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OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Thank you very much. It is my pleasure to introduce to you undefeated the boxing great Pretty Boy Floyd Mayweather versus British Icon Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton on Saturday, December 8, live from the MGM Grand garden arena. This fight will be televised on HBO pay-per-view. We have great sponsors on board. It shows the invitation that the star power of Mayweather and Ricky Hatton together, we can attract these type of sponsors, like Rock Star energy drink, with Southwest Airlines and Tecate beer. [details]
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TRACE DIXON, BOXING NEWS: Good. Good. What's this fight going to do for your legacy? What's this fight with Ricky Hatton?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Going to do for my legacy? Nothing. It's not going to do nothing for my legacy. My legacy is all ready solidified in stamps (ph). It's not going to do nothing.
LOL...I think Floyd would suck his own **** if he could. -
It is what it is, baby.
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There u have it
Everybody loves a bad guy! PBF in 8!Comment
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LEONARD ELLERBE: Well, no, let's face it. I mean, Ricky Hatton's fans are really coming to see Floyd. I mean unlike a lot of boxing people, we just deal in the facts. You know, Ricky Hatton's fans, truth be told are coming to see Floyd. Ricky Hatton has had three fights most recently in the U.S. and not one of the fights have sold out. OK. I think you even made a comment last week about, you know, he does have a tremendous following and a tremendous fan base in the U.K. But, the fact is that the fans – all of the Ricky Hatton's fans are coming to see Floyd because, as an example, if he had such a great following in the U.S., his fans have had unlimited access to all of the tickets in his previous fights here in the U.S. And if, I'm not mistaken, he did like 4200 in Boston, and in …
Does this tit expect people just to believe every word that comes out his mouth? He is either too ****** or too arrogant to realise he is talking pish but either way he would be better off keeping his mouth shut.Comment
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MAYWEATHER: "I'm going to punish him"
FLOYD MAYWEATHER, JR. CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT
Press Release:
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: It is my pleasure to introduce to you undefeated the boxing great Pretty Boy Floyd Mayweather versus British Icon Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton on Saturday, December 8, live from the MGM Grand garden arena. This fight will be televised on HBO pay-per-view. We have great sponsors on board. It shows the invitation that the star power of Mayweather and Ricky Hatton together, we can attract these type of sponsors, like Rock Star energy drink, with Southwest Airlines and Tecate beer. It is my pleasure to, for a while now, be working with the CEO of Mayweather Promotions who is co-promoting this main event along with Golden Boy Promotions, Leonard Ellerbe.
LEONARD ELLERBE: Thanks, Oscar. First, I'd like to thank everyone for coming on the call. We're right on schedule with our preparation for our fight now, since Dancing with the Stars is over. I'd like to commend Floyd personally for doing such a great job while being on the show.
Obviously, with Floyd being the face of boxing this was an excellent opportunity for Floyd to be seen on a mainstream platform with, I guess, over 20 million viewers weekly tuning in. In turn, with Floyd being on the show this will obviously bring many more eyes to our fight on December the eighth. And ultimately, in my eyes, I think it really, really will elevate the sport. By Floyd being on the show, he obviously, never stopped his commitment to the fight, many days running, seven, eight miles, sparring eight nine rounds, doing double duty. It just goes to show you what his commitment was. But, now we're ready to push himself to the limit for this fight. So, without further ado, my main man himself, Money Mayweather.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Hey. What's going on everybody? First of all, I want to thank God. I want to thank Golden Boy Promotions. And I want to thank my up and coming company, Mayweather Promotions. I mean, I think we're going to do a hell of a job, you know, with this fight. And camp has went tremendous. And I'm constantly trying to go outside the box. When I say go outside the box, that means I'm trying to go – I'm not just trying to promote the fight. You know, we're trying to make the impossible, possible. And I feel great, you know, just to work so hard to become an A-lister. This truly is a blessing. And I didn't do it by myself. We had a good team.
