By Rick Reeno
WBC/WBO/WBA welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. (48-0, 26KOs) has a close bond with Adrien Broner (30-1, 22KOs), who on Saturday night will battle Shawn Porter (25-1-1, 16KOs) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Porter is the toughest opponent for Broner since he suffered the sole defeat of his career to Marcos Maidana in December 2013.
In the loss to Maidana, Broner was dropped twice and he was hurt several times in the contest.
Mayweather felt Broner took too much punishment in the fight and admits he probably would have stopped the fight.
Last year Mayweather fought Maidana twice and won twelve round decisions in both outings.
"In that fight he showed a lot of heart, tremendous heart. With me fighting Maidana...me having so much experience I know how to handle any type of style of any opponent. Adrien broner, if I was in his corner, I probably would have stopped the fight so he could live on, because he can still have a long career. A fight like that can take a lot out of a fighter. I care about a fighter's wellbeing, because I'm a fighter," Mayweather said.
"When I was 24 or 25.....when a trainer throws a white towel in the fighter gets upset. I used to tell my corner 'you better never throw the towel in on me.' But you have to think about your career, longevity."