"PRETTY BOY" FLOYD
PROVES MANHOOD AGAINST HERNANDEZ
Even the most ardent supporters of newly crowned WBC 130 lb. champ Floyd Mayweather,
couldn't have imagined the ease in which he took the WBC 130 lb. title from Genaro
Hernandez a fortnight ago.
Within two weeks of his shutout of Hernandez, the unbeaten (18-0, 14 KO's) native of Grand
Rapids, MI and a second generation boxer, Floyd Jr. appeared on Ring Talk, a syndicated
talk show aired on the Talk America Radio Network heard live on the Internet Saturday and
Sunday evenings.
RT-Young man, you have come a long way since the 1996 Olympic Trials in Oakland, CA,
haven't you?
FM-A long, long, ways. I'm only 21 now, and I'm world champion.
RT-This fight looked extremely easy. Did you come out of it completely clean. Meaning no
cuts, bruises, anything like that.
FM-Totally clean. It was a very, very exciting fight and I want to thank the people that
came out and supported me in Las Vegas. I hope they fell good about the victory.
RT-You didn't answer my earlier question.
RT-Was it as easy as it looked Floyd?
FM-Boxing is easy. But mainly it's like a chess game you got to outthink the man's next
move.
RT-How many amateur fights did you have?
FM-90. My record was 84-6.
RT-Now that you are the WBC champion, when you look back 1996, and how you only walked
away with the Bronze Medal when you probably should have fared much better. How do you
feel about the whole Olympic experience now?
FM-I feel that everything was meant to be. I was meant to get a Bronze Medal and God made
better things happen for me in 1998, that's why I'm now world champion.
RT-"El Diablo" Angel Manfredy is the guy who beat Arturo Gatti like a drum
earlier this year. He was on this show 20 minutes after you stopped Hernandez and said he
wasn't impressed and he's looking forward to getting it on with you on December 19 on HBO.
Here's a quote. "I'll tear him up." Comment on that if you would.
FM-Angle Manfredy is a very tough opponent. He's strong and he's a good boxer. But I feel
that I'm just the best 130 lber. in the world. I feel that with my ten years in the sport,
nobody, no one can beat me right now. I'm just too strong, working to hard, and I'm
dedicated to the sport of boxing.
RT-Everybody was raving about Gatti. Were you impressed with Manfredy beating up on
Gatti's as easily as he did?
FM-Well, I knew Manfredy would beat Gatti. I mean it was a very exciting fight. Hopefully
me and Manfredy will have an exciting fight December 19. It should be an explosive fight.
I want to say that he calls himself El Diablo. I guess that's the Devil. Well, I want to
go out there and be God that night and put the Devil's flames out.
RT-Genaro quit. He wasn't on the verge of getting knocked out. Do you think that he just
said to himself. "I'm tired, I ain't taking no more of an ass kicking, I 'm getting
out of here. " Is that what happened Floyd?
FM-(A chuckle) I wouldn't say that. I put in a lot of work in the sport of boxing. In
total, I've had 108 fights. I work hard, and I believe in myself. And that is that I'm the
best fighter in the world, pound for pound.
RT-I like how you've sidestepped that question about Hernandez quitting. I went
after you two or three times on that. Then, you wouldn't talk bad about Manfredy even
though he launched the first verbal assault. You are more of a gentleman that I expected.
FM-Because I respect every fighter who gets in there and fights. I don't have nothing bad
to say about any fighter. I'm going to say this. I don't feel I can be beat in the sport
of boxing. No fighter works harder than Floyd Mayweather I run 5.5 miles every morning, I
chop trees. I believe in myself and Team Mayweather, and the way Top Rank has moved
me.
RT-Let's talk about Team Mayweather, headed by your father, Floyd Sr. What role do your
uncle's (two time champ Roger and Jeff) play on Team Mayweather?
FM-It's just my Dad working with me. If my uncle's see some flaws, or some mistakes
that I might be making, they will offer their comments. But my Dad is the head trainer, he
calls all the shots.
RT-There was a report in one of the boxing magazines that while you were fighting at the
Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, that you were calling the shots and that you told your
Dad so in the dressing room. Are you calling the hots?
FM-My Dad calls all the shots. Whatever he says, goes. Without him, I wouldn't be world
champion. Everything I learned, I learned from my Dad. That's how I got to the Olympic
Games, and the Bronze Medal. And that's why today, I've just been fighting pro two years
and I'm world champion at the age of 21. I have the nice house in Las Vegas, the cars,
it's all because of my Dad.
RT-Where will the fight between you and Manfredy take place?
FM-It'll be in New York, on HBO. I want to make sure everybody tunes in. Don't go to the
kitchen to get any popcorn, cause it might be quick.
RT-Are you saying that you are going to starch Manfredy real quick like?
FM-I'm not saying that. It's going to be a very exciting fight and this is a fight that
nobody should miss. There may be a lot of rumbling in there. It'll probably be in the
first or the second. Or maybe the third round. But it's going to be a very exciting fight.
Pedro Fernandez
The writer has his own site at www.fighters.com and
can be reached at flash@inow.com