28.10.06 – OPERATOR: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Pam and I will be your conference operator today. At this time I would like to welcome everyone to the Floyd Mayweather Conference Call. All lines have been placed on mute to prevent any background noise. After the speakers’ remarks there will be a question and answer period. It is now my pleasure to turn the floor over to your host, Ms. Kelly Swanson. Ma’am, you may begin your conference..
KELLY SWANSON, MODERATOR: Hey. Hello, everybody, and thank you for joining us again for the exciting match-up on November 4th – “Pretty Risky “- and we are almost a week away, coming up on the tail end of it. Of course, we have a very special guest with us today and this is all about “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather, but before we officially introduce Mr. Mayweather, who is also joined by Leonard Ellerbe, his trainer, manager and right-hand man. I have never seen someone so close to helping a fighter before in my life. I’m going to turn it over to Dan Goossen, President of Goossen Tutor Promotions and the lead promoter on the November 4 th show. Dan.
DAN GOOSSEN: PRESIDENT, GOOSSEN TUTOR PROMOTIONS: Thank you, Kelly. Good afternoon, everybody. Yesterday, as you all know, we were on this conference call with Carlos Baldomir, the WBC Welterweight Champion, and we all heard many things that he said all pointing to what he predicts is a victory over the best fighter in the world today. And it’s the size that he mentioned, the strength, the determination and then he put that actual makeshift point with his falls that were resulting in his biggest victory ever and he’s had some big victories lately, as we all know. The odds have been dropping; many people believe him. But he biggest bombshell I felt, I even commented on it at the time, was when he said that the victory that he believes he’s going to get on November 4 th is going to be easier than the one he had over Judah and this is what I think is an intriguing part about this whole fight, is that there are believers out there on Baldomir. But, and it’s what makes this fight what I like to say is pretty damn risky rather than just pretty risky. But now it’s Floyd’s turn to speak and you can’t say anything else about his accolades. He’s on for greatness in the history of the sport, just not the pound for pound king. I want to let him make an opening statement, everyone. We appreciate you being on the call. November 4th; HBO Pay-per-view, Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.
Let me introduce the four-time World Champion, Floyd Mayweather. Floyd.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: How you all doing? First off I want to, you know, thank God and I want to say God bless all the media who’s supported and help the (inaudible) fight; “Pretty Risky.” I want to thank Goossen Tutor, of course, HBO; Pay-per-view; and all the staff that works for Goossen Tutor. I want to thank Team Mayweather and, with the Force Floyd Mayweather. It’s been a, it’s been 10 years; it’s been a decade of hard work and dedication. I just wanted the team (ph) to bring the media and the fans exciting fights.
DAN GOOSSEN: Thank you, Floyd. Kelly, why don’t we open this up to questions?
OPERATOR: Your first question comes from Bernard Fernandez of the Philadelphia Daily News. Please go ahead.
BERNARD FERNANDEZ, PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS: Floyd, there was a guy named George Santayana who once wrote “Those who don’t learn from history are condemned to repeat it.” There’s been a lot of very heavily favored fighters who didn’t take an opponent seriously enough. I’m thinking of, you know, Mike Tyson versus Buster Douglas and I think there were other ones and, you know, it caught up with him. Is there any chance whatsoever, you know that, I know that you’ve said that you feel that you’re the greatest fighter of all time; that a similar thing could happen with you?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Well, I approach every fight like it’s my last fight. You know I’m dedicated to my craft and I’m dedicated to the sport of boxing; this is what I love. I’m the face of boxing. So I’m here to set an example for all the young and up and coming fighters. Always be prepared mentally as well as physically and work on being the best you can be in the sport of boxing. I’m in tip-top shape. I weigh 147 pounds, I weighed 147 pounds from the beginning of camp because I was in camp a lot earlier than I normally go to camp, so I’m in great shape and I’m ready to go.
OPERATOR: Thank you. Your next question comes from Dan Rafael of ESPN. Please go ahead.
DAN RAFAEL, ESPN: Floyd, you know yesterday on the conference call with Carlos Baldomir, he made a, you know as Dan alluded to in his opening comments, talked a lot about his, what he perceived as a strength advantage over you, a size advantage, but aren’t you actually an inch taller than him? And don’t you actually have a better knockout percentage than him? And those are two facts about, you know, I was looking up yesterday. What do you think possesses him to say that?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Well.
