Mayweather Is Ready

Mayweather opens up to press about Gatti! "Lightning strikes but thunder only makes noise" May 18, 2005 http://www.fightnews.com/sloan40.htm By Mike Sloan Photos: Rick Guzman A few days ago, Fightnews.com was able to catch up with pound-for-pound warrior Floyd Mayweather, Jr. during an open workout at the Top Rank Gym in Las Vegas. Just before Mayweather bedazzled the media with his jarring workout, the undefeated former champion spoke candidly about his opponent on June 25 in Arturo Gatti. As always, Mayweather was comedic, entertaining and held nothing back. He avoided no questions and answered from his heart. He was able to answer as many questions as possible while his two hands were wrapped during preparation for his rigorous workout. Here is what he said: What are your thoughts on Gatti? Well, lightning strikes but thunder only makes noise. Is this the biggest fight of your career so far? On paper, yeah. But he ain't on the level of a Jose Luis Castillo or Diego Corrales. Is he better? I don't think so. You gotta realize how this guy has become a "world" champion. You gotta remember that he got that belt because they stripped Kostya Tszyu of the belt and let him (Gatti) fight for a vacant title. I don't feel like my job is complete until I beat Kostya Tszyu. Why do you think Gatti is so popular? Well, if you take what he's done... I mean, you take Mickey Ward. He is not a bad fighter, but he is a good guy to fight for a tuneup fight. What they doin' is that Mickey Ward fought a lot of guys back in the day on Tuesday Night Fights on USA and also on ESPN. What they went and did was said that, 'Mickey Ward is a good journeyman, so let's put him on HBO and let them beat each other's brains in for millions.' They made it out to be such the big deal but for me, personally, I wasn't that impressed. I'm not going to let some guy beat my brains out. The less you get hit the longer you last in this sport. I am a smart fighter. I try to dish out as much punishment but take the least amount of punishment as possible. With that said, what did you think of last week's Castillo/Corrales fight? I think it was good for those two guys. But you got to think that the fans don't go home happy and feeling good because I ain't trying to be in a fight like that. That is not my style; it's not me. I mean I can fight like that, but that's not me. They were out there and they say that they're the best lightweights in the world and I guess they proved it. I did my thing at lightweight already and have moved on. I don't have to badmouth Corrales or badmouth Castillo because those guys are in my past. If those same guys come to me in the future, then I'm gonna do what I'm gonna do. Is there an opponent out there right now who could elevate you and who could really define you as a fighter? Of course there is. But what the fans and you guys in media have to understand is that I am constantly calling out these guys after my fights. I don't need a Jim Lampley or a Larry Merchant to ask me the name of an opponent because I go out there and I call the major names out. With these other guys, they have to be asked these questions like four or five times before they can answer it. Gatti didn't really want this fight. This fight was pushed onto Gatti and he really doesn't want it. He was going to be stripped of his WBC belt; a belt he really didn't even win because it was vacant after they stripped Kostya Tszyu. I never won a vacant title in my life. Every belt that I won I actually went out there and beat a champion for it. I never won a vacant belt. They are trying to strip him of his title but he and his team are saying that it was the paperwork or because of my court case. I pleaded "No Contest" just so I could make the fight and then this guy backed out again! This guy doesn't even want the fight. I want the fans and the media to know that this guy is supposed to be Arturo "Thunder" Gatti, but he really has been just ducking and dodging me. They say that I got a big mouth and that they are going to shut me up, so let's bring it. Ain't nobody shut me up yet so come June 25, you all can get your pen and paper out because everything I have said in the past will come true. So with Arturo Gatti, I am going to box circles around him and then I am going to go in the pocket and punish him. I am going to take him out right there in Atlantic City. And then I'll just say, "I told ya'll so." -fightnews.com

Comments (20)

Yes, Mayweather is correct in all that he says. This will be a mismatch. He said the fight exactly as I had imagined it myself. Gatti is in deep trouble.

21y ago

Alpha_Male

He complains that "they" make him the bad guy, but he makes himself the bad guy with his words and actions outside of the ring. So tell me this. Are Corrales, Tyson, and Spadafora bad guys for being convicted and going to prison?

