By Lem Satterfield, FanHouseLAS VEGAS -- FanHouse was on hand at Saturday night's post-fight press conference, during which unbeaten Floyd Mayweather dominated WBA welterweight (147 pounds) champion, Shane Mosley, by lopsided unanimous decision before 15,117 at the MGM Grand.
The 33-year-old Mayweeather rose to 41-0, with 25 knockouts, earning a non-heavyweight record, guaranteed $22.5 million purse for his performance.
Mosley (46-6, 39 KOs), whose title was not on the line against Mayweather, earned his largest career pay day -- a guaranteed $7 million.
Below are Floyd Mayweather's responses to some of the subjects raised during the post-fight:
Floyd Mayweather: It was another tremendous night, another tremendous fight, and another tremendous turnout. Without the fans, of course, you know, I wouldn't be where I am at in the sport of boxing. With HBO and my staff, it was another good show. What can I say?
There was a point to prove, to see who is one of the best welterweights out there, and once again, I stepped up to the plate and I proved that I am the best. And, it was just a lot of hard work and we had a smart team. We had a helluva a game plan.
For all of the fans coming out and supporting Shane. It was truly an unbelievable turnout, really. What else can I say? Of course, my team did one helluva job. They gave me everything that I needed, and they stepped up and made sure that I was comfortable.
I told my team that I'm comfortable as long as they take care of business outside of the ring and make sure that I'm comfortable, I'll make sure that I take care of business inside of the squared circle. Any questions?
On who would call the shots, Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao
, in a potential negotiation for that fight, given that Shane Mosley was willing to do what Mayweather had asked him to do in terms of the random drug testing with the United State Anti-Doping Agency.
, in a potential negotiation for that fight, given that Shane Mosley was willing to do what Mayweather had asked him to do in terms of the random drug testing with the United State Anti-Doping Agency.
I've just been dedicating myself to the sport for 15 years. I'm not saying that Manny Pacquiao is not a good fighter. But, you know I've got the will to win under the lights, and, you know, that's like I have said before. If you guys watch [HBO's] 24/7, I said, 'We all may hit the bag alike, we all may do the padwork alike. We all may jump rope the same. But we all don't perform under the lights the same.' And I can see that in the second round, everybody was whooping and hollering and going crazy [When Mosley staggered Mayweather with a right hand.]
But the only thing that I thought about was to relax and stay focused. Because that comes with the territory in the sport of boxing. That comes with, you know, the sport. I'm a strong individual.
On what happened in the second round, when Shane Mosley hurt him with a right hand.
What happened is that I'm a fighter, you know. And things happen. I'm a strong individual, like I said before. He hit me with a good shot, but I've been hit like that before. DeMarcus 'Chop Chop' Corley hit me with a harder shot than that.
Zab Judah hit me with a harder shot than that. But when you dedicate yourself to the sport, and you're hungry, and you truly believe, and, of course, like I said before, I come from a family of winners. I wasn't going to lay down, so I wasn't really worried about that. That comes with the sport.
On where the Shane Mosley fight ranks among his victories and in his career.
I really don't know. I'm not here to rank myself. I''m here to just fight the best guys out there and to be the best that I can be. Like I said, before, a lot of people sit in judgement of you and don't even know you. And I think that there are many different sides to Floyd Mayweather.
And, 24/7, everyone on 24/7 did an unbelievable job with both camps. I think that 24/7 did a tremendous job. Of course, I had my own team, along with Al Haymon and Leonard Ellerbe, who did some behind the scenes things that people didn't get to see.
Like I said before, 24/7, HBO, all of the sponsors, all of the media and all of the people, without them, we wouldn't have had this great event. Of course, it also takes the two fighters.
On whether or not the second-round punch from Shane Mosley was the most he had been hurt during his career.