DAN RAFAEL: You actually are a bigger guy.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I’m, yes, yes. A lot of people don’t know that I’m, Ali was a big junior lightweight, which a lot of people don’t know. I mean everybody’s entitled to their own opinion. I mean I don’t have to; I don’t have to brag or boast about what I can do. I mean, I done that when I was young; the young Floyd done that. I’m a lot older, a lot more mature; I got a lot more smarter people around me. All I got to do is go out there and perform to my best and be the best I can be. I mean, you could see 36 reporters today, they’re just going to knock me out on how strong I was and, a 24 got knocked out and the ones that didn’t get knocked out I punished. So, you know, I don’t take no fighter lightly. I know he’s a strong fighter. He’s a good fighter and it’s a fight that the fans want to see and I’m going to give him blood, sweat and tears.
DAN RAFAEL: Floyd, I have another question for you. You know, we all knew that going into this match that your Uncle Roger would not be available to train you on the night of the fight because of the incident that occurred in April during the Zab Judah match but now, you know, Roger is doing a little time in jail and I was wondering how that has impacted your training camp? Because it’s one thing to be without him for, say 45 minutes on the fight night, it’s another thing to be without him during the, you know, two months or however long you’ve been training for and leading into it, even if without, he’s a very capable guy in the gym, not quite the same.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Well, it’s not even – it’s more like, being in this sport 20 years and having 100, I’m 126 fights, I figure I should be able to go out there and conduct myself in an orderly fashion and put on a hell of a performance for 45 minutes.
DAN RAFAEL: So is it impacting you, though, whatsoever in the gym? And how is it different, I guess, is the question?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I mean, it’s in the bloodline. It’s in the bloodline. I mean, I don’t event think about it. All I try to do is just be positive; I think about, you know, it’s in the start of me. Boxing is in the start of me; boxing is the start of my body and my mind and my heart, so only reason what I got to go out there and do him. You know, the less you get hit the longer you last in the sport. Just be Floyd Mayweather and, you know, Roger wrote me a letter yesterday, he told me to, he told me some things to do and so I worked on them in the gym yesterday and, you know, I’m real, real sharp. My weight’s down and I feel good.
DAN RAFAEL: How has it been with Leonard, though, running to camp, because I know Leonard’s an integral part of your team and…
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Well, Leonard has been not just an impact just in the gym for this fight; Leonard has been an impact on my whole career. He’s my best friend, advisor which a lot of people don’t know. He, I mean, like Kelly said, there’s never been a guy in the history of boxing that I know that has bent over backwards, you know, for a guy like me. He is always, so, you know, so I mean so many people are jealous of our relationship. I mean, he’s been through a lot in there and then we stuck together. We’re best friends and we’re going to continue to work hard and be the best we can be.
DAN RAFAEL: How is he with the pads?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: We don’t, I mean we work the pads but we don’t really work the pads like that. We work the body suit and we work the pads a little. Well we do work the pads a little bit but we’re working mainly on using a jabber and going through the body.
DAN RAFAEL: So is holding pads for you in the gym? Because Roger, as I’ve seen many times, you know you guys put on a dynamic show when you guys are in the gym together, so is handling that role?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Well, we’re mainly using the body suit right now. We’re not really using too much pad work. If we do use a pad, we’re just as many, just work on the jab but I’m sharp, I’m sharp as a razor.
OPERATOR: Thank you. Your next question is from Franklin McNeil of The Newark Star-Ledger. Please go ahead.
FRANKLIN MCNEIL, THE NEWARK STAR-LEDGER: All right, man. Floyd, you said started camp a little earlier this time. Why is that?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Well, it, just because. Like I said before, just being a lot, just being smart. When you, like I said before, when you’re young you just want to do everything your way. I mean I’m not saying that things don’t go my way because, but it’s more like I just wanted to, I wanted to start early, do something different and it helped. I like it a lot better.
