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Floyd Mayweather Jr. is not only back in boxing, he's back with his father at his side.
Stopping in Los Angeles on Monday to promote his July 18 return bout against popular Mexican fighter Juan Manuel Marquez, the unbeaten Mayweather (39-0, 25 knockouts) said in a round-table conversation at The Times that he's been spending his days with his father, Floyd Sr.
This may be status quo in most households, but it qualifies as an interesting development among the Mayweathers of Las Vegas. Father and son have been often estranged for much of the last decade, and the elder Mayweather has often clashed with his brother, Roger, who trains the fast-punching younger Mayweather, who hasn't fought since participating in two 2007 bouts that generated 3.4 million pay-per-view buys and nearly $250 million in total revenue.
"My dad's been working with me every day since the Hatton fight," Mayweather Jr. said. "We chill out, shoot pool, talk about different fighters."
Mayweather, 32, said his father could use the support now. Not only did Mayweather Sr. speak early and often predicting that he'd train England's Ricky Hatton to an upset of Manny Pacquiao this month -- Pacquiao won by second-round knockout -- the elder Mayweather is also battling a disease, sarcoidosis, that limits lung capacity and has caused him to lose about 25 to 30 pounds.
As sharp as the Mayweathers' divide has been, that's how close the two now seem to be. The younger Mayweather even asked the public to excuse his dad's flashy 1980s garb.
Mayweather Jr. wouldn't go as far as saying he plans to use his dad as a co-trainer for the fight against the 35-year-old Marquez (50-4-1, 37 KOs) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, but he defended his dad's training skills and showed genuine emotion about the health concern.
"I know what my father teaches," Mayweather Jr. said of the Hatton debacle. "That's not how my father trains a fighter. He'll say, 'Use the . . . jab, man.' I guess a fighter can't be taught new things. Hatton rushes in, he didn't follow the game plan."
More important, Mayweather Jr. said he's worried about his dad. His eyes welled with tears as he discussed the need for Mayweather Sr. to eat more.
"Both of my parents are getting older. There's certain things you want to say to both of them before they leave this Earth," Mayweather Jr. said.
He also wants to remain unbeaten for as long as possible, with potential opponents Pacquiao, Shane Mosley and Miguel Cotto poised for potential future bouts.
First, the flashy Mayweather will have to overcome 19 months of ring rust to defeat Marquez, who battled Pacquiao to a 2003 draw and dropped a split decision to the Filipino star in March 2008.
"This fight is a great opportunity for me and very important, to me and the Mexican people," Marquez said.
While Mayweather Jr. is escorted to his training facilities by drivers or by driving his own lavish vehicles, Marquez has retreated to the high-altitude mountains above Mexico City for training in near isolation.
A world lightweight champion, Marquez has fought his last two bouts at only 135 pounds and is now being asked to fight former welterweight king Mayweather at 144 pounds. "I've worked to build up my muscles, I'm eating protein -- tacos," Marquez cracked.
His muscle training is as ancient as it gets. He picks up large stones in the Mexican mountains, and asks an observer to feel the impact: rock-hard biceps.
"The weight's no issue," Marquez's promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, said.
But Las Vegas bookmakers think it is, establishing Mayweather as a nearly 4-1 favorite over Marquez.
And although he respects his foe's devotion to the sport, the brash Mayweather said of Marquez, "He's a good fighter, but he's going to get out-boxed by me."
Stopping in Los Angeles on Monday to promote his July 18 return bout against popular Mexican fighter Juan Manuel Marquez, the unbeaten Mayweather (39-0, 25 knockouts) said in a round-table conversation at The Times that he's been spending his days with his father, Floyd Sr.
This may be status quo in most households, but it qualifies as an interesting development among the Mayweathers of Las Vegas. Father and son have been often estranged for much of the last decade, and the elder Mayweather has often clashed with his brother, Roger, who trains the fast-punching younger Mayweather, who hasn't fought since participating in two 2007 bouts that generated 3.4 million pay-per-view buys and nearly $250 million in total revenue.
"My dad's been working with me every day since the Hatton fight," Mayweather Jr. said. "We chill out, shoot pool, talk about different fighters."
Mayweather, 32, said his father could use the support now. Not only did Mayweather Sr. speak early and often predicting that he'd train England's Ricky Hatton to an upset of Manny Pacquiao this month -- Pacquiao won by second-round knockout -- the elder Mayweather is also battling a disease, sarcoidosis, that limits lung capacity and has caused him to lose about 25 to 30 pounds.
As sharp as the Mayweathers' divide has been, that's how close the two now seem to be. The younger Mayweather even asked the public to excuse his dad's flashy 1980s garb.
Mayweather Jr. wouldn't go as far as saying he plans to use his dad as a co-trainer for the fight against the 35-year-old Marquez (50-4-1, 37 KOs) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, but he defended his dad's training skills and showed genuine emotion about the health concern.
"I know what my father teaches," Mayweather Jr. said of the Hatton debacle. "That's not how my father trains a fighter. He'll say, 'Use the . . . jab, man.' I guess a fighter can't be taught new things. Hatton rushes in, he didn't follow the game plan."
More important, Mayweather Jr. said he's worried about his dad. His eyes welled with tears as he discussed the need for Mayweather Sr. to eat more.
"Both of my parents are getting older. There's certain things you want to say to both of them before they leave this Earth," Mayweather Jr. said.
He also wants to remain unbeaten for as long as possible, with potential opponents Pacquiao, Shane Mosley and Miguel Cotto poised for potential future bouts.
First, the flashy Mayweather will have to overcome 19 months of ring rust to defeat Marquez, who battled Pacquiao to a 2003 draw and dropped a split decision to the Filipino star in March 2008.
"This fight is a great opportunity for me and very important, to me and the Mexican people," Marquez said.
While Mayweather Jr. is escorted to his training facilities by drivers or by driving his own lavish vehicles, Marquez has retreated to the high-altitude mountains above Mexico City for training in near isolation.
A world lightweight champion, Marquez has fought his last two bouts at only 135 pounds and is now being asked to fight former welterweight king Mayweather at 144 pounds. "I've worked to build up my muscles, I'm eating protein -- tacos," Marquez cracked.
His muscle training is as ancient as it gets. He picks up large stones in the Mexican mountains, and asks an observer to feel the impact: rock-hard biceps.
"The weight's no issue," Marquez's promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, said.
But Las Vegas bookmakers think it is, establishing Mayweather as a nearly 4-1 favorite over Marquez.
And although he respects his foe's devotion to the sport, the brash Mayweather said of Marquez, "He's a good fighter, but he's going to get out-boxed by me."
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