I'm a lot stronger this training camp actually. I'm a lot stronger. I got a new chef that's making sure that I eat solid meals. I've been doing a lot of juicing; natural juice. Apples, oranges, pineapples, grapes, everything. Everything's natural.
BT: No late-night runs to McDonalds?
FM: I mean, I'm not going to say I haven't cheated a little bit. But of course, the weight is always made.
BT: This is only the second time in your career that you've given somebody a rematch. Did you feel like it was necessary to give Maidana the rematch, or are you doing it to please the fans or critics who maybe thought the first fight was close?
FM: I think the bar is set so high for Floyd Mayweather. Everyone is used to seeing me either win 11 rounds or 12 rounds or knock the guy out. I don't think they have ever seen me with a guy coming out so aggressive for the first 3 rounds. I think it was a very exciting fight, but I know I clearly won the fight. I can't take nothing away from Maidana. He came out and gave it his best, even though it wasn't a very, very clean fight, but it is what it is.
BT: Prior to the first fight, you told everyone that it wasn't going to look like your other fights and that you would be right in front of Maidana. That being said, do you think the fight looked competitive because of the way you chose to fight, or was Maidana actually able to get some work done in there?
FM: I think if you was at the fight, with him, a lot of shots that he threw, his fans were going crazy, but 90% of the shots that he was throwing was missing. Seven days later, if you go back, you sit down and you watch the fight, you say, "This is totally different from when I was at the fight." At the fight, you don't really get a chance to see the shots missing or landing because the fans are screaming just because they're fans of his. But I've been dealing with this my whole life. When the deck is stacked against me, the only thing I can do is continue to work hard, be smart, pray, and just continue to believe.
BT: According to Maidana, he forced you to fight the way that you fought and he's adamant that he won that first fight.
FM: I think winning is not always having your hand raised. I think winning is giving it 100%. I think that Maidana thinks he won because he gave it 100%. Out of the first 4 rounds, I think he won the 1st round and I think I won the 2nd. He probably won the 4th or the 3rd. He probably won 3 out of the 12; I don't know the exact rounds, but I'm pretty sure he gave it 100%. He keeps saying that he won the fight; then the gloves are not an issue. If you won the fight with the gloves that you had on, why aren't you comfortable with those gloves. If you feel like you won the fight, why don't you use those gloves?
BT: Talk a little bit about the glove situation during that first fight. Obviously nobody is accusing anyone of anything, but once you felt and tried on those light blue custom gloves, it seemed like you and your team immediately questioned that particular brand and style [Everlast MX].
FM: Normally, the feel of a new glove is extremely tight and extremely thick-padded. The glove felt like it didn't have any padding really. Even though we are in a brutal sport, I want to be able to communicate with my grandchildren. I want to be able to go to my children's wedding. I want to be able to have a comfortable life after boxing. Yes, I am in contact sport. Yes, it's a very, very brutal sport, but my health is more important than fans cheering for 32 minutes for us to kill each other. The gloves were already broke in. They felt like somebody had already hit the bag with them. The thing is this, if he felt like he won the first fight with the gloves that he was wearing, why not wear the same gloves again?
BT: There were a lot of dirty tactics being used by Maidana that went unchecked in the first fight. I think at one point, he even tried to knee you. Kenny Bayless has been named the referee for the rematch. Do you think some of the tactics you saw from him in the first fight will be kept in check this time around?
FM: I don't want to say anything bad about the ref from my last fight. Tony Weeks is a great referee. Anybody is entitled to having a bad night. No one is perfect. We all make mistakes and we call can have a bad night. Tony Weeks is a great referee and Kenny Bayless is a great referee. Like I said before, I just want to continue to help the sport of boxing grow.
BT: Is there anything you need to do differently in the rematch to account for some of those rough tactics that he might bring to the ring again?
FM: Um...I won 9 rounds out of the 12. I mean, I guess I'll try to knock the guy out or win 12 rounds. That's the only thing I really can do.
BT: I appreciate you giving the fans a quick update during camp. I know we'll be talking more, but is there anything you want to close with before I let you go?
FM: Like I said before, I'm just very thankful for the support from everybody. My mother's happy; she just got a new house. My father's happy; he just got a new house. The mothers of my children both got new homes. I just want to make sure my family is comfortable and happy and my kids are getting the best education. That's something that's very, very important to me. I spent the whole summer with my children. I had the chance to go to Panama. It was something different. I'm just helping everybody around me become better and helping them become entrepreneurs. The only thing I want to do is continue to help everybody around me. I was in Miami for awhile, but I don't ever want to forget about my FightHype fans because they are loyal fans, and I appreciate you and everything you have done for me over the years, Ben. You've been more than fair and you gave me a chance when no one else gave me a chance. You were fair and not biased.
ALSO CHECK OUT:
FLOYD MAYWEATHER ON WHY HE CALLS HIMSELF THE BEST EVER: "I GAVE THIS SPORT MY WHOLE LIFE"
FLOYD MAYWEATHER EXPLAINS 147 AND 154 TITLE DEFENSE AGAINST MAIDANA: "WE REALLY NEED TO GET THIS STUFF UNDER CONTROL"
FLOYD MAYWEATHER EXPLAINS HIS HUNGER TO STAY ON TOP: "I'M NO LONGER FIGHTING FOR JUST FLOYD...I'M FIGHTING FOR EVERYBODY"
FLOYD MAYWEATHER TALKS MARCOS MAIDANA REMATCH: "I'M A LOT STRONGER...I'LL TRY TO KNOCK THE GUY OUT OR WIN 12 ROUNDS"
FLOYD MAYWEATHER CONGRATULATES KELL BROOK; MUM ON FUTURE WELTERWEIGHT UNIFICATION WITH NEW CHAMPION
FLOYD MAYWEATHER DEFENDS DANNY GARCIA: "IT'S OKAY TO GET A TUNE-UP...I'M PROUD OF DANNY GARCIA"
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