FRANKLIN MCNEIL: This guy is, and this is just my perception so please correct me if you disagree, he’s a lot smaller than Zab Judah and slower than Arturo, other than size. Both Arturo and Zab are the most recent common opponents or probably the only common opponents that you have How – hey I don’t think this guy’s ever picked someone as complete a fighter as you. Is that, is that an accurate assessment?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I don’t know. I just, I just sort of you know, I get – God-given talent but I feel that come November 4th, I don’t know how fast he is, how strong he is or, you know, who you’re dealing with. You know I know two guys he’s been in there with but one thing about fighting, Floyd Mayweather is this: you cannot make no mistake. If you make one mistake, it can cost you the whole fight and it can mess your whole career up. That’s one thing about me. Don’t, if you make any mistakes with me, any mistake, it can cost you not just the, not just the fight, it can mess your whole career up because you haven’t, if you go back to the history on fighters that fought me, most fighter’s career has been totally messed up after they been in the ring with Floyd Mayweather.
FRANKLIN MCNEIL: Is it fair to say that a person could also make a mistake before they go into a fight with you, being overconfident?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Absolutely. Because I don’t fight every fight the same and I don’t approach every fight the same. I mean, I’m telling you my body is, I never looked like I looked before and I’m not just saying that and we’re looking at, like I said, I don’t ever overlook no guy. That’s why, you know, I always come in and when I say I always come in, I’m not, I’m never tired. If it had go to 12, I can go to 12 but I’m ready to go to 12. I mean, so hopefully you know, like he said, he’s looking to knock me out; well I’m looking to do the same.
OPERATOR: Thank you. Your next question comes from Robert Morales of the Los Angeles Daily News. Please go ahead.
ROBERT MORALES, LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS: Hey, Floyd, you know there’s been some talk recently about there not being enough stars in today’s game. You know, certain areas had – the Hagler’s and the Leonard’s and the Durand’s all at the same time. Right now we have you and, you know, Oscar is going to be retiring in the next few months. Do you feel any like, and what after you fight, I understand that. Do you, do you feel any pressure?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: No, no, no, no.
ROBERT MORALES: Being the guy that maybe you has to carry boxing on his shoulders right now while we’re kind of awaiting the arrivals of other stars?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I always knew that, you know, I could just remember, you know, when I used to be boxing and working out and everybody would say, this kid is arrogant, this kid is this, this kid is that.
ROBERT MORALES: Mm-hmm.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I say, a lot of people didn’t really understand me, where my heart was at. I was born to be a fighter. I’m not like nobody else in this sport. It’s not like I went into the boxing gym at age 10 or 8. I’m – my first day home from the hospital I went to the boxing gym. So, boxing is in my bloodline so I knew eventually that I will end up being the best in this sport. I knew I was going to end up carrying boxing on my shoulders and all that I want to do is just, I mean as far as where boxing, the only thing I don’t want is a lot of how, how a lot of decisions are going in the sport and how, you know, how, it is, it’s just, we need to clean up the sport. You know, managers need to stop taking so much money from the fighters. Judges, they’re going to judge the fight being fair and, you know, a lot of fighters need to, if they’re going to fight you know that the weight is, the weight is 147, have your weight down. You know all through camp you know you’re supposed to check your weight and so, you know, that, in the sport we need to clean that type of stuff up.
ROBERT MORALES: I couldn’t agree more. Floyd, what attracted you to Goossen Tutor Promotions? Or what made you sign with Dan Goossen?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I think, I mean why not? I mean he’s first class. I mean it’s just like in the, what I like about Dan is just he do, he does everything in first class and whatever he says he’s going to do, he do, you know. It’s, in the past, you know, I was promised a lot of things that didn’t happen. He, everything that he told me he was going to do, he’s done. And, I mean, what can I, I mean what else can I say? I mean the guy is unbelievable. If I say, if Dan, like if he says, people knowing Floyd going to come to the fight, if it, if I say well I need 20 because I’m going to L.A. to go take care of some business, put all 20 among, you know put all 20 of them on the flight to fly my, it’s not like, “oh, well Floyd that’s too many people.” I mean it’s more like, you know, I don’t complain no way, I mean, but I’m just saying Dan Goossen is a first-class guy and if any guy want to be treated with first-class services, he need to be at Goossen Tutors.
ROBERT MORALES: All right. I appreciate that.
DAN GOOSSEN: Robert, I’m getting tears on that one.
ROBERT MORALES: Hey. Hey, Dan, how do you like that? That’s pretty good. I do have one question for Leonard. Leonard, you know, Floyd talked about how you have stuck by, you know, through him and bent over backwards for him. Can you tell us when your relationship started? And kind of how it’s evolved through the years?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Well tell him it’s like, Leonard, if you’re going to tell him, now tell him this, tell him how, why I really went on, tell him.