You know, first off I want to thank everybody from my team. But one of the main people that I never talk about that I really want to thank is my mother, because, you know, every day when I go out, when I lace some boots up, when I lace some gloves up, and I strive hard, that's the person that I really, really want to thank because she's been, you know, she made strive harder. And the reason why she made me strive harder because I can remember days when she was working in that nursing home when she was – there had been days when she was cleaning up old folks and they died in her arms. She took her last money, when she took her last money for us, her last $100 she had to her name to do what she could possibly do for me, you know, when my birthday came. So, things like that is what makes me strive hard and dedicate myself to the sport of boxing.
It's been a long tough road, but, I think, it's a great world. And, you live and you learn and only the strong survive. So, I'm here on December 8. I know what I have to go out there and do. I've been there before. And I've got to go out there and be myself and work hard.
KELLY SWANSON: OK. Floyd, thank you so much. And we'll open it up for questions. Now, just a couple of housekeeping notes. The fight is at the MGM. And of course, it broke a record by selling out the fastest in history. However, we do have plenty of closed circuit seats left and available for people to buy. And of course, it's on HBO Pay-per-View that night. So, we look forward to getting as many viewers as possible.
Floyd I'm going to start. And I want to know, because you talked about your mom, what dance was her favorite from Dancing with the Stars? Which night did she like the best?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Well, my mother – we understand business, and we understand how certain things go. But, my mother was just happy with me just going out here being at my best. It's different – where I come from, I'm used to dealing with one-on-one basically and that's in boxing. So that's one-on-one combat. There, I had a team. A teammate which was Karina Smirnoff she was my partner. So that's a little bit different coming from a one-on-one sport to get into the ball with something that's totally different and having a team. So, it was something different.
But, she enjoyed it. She enjoyed it. She had fun. She said, "As long as I went out there and gave it my best, she was happy."
DAN RAFAEL: Well, my question for you is, you know, I know you were excited to be on the show, you showed that when a bunch of us visited you at the dance studio with Karina on the day of Barrera-Pacquiao. But, I'm wondering, you know, now that it's over with, I'm sure you're a little bit disappointed to have been eliminated that early in the competition. But I'm wondering, are you, at least, a little bit relieved that it's done and you can now – you know, I know you're always taking the fight serious, but now that that's behind you, you can now take the fight much more seriously and then – and really 100 percent focus on the match with Ricky?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Well, I would rather go home early then go home, you know, a week before the fight. I'd rather go home early. I mean it's just like when you're fighting a guy, you say to yourself, like – it's hard to explain. It's more like – I mean I was happy that – just to get the experience, just to go on dancing with the stars, just do so something different, because I was the only athlete that was active. You have other athletes, they weren't active. They were like – I was doing two things at one time. I had to wake up, go to the dance studio. After the dance studio, go to the boxing gym. After the boxing gym, go run. After the run, I had to go back to the dance studio. After the dance studio, then I had to go to physical training, you know, at the fitness gym. So, I mean it was grueling, but was it worth it? Absolutely.
DAN RAFAEL: I'm trying to characterize it then. Are you happy that maybe that the – you know, you've got eliminated right at the right time. Enough to be on the show long enough to get the exposure?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I think I got eliminated at the right time. I mean, I was happy. I didn't mind going home, honestly. You know, I really didn't mind. It was good. And up until there on Dancing with the Stars, there was no loser. Just to get that level and to push your self to doing something different, I mean it was crazy. It was wild. But I enjoyed myself.Comment
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ROBERT MORALES: Oscar, when you heard – as somebody who did a lot of other things besides boxing yourself, at one point in your career, what did you think when you heard that Floyd was going to be going on Dancing with the Stars?
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Well, I – being a fighter myself, you know, and the fighting world, you know, it's a small world. And we all know that Mayweather is a professional when it comes to his boxing. We all know that he's always in great shape. We all know that he goes to the gym every day and he doesn't drink, doesn't smoke. He doesn't – you know, he has not bad habits. You know, so it really didn't worry anybody much, you know, because even though if he did stay until the last week, you know, we felt it wasn't going to effect him because he's always in great shape.
