Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag: Mayweather Promotions, Alex Ariza, Manny Pacquiao & More!!!

09/23/201409/23/2014 Vivek Wallace

Martin R. (St. Louis, MO): Alex Ariza has apparently been signed to Mayweather Promotions to be Floyd’s strength and conditioning guru. Everybody was critical of him when he was with Pacquiao. What are your thoughts now that he is with Floyd Mayweather?

Vivek (ESB): I don’t think there’s a way to defend Mayweather from the “hypocrisy” tag. Several times in the past he spoke bad about Ariza, as it relates to the possibility of him providing steroids for Pacquiao; now he’s going to use him? To many, that double-talk instantly kills credibility, and I can’t say it shouldn’t. It’s just not a good look. That being said, I can see his angle for making such a move. From my seat, this move is part strategy, part psychology. I really believe that Ariza’s presence will be a welcomed addition, when you consider that Mayweather has found this level of success without ever popping a basic vitamin! The addition of modern science could be a very intriguing element to add to his repertoire.

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Khan could be next for Mayweather, says Floyd Sr

09/22/2014 Jeff Sorby

If trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr knows what he’s talking about, we could see former IBF/WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan sharing the ring with WBA/WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr next May on Cinco de Mayo at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Floyd Sr, who is generally quite blunt in his opinions, said that the 28-year-old Khan is No.1 on the list for Mayweather’s next fight.

“More than likely it won’t be Pacquiao. I would say Amir Khan is No.1 on the list, but that’s still not even permanent,” Floyd Sr. told Hit First Boxing. “There’s still a few other fighters out there. I can’t say who’s permanent unless they ask for it.”

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Ariza signs 2-year contract with Mayweather

09/21/2014 Rob Smith

Strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza has reportedly signed a 2-year contract with WBA/WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr (47-0, 26 KOs) that should in theory take Mayweather all the way to retirement. Ariza had helped Mayweather stretches during one of his workouts in getting ready for his rematch against Marcos Maidana.

Ariza continued to be around the Mayweather gym, making many boxing fans feel that it was just a matter of time before Mayweather eventually signed him up as his strength and conditioning coach.

“I signed an official contract for two years to serve as Floyd’s strength and conditioning coach,” Ariza said via the Manilastandardtoday.com.

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Ashley Theophane talks Floyd Mayweather and Mayhem

09/18/201409/17/2014 Ashley Theophane

Floyd Mayweather claimed his 47th win against Marcos Maidana at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

“Mayhem” was a massive event just like all Floyd Mayweather’s fights have become. It’s not just a fight but an event, and a global event at that.

Stars from the world of sports, film, music and fashion fly into Las Vegas just to watch Floyd fight.

Fight week started with fighter arrivals on Tuesday, Floyd had his final press conference on Wednesday. Thursday was the undercard press conference, with fan workouts and autograph signing, and a screening at Bleacher’s madhouse for the fans in the evening. Friday was the weigh in, where Rick Ross took the stage to entertain the 10,000 strong crowd before Floyd and Marcos Maidana took centre stage.

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Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag: Floyd Mayweather, Marcos Maidana, Timothy Bradley, and more!

09/16/2014 Vivek Wallace

Layton F. (Brooklyn, NY): I never thought I’d see the day, but to me, Floyd Mayweather looked old and out of sorts. I just didn’t think he looked the same. Is it safe to say that he’s no longer the guy he was?

Vivek W. (ESB): The old adage has it that “time waits for no man”! Oddly, we’ve seen Floyd Mayweather dominate for so long that we’ve grown accustomed to the notion that he’s some blind exception to the rule, and unfortunately, this is not the case. While there were some points that just didn’t quite seem normal for him, statistically, we see the same level of success. From day one, Mayweather’s statistics have been mid to high 50 percentile (or greater) in offensive connection rates; all while holding the opponent down to a very low 20 percentile connection rate in exchange. Has he been touched a bit more lately? Certainly seems that way, but again, all percentages remain intact, so is he truly “slippin” (as Steven A. Smith of ESPN went on record to say)?

