LAS VEGAS -- For Floyd Mayweather, "it's about taking this sport to another level, and being an icon in the sport of boxing."
No longer is boxing about his eighth-round knockout of Genaro Hernandez for the WBC super featherweight (130 pounds) title in October of 1998, or his unanimous decision over Jose Luis Castillo for the WBC lightweight (135 pounds) crown in April of 2002.
It's no longer about Mayweather's June, 2005, sixth-round stoppage of Arturo Gatti that made him the WBC's junior welterweight (140 pounds) king before Gatti's, disappointed, partisan fans in Atlantic City, or becoming the IBF welterweight (147 pounds) champion with an April, 2006, unanimous decision over Zab Judah.
And it's no longer about having knocked out former world champion, Diego Corrales, whom he floored five times in January of 2001; beaten long-time, promotional stablemate, Oscar de la Hoya, by split-decision, in May of 2007; or having knocked out former world champion, Ricky Hatton, seven months later before retiring for nearly two years.
"Whatever weight class Floyd Mayweather goes to, that's the hot weight class. When I was ast 130, that was the hot weight class. When I moved to 135, that was the hot weight class. When I move to 140, that was the hot weight class," said Mayweather. "Now, I'm at 147, that's the hot weight class," said Mayweather. "And the thing is this, when Floyd Mayweather came into play, and the ball got into my hands, and I was able to control and do things that I wanted, you don't even hear nobody talking about the heavyweights no more."
For Mayweather, being in the ring has become more about "being the face of boxing," maintaining his status as the sport's No. 1 draw, lining his pocket with substantial pay days, and being it's premiere fighter, pound-for-pound, more than any attention that can be gained by winning another championship belt.
Those are among the reasons the unbeaten, 33-year-old Mayweather (40-0, 25 knockouts) won't be fighting for the WBA welterweight crown held by the 38-year-old Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) when they meet in an HBO-televised pay per view bout on Saturday night at the MGM Grand.
"Other fighters that are up-and-coming young fighters, coming up, they wonder 'Why does Floyd make so much money?' They don't realize that Floyd Mayweather is keeping the sport going," Mayweahter told reporters during a press conference on Wednesday at the Hollywood Theatre in the MGM.
"All that you hear them talking about is the welterweights," said Mayweather. "I made the world pay attention to the smaller man in boxing. That's something where I changed the sport, all the way around."
But there is a man from the Philippines who might argue that point, and his name is Manny Pacquiao.
And while Mayweather ended a 21-month "retirement" with September's sensational, unanimous decision victory over Juan Manuel Marquez, there are those who consider it a fact that Pacquaio (51-3-2, 38 KOs) supplanted him as boxing's premiere fighter with a spectacular run.
A seven-division titlist, Pacquiao has won his past 12 bouts, eight of them by knockout, including those over former world champs, Hatton, de la Hoya, Erik Morales, and, David Diaz.
A cross-over super star, Pacquiao is running for congress in the Philippines, but is expected to return to the ring sometime in the fall.
After negotiations for a proposed, March, megabout between Pacquiao and Mayweather fell apart over random drug testing, Mayweather and Mosley materialized.
"I'm not saying that Shane's not a good fighter," said Mayweather. "But as far as drawing power, and, being a superstar, Shane Mosley is an HBO fighter, and Floyd Mayweather is a mega superstar."
But the two are, nevertheless, competing only under the conditions that Mayweather be granted a rematch in the event that he loses, and, that both fighters be randomly tested for steroids using blood and urinalysis by the United States Anti-Doping Agency.
"I brought USADA in because I wanted to bring everything onto an even playing field. I'm glad to have USADA involved, because whenever they come by my house to take blood and urine, it's no problem. I just want to show the world that I'm a clean athlete and I don't have to cheat," said Mayweather.
"When I'm inducted into the Hall Of Fame, I will be able to say that I did it the old school hard way, rising from the bottom to the top," said Mayweather. "I didn't do no piggy-backing, and I didn't use no type of enhancement drugs or steroids as a crutch."
Mosley has admitted to having injected the steroids, "The clear," and, "The cream," in 2003, but claims that he unknowingly did so after having met former BALCO founder, Victor Conte, through a relationship with his former trainer, Daryl Hudson.
Mosley is coming off of a January, 2009, ninth-round knockout of Antonio Margarito, whom he dethroned as WBA champion at The Staples Center in Los Angeles.
"I'm not saying that [Mosley] is not a future Hall Of Famer, but we don't know how many fights he was using steroids," said Mayweather. "It's just like the Margarito fight, we don't know. Because, once again, was any blood being drawn? No. Just urine."
Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather's adviser and CEO of Mayweather promotions, believes that random drug testing will make its way into boxing's norm.
"I believe that there are so many great boxing commissions around today that they will soon follow suit," said Ellerbe.
Pacquiao dismissed the notion of random testing because he said that the removal of blood so close to a fight weakens him, an assertion that Mayweather and Ellerbe don't believe.
"I can tell you that on several occasions, Floyd has been tested, and as recently as in the last two weeks, he's come in the next day and sparred 12, 13 rounds," said Ellerbe.
"There are what, 300 and something tablespoons in your body, and they just took four of them out. It don't make you weak," said Mayweather. "They could draw it from me today, or they could draw it from me on Friday night and I could still get into the ring in Saturday and still feel strong, still feel aggressive and still feel healthy."
Mayweather said that that won't change on Saturday night, even as he faces the largest opponent, physically, that he ever has faced in the ring.
Mosley has almost as many knockouts with 39 as Mayweather has fights, but the undefeated six-time champion scoffs at the notion that he could lose for the first time in his career.
"You've got some fighters that's talented, and you fighters that are God-gifted. You've got some athletes that's God-gifted. I just happen to be one of those athletes that's God-gifted. It's just like Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, and Kevin Garnett," said Mayweather.
"When I fight guys that they say are going to give me a tough fight, I can't help that it's so one-sided that they say that the fight is boring," said Mayweather. "That's not my fault. It's just that I'm that good. And on Saturday night, the result won't be any different."
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
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