And so, you know, obviously, in my case, I think it was a little bit different, you know. I wouldn't stay in shape, like Mayweather in between fights, and so, it was a different case for me. You know, when I was fighting and younger, but with Mayweather, I think there no doubt that he can pull this off with no problem.
ROBERT MORALES: Floyd, I noticed at the end of your fight with Oscar, in fact, I noticed it on all of the late rounds, that you were not one bit tired. And I started to think myself that if you had – needed to, you probably could have easily boxed 20 rounds that night, and maybe still not have been tired. Where the hell does that come from? Is part of it genetics? Is it a combination of genetics and dedication? Because really it is incredible?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Well I don't train like no other fighter. We don't train like no other fighter. And, I mean of course, Oscar is – he's one of the guys that's going down in history as one of the best guys of my era. And if I'm fighting one of the best guys of my era, I've got to push myself to the limit. And what I was doing for that fight is – actually I'm training harder this fight than I did for that fight because for that fight, you know, I just started boxing nine rounds probably into the third week. But, I think it's my second day back boxing – it's my second day back boxing in the gym I started boxing nine and 10 rounds.
So, I'm all ready in tremendous shape all ready. I'm running eight miles. And it's just that we don't – we're not like no other fighter. We don't use a bell when we go to the gym. We don't use a bell at all. We don't even have a bell in our gym. So, sometimes when we box, we box, you know, six to eight straight minutes, because if a guy gets tired, we put another guy in to keep boxing. So, I guess I'm a throwback fighter. I'm a fighter than can fight 15 rounds, you know, if needed. But, I mean I have nothing but the utmost respect for all of these – you know, all fighters who dedicate themselves to his craft. And I just come with tremendous shape. I mean a lot of it is God-given talent. Most of it is God-given talent, you know. And the rest is just hard work.
FRANKLIN MCNEIL: You did great on Dancing with the Stars, how did the experience of being on that show, what can you say – how did it benefit you personally, as a person?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Man, you know, what, I had a chance to – you know, you get a chance to see different – well different – you got – I mean, outside of the ring, they call me Money Mayweather, because, you know, I'm hustling. I'm constantly hustling. But, on Dancing with the Stars, it's Pretty Boy Floyd. I mean you've got different Mayweather. When you see me on 24/7, you say this kid is wild. And I mean, you know, I'm going to show you versatility and being a chameleon, adjusting and adapting to your environment.
So, I mean the show – I mean it was good. I got a chance to meet different people. I had a chance to be on the show where people wasn't paying to see me. So, it's different. It was a great experience. And it was a great experience and it was a great show. People were nice. And actually, I was the only one on the show that was the best at what he do because I don't really know the race car driver, but he's not the best race car driver. Some of the people were actresses weren't the best. And you had like Mark Cuban, he's not the richest billionaire. So, I was the best at what I do. Obviously, I'm in the sport of boxing and what I do.
So, when I was sitting next to the competitors, that's what I was thinking, I'm like, I looked around and said, "Now what makes me different from the rest of them?" I said, "I'm the only one that's the best at what I do."Comment
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FRANKLIN MCNEIL: My next question is for Leonard, and Floyd don't answer this question. Let Leonard answer first. Leonard, on the Hatton call, he talked about looking at the Castillo fight and the Oscar de la Hoya fight that Floyd had. And he talked about pressuring Floyd. I want to know from you, why that strategy of keeping pressure, pressure, pressure with Floyd won't work, why that is not a strategy that's going to work in this fight.
LEONARD ELLERBE: Because, you know, Franklin, to be actually honest, we've had a number of great trainers who have worked with several fighters that Floyd has faced, and they all seem to think that that's the way to make Floyd feel uncomfortable. But, actually, we welcome that. I mean, because they all have tried and they all come up with the same result. So, no matter what Ricky Hatton tries to do on December the eighth, it's going to still be the same result. You know, he is a…
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: But they don't know the [Jose Luis] Castillo, that I fought, I fought him, what, six years ago? And, you know, when he a facing this guy [Hatton], I mean a guy who's going out there, knowing he's not getting no money, he's like, "Why am I here and fighting if I'm going home with no payday? Why go the 12 if I'm not getting no money?" I mean, when you punch Castillo to the body, Castillo turns – does a 360 turnaround, took five steps and went to one knee. I'm not saying that he's not a pretty good fighter. He's an OK fighter. I really don't know much about him. But, he can't compare himself to an Oscar de la Hoya, because he hasn't accomplished what Oscar de la Hoya has accomplished in the sport, not even close to it. I mean we're talking about a guy who's 140 and a guy who went to 147 and didn't really win a title weight at 147. So I mean, he's entitled to say what he wants to say. You know, come December 8, we welcome the pressure, because that's what we like. We fight better going backwards.
