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Floyd Mayweather, in his first post-retirement interview, ripped HBO's boxing announcers for what he perceives as racist treatment, said he anticipates becoming a billionaire before the end of 2008, and offered little hint at reneging on his decision to retire at 31, while undefeated and the reigning pound-for-pound king.
"I've been telling you for the longest that I'm getting tired," Mayweather said Friday, four weeks after he announced his retirement via a June 6 press release. "There's nothing more to be done."
Mayweather, during a half-hour exclusive interview, reflected on his amateur career, his image, his media treatment, and his decision to retire with a 39-0 record and leave a mid-eight-figures windfall on the table for a rematch against Oscar De La Hoya.
Mayweather-De La Hoya II tentatively was scheduled for Sept. 20 but contracts never were signed.
Money was not the issue, Mayweather said.
"Every day, I was telling Leonard, 'I don't really want to fight,' " Mayweather said, in reference to discussions with his adviser, Leonard Ellerbe. "Leonard didn't really say much, because Leonard loves boxing. That's his passion, not sitting around on the phone, making deals all day. It's pretty easy now to make deals, when you've got the name Floyd Mayweather. But in the beginning, it was real, real tough."
Those deals earned the Grand Rapids native about $100 million in gross purses -- and much more outside the ring, according to him -- and the newly retired athlete said he has some nouveau-riche purchases pending to enjoy that wealth: A new $26 million jet, a new $18.5 million Las Vegas home, another home worth $11 million in Miami, and a $20 million yacht.
"I was truly, truly blessed to have good people around me and I was smart during my career," he said. "I made great investments. By the end of this year, I should be a billionaire."
Asked how he could have accrued so much wealth so quickly, he replied, "I went from the ring to Wall Street, that's all I can tell people."
Mayweather had plenty more to say in his first post-retirement interview:
HBO announcers: In a scathing Fourth of July criticism, certain to launch post-holiday fireworks at HBO's New York offices, Mayweather accused the network's announcing crew of several biases against him, and a broader bias against black fighters in general.
"Even a guy like Jim Lampley, he praises Kelly Pavlik -- who has won some good fights, he beat Jermain Taylor twice, we have to give him credit for that -- but they talk about Kelly Pavlik, a white fighter, like he's the second coming Or they go crazy over Manny Pacquiao. But I'm a black fighter," Mayweather said. "Is it racial? Absolutely. They praise white fighters, they praise Hispanic fighters, whatever. But black fighters, they never praise.
"I've noticed it for a long time but I couldn't say anything because I had to do business with them. I'll still do business with them, but I'm done holding my tongue. I think HBO is great. But their announcers are full of (expletive)."
Playing the villian: On why he flourished as a brash, often villainous character, even though almost everyone outside his circle discouraged it, Mayweather said he "forced it" on the public, through charisma and talent.
"I forced it on them, and there was nothing they could do about it," he said. "And if I did want to come back, I was going to make, what, $50 million (for the De La Hoya rematch)? You know what, don't call my phone unless you've got $100 million."
Is it really the end? On whether that statement lends credence to widespread speculation that he eventually will fight again, considering his age and top-of-food-chain career position, Mayweather stood firm.
"I'm through," he said. "Once I tell people I'm through, I'm through. People say, 'Oh, he retired and came back, after the De La Hoya fight.' I didn't retire and come back. I just fought one more fight, against Ricky Hatton. And as soon as I beat him, it was, 'What about this guy?' and 'What about that guy?' It's never good enough. Some boxing people weren't going to be happy until I take a loss, and that's not ever going to happen. I achieved all I wanted to achieve.
"When I'm 50 or 60, I want to be able to know my kids, and I want them to know me. I want all five senses to be sharp, sharp as a razor. I want to be able to live my life. That's one thing I'll say about my father, he gets around real, real good. My mother gets around real, real good. I want to be like that."
Reflections: On his list of proudest achievements, names
of prominent opponents never were mentioned.
"You saw, at the age of 16, going to the National Golden Gloves after just 15 junior fights, and winning the national championship," he said. "Then, people said I couldn't do it again without my father, and I did it again the next year, at 112 pounds, without my father. Then, I jumped straight to 125 pounds, won three national championships, went to the Olympics, took a controversial loss, went pro, won world championships in five weight divisions. I made the impossible possible."
No peers: On the identity of the new pound-for-pound king -- generally considered to be Pacquiao, the lightweight champion from The Philippines -- Mayweather said he had no opinion on the debate anymore.