LEONARD ELLERBE: Actually, like I said, me and Floyd, we met – I met Floyd when he was actually about 13.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: 15.
LEONARD ELLERBE: You think it was 15?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I looked 13.
LEONARD ELLERBE: Yes. There was Uncle Roger and his Uncle Jeff (ph) and then after the Olympics I had, like I said, I’ve been knowing Roger for like 25 years and Jeff probably for about 20 years and, so then, like right after Olympics and he turned pro and then I, shortly after that I moved out to Vegas and then it just kind of started from there. I started out (inaudible), I’m doing (inaudible), conditioning and other little odds and end jobs and then just kind of working my way out, you know, from there. I’ve always been involved with boxing; I used to box myself. I had about 40 amateur fights. So boxing, like I said, I’ve been in and around boxing for like 25 years myself so, and then we had just, our relationship just bloomed and blossomed from there.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: You used to box in the Air force.
ROBERT MORALES: Oh, OK. Well, thanks for the warning and letting me know you had 45. Now I know who not to piss off. All right, thank you Leonard, Floyd.
OPERATOR: Thank you. Your next question is from Chuck Johnson of USA Today. Please go ahead
CHUCK JOHNSON, USA TODAY: All right. Yeah, I mean, there was some question whether or not the May, I know you don’t look past any opponent and you’re focused on this upcoming fight but Oscar de la Hoya says he’s going to be looking very closely at this fight. It sounds like this fight; that fight with de la Hoya might happen. Do you get the sense, the same sense that that fight is going to be something that happens next year?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: You know, Chuck, you, I mean, you know you’ve always been a great guy and I appreciate the stories that you wrote about me.
CHUCK JOHNSON: Well, thank you. Appreciate it.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I mean, what can I say? I mean, I got to take it, so I’m in the driver’s seat. I mean, like I always say, when you speak with Oscar de la Hoya, this is exactly what you say, Oscar de la Hoya, OK, and it’s not nothing bad. When you speak with Oscar de la Hoya, in the sport of boxing you say, Oscar de la Hoya, World Champion this and weight classes, a lot, when you think of Oscar de la Hoya you think a lot money and a fighter that was, who he fought was handpicked. When you think of Floyd Mayweather you think a little bit of legend, legacy, tough, strong, hard-working and dedicated to his craft and blood, sweat and tears.
CHUCK JOHNSON: Floyd, I mean in terms of, you know, you guys being the two biggest stars right now, do you think that fight has to happen? Or otherwise boxing won’t be the same?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I mean, I mean, like I said before, I’m no, right now everything is Baldomir, Mayweather-Baldomir, but if the future has, if this fight happens then, happens, I said it’s the biggest fight in boxing history but as of right now, I mean, the Baldomir-Mayweather fight is that is it, for the welterweight championship of the world and everybody’s asking about this fight. You see, the odds went from an eight to one to a four to one, so a lot of people believe in Baldomir. I mean I don’t believe in him, of course not, you know. I’m going to go out there and do what I got to do. I’m going stay in more Floyd. This, you know, I was born to be a fighter, I was born to be a champion and I’m always hungry and November 4 th you will see
CHUCK JOHNSON: Is there anything; are there any particular areas you think are as far as problems, Baldomir might cause for you?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Like I said, when I, when you were asking me questions earlier, I see, I’m not making mistakes. He’s making a lot of mistakes but it is, as far as it be for me to capitalize off his mistakes. I mean when he get in there with me he must, he’s not on his back pivot, he’s flat footed. I mean, of course I mean shots come in too wide and conditioning-wise he can’t reach higher than four rounds. Same thing, you know, like with Zab, when I say I watch a fighter, I watch a fighter, I really study a fighter but I don’t watch fighters on tape. Like, for instance, have I ever seen Baldomir fight? Yes. But when he fought Zab, when he fought Zab I wasn’t like studying, like well, I mean I’m in there fighting him. I wasn’t studying him; I wasn’t studying him like that. I was like, you know, I’m just watching a fight. When he fought Gatti, I wasn’t studying like, well I’m going to fight him. I was just watching the fight. But, the things I did see in a jab and in a, actual (inaudible) fight, flat-footed, wide footed and he gets (inaudible).