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Khan: My interest in fighting Mayweather has nothing to do with money

09/16/201409/15/2014 Bill Phanco

In the past week, former IBF/WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan (29-3, 19 KOs) has ratcheted up the pressure on WBA/WBC 147lb champion Floyd Mayweather Jr in his efforts to try and get a fight against the superstar fighter.

Khan has been quite interested in getting a fight against Mayweather for years now, but he’s now highly interested after seeing his recent fight against Marcos Maidana last Saturday night.

Khan says Mayweather has slowed and no longer looks like the fighter he once was earlier in his career. Khan feels that he’s now beatable for him if he can only get Mayweather to say yes to a fight with him.

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Atlas: Mayweather did just enough to win

09/15/2014 Rob Smith

ESPN commentator Teddy Atlas feels that WBA/WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr (47-0, 26 KOs) did just enough to win last Saturday night in his 12 round unanimous decision victory over Marcos Maidana (35-5, 31 KOs) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Atlas thinks Mayweather played it safe too much by holding, running and throwing pot shots instead of standing and trading with the hard hitting Maidana. Atlas thinks that if a prime Sugar Ray Leonard was in the ring with Maidana last Saturday night, he would have knocked him out with his combinations and power punching.

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The Calm after the “Mayhem”

09/15/201609/15/2014 Michael Montero

On Saturday night Floyd Mayweather did what he was supposed to do earlier this May – dominate Marcos Maidana. The rematch billed “Mayhem” turned out to be anything but, as boxing’s pound for pound king pitched a near shutout in front of 16,144 fans at the MGM Grand Las Vegas.

Mayweather, clearly more focused this time around, kept the match in the center of the ring and moved or held to avoid taking punishment from his slower, plodding opponent. Other than a flush right hand Maidana landed at the very end of the third round and a bizarre hand biting incident in the eighth, this was pretty much a glorified sparring session. Punch stats tell the story, as the Argentinian slugger threw more, but landed at less than half the rate than Floyd did. Marcos landed just 17% of his jabs (41-237) and 26% of his power punches (87-335), while “Money” landed 43% of his jabs (64-149) and an astonishing 58% of his power shots (102-177). It was target practice, and Floyd’s holding and mauling tactics quelled “Chino’s” attack. Compare that to the first bout, where Maidana threw almost as many power punches (540) as he did total punches (572) in the rematch.

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“My Fingers Was Numb!” Mayweather Survives Alleged Nom, Dances to UD in Maidana Rematch

09/15/201409/14/2014 Christopher Lettera

(Photo credit: Stephanie Trapp/Mayweather Promotions) Fortify your stomach and think back for a moment on what visceral terror you have seen in this our great and noble sport of boxing. I’m not talking about a sustained beating so much as I’m referencing those singularly weird, graphic manifestations of brutality that years later you can’t shake, even if the fight itself wasn’t particularly noteworthy in the long run.

I’m thinking of that soft-ball sized hematoma that Holyfield head-butted into existence on Hasim Rahman’s forehead back in 02. Or that pearly-white segment of Vitali Klitschko’s skull I swear I can see in photos of that canyon-deep cut he endured against Lewis.

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Mayweather unsure who he’ll fight next in May 2015

09/14/2014 Kevin Chittenden

(Photo credit: Stephanie Trapp/Mayweather Promotions) WBA welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr (47-0, 26 KOs) said before last night that Marcos Maidana (35-5, 31 KOs) would be his 47th victim and that’s exactly what happened with Mayweather using superb footwork to box his way to a 12 round unanimous decision at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

There may not have been as much toe-to-toe action as there was in their first fight in May of this year, but the fight was still quite exciting to watch from start to finish.

After the bout was over, Mayweather was asked repeatedly by media members whether he’ll be fighting Manny Pacquiao or Amir Khan next, but Mayweather didn’t have a clear answer at the time. He says he still needs to think about what direction he wants to go in for his fight in May of 2015.

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