SHARON ROBB: Floyd, hi. I have two questions, one serious and not so serious. But the first one is, have you done everything there is to do in boxing? I mean are you pretty pleased with what you've accomplished? And are you at all getting bored with this? Or do you just want to take it as far as you can?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I really don't know. I feel good every day, when my son goes to the gym, because my son is starting to box. My son – both of my boys love boxing. As far as me in the ring, I mean that's cool. I mean, I've been doing it for so, so long. So, some days I feel – it just before you get me to the gym. I'll feel like I don't want to go to the gym. But once I get there, I work hard, real hard.
It's more like some days I am bored with the sport, I'm being honest. I can't – you know, I've got to look at myself in the mirror, every day. I mean certain days – it's not like it used to be. I think I like this sport better when I fighting for free, you know, because when you're young you don't have concerns so you're not worried about nothing. I mean you just never know what can happen in the sport of boxing. A lot of times you worry about certain things like, if I die in the ring, you worry about what's going to happen with your kids, what's going to happen with your family. So, when I didn't have nothing to live for, when I didn't have no kids to live for, I really wasn't worried about nothing. I was like I don't care what goes on. I'm just going here to fight, if I die, so be it. And, now that I'm a lot older and a lot wiser, it's more like I've got something to live for. And I've got some people – I know people in my household who love me. So, I mean that worries me a lot because, I feel like my job is like a cop, one shot can end your whole career. So, you know, that's why, you know, I'm real smart, real conscious about certain moves that I make inside the ring, as well as outside the ring.
SHARON ROBB: And the second question is, what do you think about a dance off with Evander Holyfield? Who would win that bitty?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Well, you know, of course, he's a legend in the sport of boxing. But in dancing, we all ready know, that, Evander Holyfield have two left feet. And I mean, he definitely can't out dance me. He all ready know that. I mean that's a first round knock out.
GEORGE WILLIS: Leonard, as far as Mayweather promotions, what role are you guys actively doing as far as the fight is concerned. Oscar talked about all of the sponsorship and stuff like that. What is Mayweather Promotions bringing to the table?
LEONARD ELLERBE: We're working hand in hand with Golden Boy Promotions. Obviously, this is our first event. Hands down, Golden Boy Promotions is the best promotional company that's out there. So, we're just basically trying to follow their lead, learn from them and eventually, we plan to be on top just like they are.
GEORGE WILLIS: Do you think you'll be able to work with companies like Top Rank any time soon?
LEONARD ELLERBE: No.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Well, it's more like this, I think Oscar de la Hoya and Richard Schaefer have done a hell of a job with their company. And you must crawl before you walk. I mean we're talking small steps right now. And, you know, we got our building, we got our people also that we have, that's where our company will be at.
And what else, can I say? They've done one hell of a job with their company. I just, I mean, there's no company like Golden Boy Company, like you said, they pay, they don't play. They pay. And when they say they're going to make something happen, they make it happen and that's the kind of company that we're trying to be like. I mean the company is – you'd be amazed at what they do. When they say Floyd, you're going to have a $6 million check in the mail, I mean they say it's going to be there in two weeks, it'd be there in one week. So, I mean the company is amazing. What else can I say about them.
GEORGE WILLIS: Floyd, one thing about the fight, you mentioned just a while ago that you fight better backing up. Could you just talk about that, explain a little bit?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I said it because it sounds good. I fight better any way it goes. I got to go to him, he got to come to me, it don't matter.Comment
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