No. Like I said before, Zab Judah hit me with a better shot. And DeMarcus 'Chop Chop' Corley hit me with a better shot. But, like I said before, Shane's a solid welterweight. And, actually I was in such tip-top shape, that I came into the fight weighing 147.
And I ate three times after the weig-in. I ate twice yesterday and I ate a big meal today, but my weight wouldn't go anywhere. I wanted to come into the fight weighing at least 150, or 152. But I was in such good shape that my weight wouldn't go any higher.
On why he didn't believe that Shane Mosley was able to follow up his second-round effort at any other time during the rest of the fight.
I think that he tried, but it was just that I was able to show my versatility and adapt and adjust to any opponent. I'm just able to adapt and to adjust.
And I knew that my game plan was going to work. Breaking him down in every which way. Turning it into a dogfight if that is what was needed.
On the adjustments he made to take away Shane Mosley's right hand.
Over the years, you know, I never study an opponent. I never go watch tapes, because I think that when an opponent gets into the rign with me, they're going to be totally different. So, Shane never used a full jab. He used like a tit-tat jab, trying to set up a big shot -- either the big left hook, or the big right hand.
But, like I said before, I just took my time and kept my composure. And every time that I saw an opening, I took advantage of it.
On whether this compares favorably to the victory over previously unbeaten Diego Corrales, whom he floored five times, and his response to the general criticism from the media about not having fought big welterweights or the best fighters.
For all of the people who don't know, I came from a small weight class. I came from 130 pounds, and I went from 130, all the way to 140, and won titles in those weight classes. Everbody is entitled to their opinion. All that I can do is to beat whoever they put in front of me.
Just be the best that I can be. Obviously, it's not bragging or boasting if you can back it up. I just truly believe in myself, I believe in my talent, and I believe in my team, and I believe in my skills. Like I said before, HBO has done a tremendous job throughout my career.
On the Shane Mosley right hand that hurt him, yet again.
Of course, this is a contact sport. Anything can happen. This was the 41st fight of my career, like I said before, anything can happen. But my job is like being a cop: One shot can end your entire career. So me, just being a sharp fighter, I went back to my corner.
My corner really wasn't tripping. They told me, 'Floyd, just relax and do what you do.' My uncle, [Roger Mayweather,] said, 'Just relax and do what you do.' And I turned around and asked my father [Floyd Mayweather Sr.], 'What's going on?'
And he said, 'You know what you've got to do.' My father said, 'Just stick to the game plan, I told you what you've got to do.' Third round, we came out, we pressed the attack. But we were smart. We broke with the left hook when he tried to use the same shot.
It was that same shot that he knocked Fernando Vargas out with. I said, 'He likes to break with the left hook too.' I think that, just, mentally, I'm a smarter fighter. I think that a lot of fighters fight off of strength. Other fighters worry about who's the fastest. I just work on timing and being smart.
I was getting my left over his right hand. I was also getting a full, right-hand counter over his left jab so that he would stop using his jab.
On whether he would have the urge to just get into the ring and get into a slugfest with anybody again.
Like I said before, boxing has been great to me. We don't know what the future holds. I don't know what the future holds. I may just go home and chill out with the kids, just chill for a little while. I just don't know.
On what was said between he and Shane Mosley, who tried to touch gloves often before some rounds, when they were talking to each other during the middle rounds of the fight.
I just told him, 'Stop trying to touch my gloves.' I just kind of said, 'Stop worrying about what the referees are talking about and stop holding. Let's fight.' I mean, 'You all said that I was going to do all of this different running, and that I didn't come to fight.'
I'm not saying that Shane is not one helluva fighter, and I'll take my hat off to Shane, he's one helluva fighter. He caught me with a good shot. Like I said before, though, I've got the will to win under any circumstances. When you say that you're the best, you have to stand up.
You have to take the good with the good, and take the bad with the bad, and you keep going, and that's all that I did. What I was telling Shane was, 'I'm not worried about all of that touching gloves, let's fight.' That's what that was all about.
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
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