By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse
The father-son feud reportedly lasted for seven years, to the point where Floyd Mayweather Sr. once threatened to train Oscar de la Hoya to defeat his talented offspring, Floyd Mayweather Jr., in the ring.
But the 57-year-old Floyd Sr. is now a permanent part of his son's entourage, and, more importantly, says that he can play the proper role of parent, and, even, grand parent to Floyd Jr.'s four children.
Floyd Sr. will also be ringside on May 1 at The MGM Grand in Las Vegas, when the 33-year-old Floyd Mayweather Jr. (40-0, 25 knockouts) takes on 38-year-old WBA welterweight (147 pounds) champion, Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) in a highly anticipated bout.
Floyd Sr. spent time with FanHouse for this Q&A.
FanHouse: So what would you like to say to the public about your son's life nowadays, given you're back with him?
Floyd Mayweather Sr.: First of all, I would like to say that me and my son are back together. That's a great thing about life. All of the stuff that he's doing for the homeless, and different people, he's definitely a caring person. Everybody has their ups and downs, ends and outs and around abouts.
He's a good kid who is making a mark for himself and a whole lot of other people. Even with the Olympic style drug testing, stopping people from doing some of the things that they're doing with the performance enhancing drugs. Me and my son are father and son again, regardless of whether I'm training him.
I think that everything has been on the straight and narrow and on the positive.
FH: Floyd Mayweather Jr. doesn't drink or smoke, does he?
Mayweather Sr.: Let me say this right here: Little Floyd couldn't do what he does if he was doing if he drank or if he smoked. He can't do it. That would be impossible. He don't drink, don't smoke, and I've never seen him do either or. That's one of the biggest things that he's got.
FH: What is your relationship like with your grandchildren?
Mayweather Sr.: Right now I spend as much time as I choose to spend with them. We're still getting to know each other better, but we definitely know each other now. That's not a problem. They can come to my house and do whatever they want to do. I'm just happy to be back with them once again.
FH: I saw on the HBO 24/7 series that you and Floyd Jr.'s mother were dancing together again, has that relationship improved?
Mayweather Sr.: That's Little Floyd's mother, and we were never married. Her name used to be Debra Sinclair, but now, she's married and her name is Debra Orr. I think that everything is better. Little Floyd and my daughter, who is Floyd's half-sister, they all get along.
We mingle and that's nice right there. To be dancing with his mother, that took me back and it took her back as well. That's how we met. We danced all night, nonstop. And we did the same thing that night.
FH: What is Floyd Jr. like as a father?
Mayweather Sr.: He's great with his kids. I'm not only concerned about my kids, I'm concerned about my grand kids too. I love my family, and I'm very family-oriented. I love my family, and I'm crazy about my grand kids. I also take care of my mother and I take care of my family, whoever needs it.
FH: I know that you have Sarcoidosis, how is your health?
Mayweather Sr.: My health is not the greatest, I'll be honest with you, but I'm taking it one day at a time. Nobody knows who is going to be here today and who is going to be gone tomorrow. Every day is a blessing to me. I feel good about myself and what I'm doing.
I feel good about how everything is going with me and my son. My greatest thing is my grand kids. That's what I think about. When I think about life, I'm definitely concerned about taking care of my mother, Bernice, who is 77. I just turned 57 on March 15.
FH: At one point, when you trained Oscar de la Hoya, you said that de la Hoya could beat Floyd Jr., correct?
Mayweather Sr.: I said that de la Hoya could whup him and beat him, but he could beat him with me training him. I said that and I meant that. Trust me, I'm a technician, and I know exactly what it takes to win.
FH: Was that said out of anger, and would you say that now?
Mayweather Sr.: Would I have said that if me and Floyd were on good terms? I doubt very seriously if I would have said that. I don't think that it would have ever come up to the point of me every saying that. I had disagreements with Floyd and said things that maybe I shouldn't have said, and I have said things that I do regret that I did say.
I think that it's the same thing with my son. I don't think that I said any more than what he said, but at the end of the day, I'm the father and he's the son, and somebody has got to be bigger. And right now, I'm being the daddy that I'm supposed to be. One thing about me is I take care of my family, my grand babies.
One of them got a birthday coming up, I'm there and I'm supporting them and I'm giving them the same thing I would give to my mother or anybody else. I'm a family man, and that's what I am. And I'm glad that I'm a family man, because I could have been way out there on the wrong path.
My life has been rough. Real rough. Money is not everything, but you do need money to live, and it's made my life much, much better. And if I have money to make my life better, then it's going to make the lives of those around me and whatever family members are here, better. And I'm going to accommodate them in the best way that I can.
FH: How would you like Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s career to go from here?
Mayweather Sr.: Honestly, after Shane, I don't see no more big challenges out there right now. Not with the name, after Shane Mosley. After he takes care of Shane Mosley, I think that Little Floyd has cleaned up everything, unless he went into a higher weight class.
But size means something, and, again, smarts means something. But he's got to be smart about everything he does in life.
FH: Would Manny Pacquiao be a fight?
Mayweather Sr.: My thing is, if everything was on a straight and narrow, then it would be an ideal fight. Everything would be good. That's all that I've got to say.
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
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