OPERATOR: Thank you. Your next question is from Keith Idec of The Herald News. Please go ahead.
KEITH IDEC, THE HERALD NEWS: I was just wondering, you mentioned before how much better you feel because you spent more time in camp this time around. I was just wondering how many more weeks you spent in camp than for previous fights?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: It’s not even that. It’s just that I was at the, I was doing physical training a lot earlier this time but then, of course, I always play basketball. I was playing basketball, running, going skating a lot and so, once I started camp, I mean my condition was already there. I mean I didn’t have to, like you know, start from the bottom, so I just started a lot earlier. I don’t know how many weeks, probably, I can’t really say how long because I’m always, I’m always working out. Like I work out through the whole year, even when camp is over with like, soon as – after my fight, I’ll go, if – I be at the 24-hour fitness the next day working out.
KEITH IDEC: So the camp itself was pretty much the same amount of time, right?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Well, boxing camp is always eight, you know, eight weeks. I mean, but this training career is year-round.
KEITH IDEC: You sound like you have a little bit of a cold. Has that affected you at all? Or no, in training?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: No, it’s not, no, no, no. No, it’s just that I’m outside; I’m outside of my house.
KEITH IDEC: OK.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I’m in the back of my house.
KEITH IDEC: Sure. Hey, Floyd, when you saw Baldomir knock Gatti out, did you think that was more of a by-product of Gatti finally getting old that night? Or do you think Baldomir might be stronger than his knockout percentage indicates that he is?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I can’t, I mean I think Gatti got an, I mean honestly I, you know, he done what he done what he done, whether it was, (inaudible). I mean, I thought he was, I thought when Mayweather-Gatti, everything was tooken out of Gatti after the Mayweather fight. Even though he went on and fought a couple of other fights that he should have knocked the guys out a lot earlier, that was, they showed you right there, everything that took him out in the Gatti and the Mayweather fight. And I tell you, when he fought Baldomir he was fatigued.
OPERATOR: Next question is from Robert Morales of The Los Angeles Daily News. Please go ahead.
ROBERT MORALES: Hey, Floyd, I had one more thing for you. Can you tell us a little bit about the charity work that you do and what it means to you on a personal basis?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Man, I mean thanks for asking me that because those are things that sometime they should write about, you know, the things that I do and, like, how I have, how kids in Grand Rapids, Michigan were standing at the bus stop and we found out who the students was, we bought hat and gloves for all the students that didn’t have hat and gloves in Grand Rapids, Michigan. That’s the city that I come from. Kids that’s less fortunate, they can’t even afford a hat and gloves. We bought a hat and gloves for them; we feed the homeless on Thanksgiving back in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I always try to give back to them, to my community. We have, this year we’re having a, after the Baldomir fight, we’re having a Mayweather Thanksgiving weekend where we’re having a toy drive, skating, skating event. Over this summer I just had a Mayweather, a concert, an A-one (ph), brought the A-one basketball players to us, my city, Grand Rapids, Michigan. We had so many different stars out; we had Ron Artez (ph); we had the rap artist, Young DZ (ph); we had Gabrielle Union out, DJ (ph) came for free; we had Def Comedy Jam (ph) out there so, you know, I’m just, I’m just giving back to the community that, my community that’s never seen so many celebrities before. So I mean, it feels great to give back to my city and to the people that’s less fortunate.
OPERATOR: Thank you. Your next question is from Jason Abelson of Fight Network. Please go ahead.
JASON ABELSON, FIGHT NETWORK: Thank you. You mentioned before when you were talking about Oscar, you said that you think of handpicked opponents. The same for this was whether you, I guess the last little while. Are the days of fights against guys like Henry Bruseles and Sharmba Mitchell over, given the fact of where you are in the sport and at your level and what you want to accomplish with your legacy?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Well, as you know, if you don’t really know the history of Floyd Mayweather to even get, to even get to the, to even be labelled pound-for-pound as the best fighter in the world, you have to have had to beat somebody and not just no roody-foo (ph) fighters. I mean the fight with Henry Bruseles, somebody had to give him a chance, you know, everybody gives, I mean how will we ever know how good a person is till you give them a chance? Somebody had to give him that chance so I gave him that chance. And it was a, actually the Henry Bruseles fight was a fight that, it was a tune-up fight, getting me ready for, getting me ready for the fight with Arturo Gatti.