21y ago

Super_Lightweight

hmm if mayweather is as cocky in the ring as he has been out of the ring, then he could be in for trouble......gatti does have a big heart and a big punch..........and we all know how mayweather couldn't handle the brawling castillo...he lost that first fight.....and the same could happen with gatti....... Supposedly Mayweather injured himself in that first fight, and that is why he was able to win the rematch clearly. You make a god point though I think in that if Mayweather is too cocky, Gatti is good enough to KO him. Um Castillo is 10 times better than Gatti. That's not true at all. Castillo is p4p better than Gatti, but he is not leagues above Gatti. Castillo is an "A" level fighter whereas Gatti is more like a "B-". In any case, Gatti outweighs Castillo at fight time by 7 lbs so Floyd will be even smaller vs Gatti. Gatti might be able to use his weight like Castillo did and force a fight. Being outweighed by possibly 20 lbs could definitely be a factor. We'll see.

21y ago

Floydmayweather

if mayweather is as cocky in the ring as he has been out of the ring, then he could be in for trouble......gatti does have a big heart and a big punch..........and we all know how mayweather couldn't handle the brawling castillo...he lost that first fight.....and the same could happen with gatti....... Um Castillo is 10 times better than Gatti.

21y ago

Soldier01

Mayweather vs Gatti is a mismatch. Floyd will take him out late. Some might consider this fight a mismatch but, with the heart of gatti and the skills of Mayweather that's made to be a good fight. Personally I hope Gatti takes PBF to war.

21y ago

Bombardier

He also had a point about Gatti and how everyone made a big deal about him selling out in his hometown of Atlantic City. That's like people saying that Klitschko is the biggest draw in boxing because he fills up an arena in Kiev.

21y ago

cupcrazy01

Gatti's hype is of course an HBO creation, they needed somebody, ANYBODY, to replace DLH after he lost to Mosley again and looked bad vs. Sturm...

21y ago

Bombardier

Do you think he'll have an advantage in that building on his own turf? No, because his fans don't get in there and fight for him. You know I already know how a fight like this is going to go down there. He gonna get in there, throw a few punches which he gonna miss. He'll probably land them on the shoulder or the arm and you know how the crowd is, they gonna cheer. I'm gonna relax, get to doing what I'm doing and I'm gonna punish him. And once I get to punishing him, don't nobody gonna be cheering no more. I'll make the whole arena quiet. You'll see; it'll be a total mismatch. This is probably what's going happen in the actual fight, word for word. I don't like Mayweather's attitdue most of the time but I am glad that he is calling out the cult of St.Arturo Gatti. He's right about Mickey Ward. He's right that Gatti only won a vacated title against a subpar opponent. He might even be right about the press conference fiasco. The hype that has built up around Gatti over the past year and a half has been ridiculous.

21y ago

cupcrazy01

Floyd says: "Gatti didn't really want this fight. This fight was pushed onto Gatti and he really doesn't want it. He was going to be stripped of his WBC belt; a belt he really didn't even win because it was vacant after they stripped Kostya Tszyu. I never won a vacant title in my life. Every belt that I won I actually went out there and beat a champion for it. " Ok, well, when he wins this fight, which I agree with the majority in thinking it's a mismatch and will be a near shutout, he will have won a belt without beating a real champion, per his own words. If I had to hunt in this interview to find this contradiction, I probably wouldn't point it out, but he raves about how he beats real champions for belts two seconds after saying Gatti isn't a real champion. Pretty funny...but I am dying to see PBF-Tszyu or PBF-Cotto...