"I'm so far ahead of those other bums, I couldn't even tell you," he said.
My brother Floyd speaks the truth.
"I've been telling you for the longest that I'm getting tired," Mayweather said Friday, four weeks after he announced his retirement via a June 6 press release. "There's nothing more to be done."
Mayweather, during a half-hour exclusive interview, reflected on his amateur career, his image, his media treatment, and his decision to retire with a 39-0 record and leave a mid-eight-figures windfall on the table for a rematch against Oscar De La Hoya.
Mayweather-De La Hoya II tentatively was scheduled for Sept. 20 but contracts never were signed.
Money was not the issue, Mayweather said.
"Every day, I was telling Leonard, 'I don't really want to fight,' " Mayweather said, in reference to discussions with his adviser, Leonard Ellerbe. "Leonard didn't really say much, because Leonard loves boxing. That's his passion, not sitting around on the phone, making deals all day. It's pretty easy now to make deals, when you've got the name Floyd Mayweather. But in the beginning, it was real, real tough."
Those deals earned the Grand Rapids native about $100 million in gross purses -- and much more outside the ring, according to him -- and the newly retired athlete said he has some nouveau-riche purchases pending to enjoy that wealth: A new $26 million jet, a new $18.5 million Las Vegas home, another home worth $11 million in Miami, and a $20 million yacht.
"I was truly, truly blessed to have good people around me and I was smart during my career," he said. "I made great investments. By the end of this year, I should be a billionaire."
Asked how he could have accrued so much wealth so quickly, he replied, "I went from the ring to Wall Street, that's all I can tell people."
Mayweather had plenty more to say in his first post-retirement interview:
HBO announcers: In a scathing Fourth of July criticism, certain to launch post-holiday fireworks at HBO's New York offices, Mayweather accused the network's announcing crew of several biases against him, and a broader bias against black fighters in general.
"Even a guy like Jim Lampley, he praises Kelly Pavlik -- who has won some good fights, he beat Jermain Taylor twice, we have to give him credit for that -- but they talk about Kelly Pavlik, a white fighter, like he's the second coming Or they go crazy over Manny Pacquiao. But I'm a black fighter," Mayweather said. "Is it racial? Absolutely. They praise white fighters, they praise Hispanic fighters, whatever. But black fighters, they never praise.
"I've noticed it for a long time but I couldn't say anything because I had to do business with them. I'll still do business with them, but I'm done holding my tongue. I think HBO is great. But their announcers are full of (expletive)."
Playing the villian: On why he flourished as a brash, often villainous character, even though almost everyone outside his circle discouraged it, Mayweather said he "forced it" on the public, through charisma and talent.
"I forced it on them, and there was nothing they could do about it," he said. "And if I did want to come back, I was going to make, what, $50 million (for the De La Hoya rematch)? You know what, don't call my phone unless you've got $100 million."
Is it really the end? On whether that statement lends credence to widespread speculation that he eventually will fight again, considering his age and top-of-food-chain career position, Mayweather stood firm.
"I'm through," he said. "Once I tell people I'm through, I'm through. People say, 'Oh, he retired and came back, after the De La Hoya fight.' I didn't retire and come back. I just fought one more fight, against Ricky Hatton. And as soon as I beat him, it was, 'What about this guy?' and 'What about that guy?' It's never good enough. Some boxing people weren't going to be happy until I take a loss, and that's not ever going to happen. I achieved all I wanted to achieve.
"When I'm 50 or 60, I want to be able to know my kids, and I want them to know me. I want all five senses to be sharp, sharp as a razor. I want to be able to live my life. That's one thing I'll say about my father, he gets around real, real good. My mother gets around real, real good. I want to be like that."
Reflections: On his list of proudest achievements, names
of prominent opponents never were mentioned.
"You saw, at the age of 16, going to the National Golden Gloves after just 15 junior fights, and winning the national championship," he said. "Then, people said I couldn't do it again without my father, and I did it again the next year, at 112 pounds, without my father. Then, I jumped straight to 125 pounds, won three national championships, went to the Olympics, took a controversial loss, went pro, won world championships in five weight divisions. I made the impossible possible."
No peers: On the identity of the new pound-for-pound king -- generally considered to be Pacquiao, the lightweight champion from The Philippines -- Mayweather said he had no opinion on the debate anymore.
"I'm so far ahead of those other bums, I couldn't even tell you," he said.
My brother Floyd speaks the truth.
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