By Keith Idec
With two fighters he promotes positioned for world title shots and others not far away, Floyd Mayweather Jr. is more than comfortable with the state of his company.
The retired legend discussed the success of Mayweather Promotions during an interview with FightHype.com. The question-and-answer session with Mayweather was posted to the website Monday night.
Critics have condemned Mayweather for not developing more champions and prospects, but Mayweather defended his company’s production apart from his own incomparable success.
“Mickey Bey lost,” Mayweather said. “I bring him back and what? He won a world title. Badou Jack took a little nod back, but I brought him back. Ishe [Smith], I’m always putting him in a hell of a position. So I’m doing my job as a promoter. I’m doing my job as a promoter. J’Leon Love, he supposed to have fought James DeGale this fight, but he said he wasn’t ready. He said he wasn’t ready. And my thing is this, opportunities like that comes once in a lifetime. We signed up to be fighters and when the opportunity presents itself again, I’m gonna put him in that position.
“My guy Ron just fought for a world title, which I thought he pulled it off. A hell of a fight. I thought he pulled it off, but he didn’t get the nod. But they fittin’ to run it back again. So I’m not doing my job as a promoter? I’m doing my job. I’m doing my job as a promoter and I’m gonna continue to do my job as a promoter.”
Cleveland’s Bey (22-2-1, 10 KOs, 1 NC) overcame a 10th-round technical knockout loss to John Molina Jr. in July 2013 to beat Miguel Vazquez by split decision in September 2014 to win the IBF lightweight title. Sweden’s Jack (22-1-2, 13 KOs) bounced back from a first-round TKO loss to Derek Edwards in February 2014 to win the WBC super middleweight title and the WBA light heavyweight championship.
Jack is expected to challenge WBC light heavyweight champ Adonis Stevenson (29-1, 24 KOs) in his next fight.
Romania’s Ronald Gavril, to whom Mayweather referred as “my guy Ron,” is set to challenge WBC super middleweight champ David Benavidez in a rematch February 17 in Las Vegas. Benavidez (19-0, 17 KOs) edged Gavril (18-2, 14 KOs) by split decision in an all-action, 12-round fight September 8 in Las Vegas.
Love’s decision to turn down the DeGale fight enabled huge underdog Caleb Truax to travel to London and upset DeGale by majority decision to win the IBF super middleweight title December 9.
Mayweather made sure to emphasize that it’s important for his fighters to heed his advice.
“One thing fighters are gonna do,” Mayweather said, “if I’m putting you in a position and helping you, you have to listen to me because once you stop listening … and doing something else, and we’re not on the right path, then all sh*t falls apart, everything falls apart. So we have to stay on the right path, you have to listen and do the right thing.”
Beyond the aforementioned fighters, Mayweather’s company also promotes former IBF super featherweight champion Gervonta Davis. Baltimore’s Davis (19-0, 18 KOs) was overweight and lost his title on the scale the day before he stopped Costa Rica’s Francisco Fonseca (21-1-1, 15 KOs) in the eighth round August 26 on the Mayweather-Conor McGregor undercard in Las Vegas.
Davis doesn’t have a fight scheduled, but likely will fight for a title at some point later this year.
“I’m gonna continue to keep putting my fighters in great positions,” Mayweather said. “Me and Al Haymon will always work together and stay on the same page. We don’t argue. We communicate like civilized adults and, like I said before, he’s just like my dad. I’ve got a father for boxing and I’ve got a father for business. One taught me how to fight in the inside, one taught me how to fight on the outside.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.