JASON ABELSON: Mm-hmm.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: And that, and he wasn’t handpicked because any, I’m going to tell you what, the reason why he wasn’t handpicked. Because we had, like 10 fighters turn us down so I mean it’s really been hard to, it’s really been hard to get, it’s been really hard to get fights. It’s just now it’s starting to get easier to get fights because fighters, you know, are seeing how much money I can generate, you know, how much revenue I can generate, you know, at the box office and, you know, what type of numbers that I’m doing. So, they’re starting to find a little bit, you know, Oscar’s leading the sport so it’s all me now so it’s everybody wants to fight Floyd Mayweather and it’s not just the winners just to get to payday. And Sharmba Mitchell was, he was two-time world champion even, I mean two-time world champion, even when he lost, he lost because he was killing himself to make the 140 weight class so he said he’d be a lot stronger at 147 and, you know, I, when I beat Sharmba I didn’t knock him down, I didn’t knock him out with no face shot. Any guy can get knocked out with a face shot, but I broke him down through the body.
JASON ABELSON: Mm-hmm.
DAN GOOSSEN: And then, Floyd, look the key thing is is the fight that you’ve got coming up November 4 th with Baldomir, OK?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Well, no, no, no. There’s, everybody just to ask their own questions and that’s why I’m the fighter because and the he, I mean, everybody can learn in the sport because it’s about, you know, this fight settles for (inaudible).
OPERATOR: Thank you. Your next question is from Eddie Goldman of SecondsOut Radio.
EDDIE GOLDMAN, SECONDSOUT RADIO: Thanks. Floyd, how are you feeling today?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I feel good. I’m ready to go to the boxing gym and work out and I feel good. I’m just ready to go out there and put on the same, the same that Gatti performance.
EDDIE GOLDMAN: Great. I want to get your comments and reaction to what Carlos Baldomir and Amocar Bruce (ph) said on the recent conference call. Basically Baldomir emphasized that he feels that he’s going to get a knock-out because he’s bigger and he’s stronger and you haven’t fought that many people that are true 147-pounders and that your knock-outs came among lighter weight guys at 130, and around there. And Bruce has said also he worked with Carlos “Formosa” Hernandez who got a knock down on you a couple of years ago. I just want to get your reaction to those comments?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Well, anybody know, all right nobody knows I never been knocked down. I mean I hit Carlos same as Hernandez which was a tough opponent, hit Carlos same as Hernandez on the top of the head and I hurt my hand and I turned away and actually my glove didn’t even touch the ground, you know. They counted it as a knock down but I mean some fighters, I mean that, and that’s a part of his legacy then, you know, I can’t give no more respect him for it. But Baldomir, I mean like I said before, he’s entitled to say what he want to say but I’m going to let, I’m going to let you know that he better not make no mistakes. As a matter of fact, he want and like I said before, he’s somebody, he’s not going to fall, I’m not worried about no knockout power. I’ve been, you know, I’ve been hit by some of the best, (inaudible), Diego Corrales, I’m been in there with big (inaudible) and I mean I’m not worried about that. And Phillip N’dou and the list goes on and on. But, you know, as he knows we’ve been on this call so many times and for all the fights that you say anything I’m going to knock Floyd Mayweather out. He don’t hit like, he don’t, he ain’t got no punch at all; all he can do is box and if, and what’s in 15 minutes, both eyes be closed, then he’s putting that white flag up in the air or you see the referee count to 10. So let’s, fighters going to say what they’re going to say. You know, I talk with my hands, you know, for 10 years my, you know, my hand game has spoke for itself.
EDDIE GOLDMAN: Do you believe that you can knock him out?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Do I believe I am, I am going to knock him out. I don’t believe – I am going to knock him out.
EDDIE GOLDMAN: OK. I guess that’s you’re prediction for the fight then, right?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I don’t predict, I don’t, you know my thing (inaudible) but when I tell you I’m going to knock him out, I’m going to knock him out.
EDDIE GOLDMAN: OK. And do you expect it…?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: It won’t go 12.
EDDIE GOLDMAN: OK.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: He’ll get too tired.
EDDIE GOLDMAN: Was that conditioning? We think that’s another advantage you have.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I got, that’s the advantage I got on all fighters.