21y ago

czars_salad

As a boxer, Floyd doesn't have any flaws that I can see. As a person, I think he's lacking. He complains that "they" make him the bad guy, but he makes himself the bad guy with his words and actions outside of the ring. I know he's one of the best, if not the best boxer going right now, but I really don't like him and I'm not going to cheer for him. I probably wouldn't care if he was cocky and getting KO'ed, because I wouldn't have to listen to him much longer. There is a big difference between confidence and disrespect. Ali said some things in his time that I really don't agree with, but at least he was somewhat charming and funny. it's called charisma... :cool:

21y ago

Red_Menace

It is truly sad that one has to resort to such childish insults when they can't find a legitimate flaw in someone. You say Floyd has an attitude, well so did Ali and he's admired and respected. There's nothing wrong with being confident and being able to back it up. Would you even care if Floyd was cocky and getting his ass KO'ed? As a boxer, Floyd doesn't have any flaws that I can see. As a person, I think he's lacking. He complains that "they" make him the bad guy, but he makes himself the bad guy with his words and actions outside of the ring. I know he's one of the best, if not the best boxer going right now, but I really don't like him and I'm not going to cheer for him. I probably wouldn't care if he was cocky and getting KO'ed, because I wouldn't have to listen to him much longer. There is a big difference between confidence and disrespect. Ali said some things in his time that I really don't agree with, but at least he was somewhat charming and funny.

21y ago

czars_salad

no, i love the matchup but i think the networks will deny us of it, and thats just how i predict the fight will go. Even though Mayweather has shown a rock solid chin up until now. now this is what i really don't understand with those boxing bigwigs. why cant they put matchups that truly matters? look at this: barrera-fana was bullshit on paper. still was a PPV castillo-corrales was on paper a real matchup. good it it was free on tv :p and the seats were empty what do these businessmen really want? why cant they just give what the boxing fans truly deserve?

21y ago

czars_salad

Mayweather vs Gatti is a mismatch. Floyd will take him out late. maybe play around a little longer

21y ago

moochi

21y ago

Deejay

How I wish for KT & Floyd to face eachother. Floyd's very talented but runs his mouth too much. He better be careful or he might get what he wishes for. We'll see how cocky he is when Tszyu connects with the first good right hand. Fighters have been calling out Tszyu for years & talking shit...but he doesn't mind..he lets his fists do the talking and unlike the majority of Titleholders out there, he will fight anywhere on the planet like a REAL World Champion. Oh, & all you Hatton supporters out there...MEN Arena is gonna be mighty quiet come fightnight...It'll be over inside 6 rounds...Kostya has too much experience & skill...

21y ago

Manny_P

Mayweather vs Gatti is a mismatch. Floyd will take him out late.

21y ago

NAB

Hattons going to TKO Kostya, and if their up for two super fights in a row, than be my quest. So Hatton couldn't stop Tackie, Phillips, Vilches, McGee... but he wll stop Tszyu... yeah, right. :rolleyes:

21y ago

czars_salad

no, i love the matchup but i think the networks will deny us of it, and thats just how i predict the fight will go. Even though Mayweather has shown a rock solid chin up until now. how i wish for this fight to happen :boxing:

21y ago

adrsan84

kostya is a disciplined slugger. and mayweather is a disciplined boxer..... if that's not a great matchup i dont know what is no, i love the matchup but i think the networks will deny us of it, and thats just how i predict the fight will go. Even though Mayweather has shown a rock solid chin up until now.

21y ago

Alpha_Male

Gatti probably will get his ass kicked, but I still don't like Mayweather. I wish he'd just stop talking so I could appreciate him as a boxer, and not have to think in th eback of my mind the entire time that he's such a dick. This was hilarious: "Who is "they?" They know who "they" is and you know who "they" is. I constantly want to fight. I want to fight. I want to stay active. " Mayweather has amazing skills. He wouldn't be the "bad guy" if people didn't think he was such a cock. If he realized he didn't have to be a jerk all the time, people might like him and actually start cheering for him and going to see him. He's too mean spirited for me to ever want to cheer for him. As a boxer, the guy is a champion. As a person, he's a big fucking loser. All of that said, Mayweather is right, in a lot of what he says. He will outbox Gatti and win. I'm hoping Gatti is really training hard and can bring something to the fight, and maybe surprise Mayweather and make it somewhat competitive. It is truly sad that one has to resort to such childish insults when they can't find a legitimate flaw in someone. You say Floyd has an attitude, well so did Ali and he's admired and respected. There's nothing wrong with being confident and being able to back it up. Would you even care if Floyd was cocky and getting his ass KO'ed?

21y ago