EDDIE GOLDMAN: OK. So, no formal prediction but just it won’t go 12?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: It won’t go 12.
EDDIE GOLDMAN: OK. Good luck.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Still don’t, no get no popcorn.
EDDIE GOLDMAN: OK.
OPERATOR: Thank you. Your next question is from Tim Smith of The New York Daily News.
TIM SMITH, THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: A lot of people are sort of comparing this guy to José Luis Castillo in terms of the opponents that you face but I’m wondering from your perspective, you know, is he similar to anyone that you’ve faced before? And, if so, who might that be and why?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: You know, I mean and really you know, I’d rather be, I’m going to just have to be honest with you, I think he’s strong and he’s solid; he is a good opponent but you can’t go, I can’t compare him to, or we can’t compare him to José Luis Castillo because, I mean, because, two different styles.
TIM SMITH: OK.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Castillo’s a guy that, Miello (ph) is like a Julio Cesar Chavez and we don’t know really what Baldomir brings. We see them as two fights but we got to see what he going to do against the best fighter in the world.
TIM SMITH: OK. Who does he remind you of, Baldomir?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I can’t, I can’t, he got his own problems.
TIM SMITH: Just from having looked at him, though. I mean just from having seen him against Zab and then seen him against Gatti, who does he remind you of?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I can’t really even say.
TIM SMITH: OK.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I mean the other, they got their own, he got his own style and, man, I’m, like I said before, I’m going to be at my best. I’m always at my best. I’m in tremendous shape for this fight, tremendous. You know, running in 25 the eight miles, I mean, but the, I got this, the eight-pack going on; I’m doing a lot of physical work so, you know, I’m almost at a 147-pounder.
TIM SMITH: You mentioned when you were in New York you talked about just, you know, how mentally you always feels going into a fight, that that’s your, that that’s your game, that you are smarter than most of the guys, that mentally you’re stronger. Even though we haven’t really seen you in a fight where you’ve been tested, you know to the point where we think you’ve been tested, can you talk about the mental game in this fight? Do you think you have a mental edge over him? Or do you, or does, or is that part of the game going to matter? Or is it just going to be a physical thing for you to wear him down? I’m wondering where you see the advantages for you in this fight are?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: One thing, I don’t want Baldomir to get, you know, I don’t want to know, I don’t want him to, geez, the mental game is this. You try to beat guys mentally. Arturo was beat mentally. I beat him mentally. Or I beat it, before he gets in the ring he’s already beaten mentally. Arturo Gatti was beaten mentally; Diego Corrales was beaten mentally. I beat guys mentally before I beat them physically. And he’s going to go in there and thinking that he’s fighting, thinking that he’s fighting Zab Judah and there’s a total different style. Zab Judah is a southpaw and Zab Judah is a fighter who’s only gone four or five rounds in, you know, you’re fighting Floyd Mayweather, a fighter who’s got 12 rounds in him. I mean, like I felt that when he was fighting Zab, when you get a guy hurt like that, you take advantage. Like, even with Gatti, when Gatti punched my head, you take advantageous of something like that. When you see a guy like that you jump right on his ass and, you know, you go for broke.
TIM SMITH: You, and just to follow up on beating guys mentally, how do you think that you had some of these guys beaten mentally before the fight?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I mean they’re, I mean every day he, every day he go to sleep. He got to be carrying it with him. You’re thinking about, while I fought Gatti; Gatti got losses on his record. When I fought Zab, Zab been knocked out so he could be knocked out again. But then you say well sure, I’m thinking of Floyd Mayweather and this guy never lost before and he’s in a different weight class so it’s obvious, I mean it’s obvious he must really be the truth. And he, I mean he just seemed to say (ph), he say, when I beat a fight I really beat him. I brutally beat him.
TIM SMITH: Is this going to be a brutal beating?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Oh, he going to get a brutal beating, absolutely. That’s what the fans want to see. And that’s what I want to give the fans. And so, you know, staying with him, he, you know, he looking to get a knock-out on me and, you know, he want to get some of, he want to get some of, he want to be on the cover on all the newspapers the next day. But I, like I told him, you’re going to get a chance to be on the cover of the newspaper, the next day. You won’t be able to see his face because he’s going to be face down. But you is going to be able to see him.
KELLY SWANSON: Also just to let everybody know before we go to the next question, tomorrow Floyd Mayweather is having a work-out in Los Angeles at Ten Goose gym, followed by a taping of an appearance, he’s going to be on the Carson Daily Show which actually shows how much of a celebrity we’re dealing with here on top of his boxing, as the greatest boxer. But now we’re crossing over into celebrity status and I found out that he will be joined as a guest by Wanda Sykes who has her own HBO special, that comedienne who’s doing great in her career as well. And the show will air on Friday, November 3rd, right before the fight.
OPERATOR: Thank you. Your next question is from Paul Upham of SecondsOut.com.
PAUL UPHAM, SECONDSOUT.COM: Floyd thanks for your time. You stack favored against anyone in your weight classes, but who do you see as the toughest challenge out there for you?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I mean I can’t say. You can’t just be like, you can’t be, right. It’s hard to say. Like in the sport of boxing you can’t just, like, he’s going to be my challenge opponent or he’s my, once you get in there with a guy because sometimes you may, you take a guy like, (inaudible) he’s not going to be that challenge, I’m going to beat his ass. You get in there with him, he’s like, man, this guy’s tough as hell. Or I’d say the two guys is toughest, Emmanual Gustes (ph) is tough as hell; and Carlos (inaudible) Hernandez was tough. I mean, so I mean I thought Hernandez Augustus (ph) was, I thought they was going to be good fighters but they ain’t going to be as tough as they was but I’m glad that I, you know, I bust my ass in training camp, ended up prepared or, you know, I’m prepared, preparing myself, you know, all around the board.
PAUL UPHAM: OK. Well what about goals for the future? Obviously you want to fight de la Hoya next year. What, do you want to move up further in welterweight? Do you want to drop back down in weight? Do you want to stay at welterweight? What’s your goal for the next year?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Floyd Mayweather normally fight at one weight class. I fight at, you know, numerous weight classes. You know sometimes it’s 47, if it’s, it could be 54, could be 140, could be a catch weight. It all depends on, you know, what my team negotiates for me.
PAUL UPHAM: How would you see a fight with Ricky Hatton?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I mean, Ricky, I mean everybody knows, you, I can tell you from London, England, or you from the UK.
PAUL UPHAM: Actually I’m from Australia, Floyd. Sidney, Australia.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Well I was going to say because it’s, it sounded like you were from Australia when you first got on, I was going to ask you that. But Ricky as everybody knows, the first thing they ask you about Ricky had no more (ph), you know, of course the same guy that asked ridiculous numbers to fight for, he may well, first, you know, first it was we need a tune-up fight; then it was we need another tune-up fight. Well we want to fight for the welterweight title, then it’s like, but we need 13 million. It’s really that you just don’t want to fight so I don’t need, you know, when you don’t actually, when you really ask me about Ricky Hatton, he’s not, he’s not even the need to be talked about. He’s…
PAUL UPHAM: Floyd?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: He continue to fight fighters over there and, you know, get, know there’s good pay days over there and, you know, I respect him for what he’s doing. I mean if he can come Floyd Mayweather way, he going to get his ass busted.
PAUL UPHAM: Floyd, last question. If Costa (ph) comes back at welterweight next year, is that a fight you’d be interested in?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: (Inaudible) you know about me. I mean he already got arrested (ph) by Ricky Hatton, I mean, and Costa do know that I’m not, I mean he’s got our respect and he’s done a lot for the sport. Costa can’t beat me. Too stiff; he’s not mobile enough. Any guy that’s not mobile enough, he would never be able to beat me. I already know how to beat him, it’s easy.
KELLY SWANSON: Thanks, Paul.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: He keep, what you can’t with Floyd Mayweather, you can never shake your head and a, one thing you can’t do, show me that you’re a quitter and quit on the stool – uh-uh – that’s a no-no.
OPERATOR: Your next question is from Carlo Gonzalez of Primera Hora.
CARLO GONZALEZ: My, about a year, year and a half ago there was a lot of talk about the possibility of you fighting Miguel Cotto (ph) since you were in the same division but that has moved off as of late. Now that you guys are going to be in 147, how do you see that possibility again?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Miguel Cotto is a good fighter. I mean, but, yes, well, you know, I used to deal with (inaudible) and we both, me and Cotto, both of them 140 and he couldn’t, (inaudible) and me could have made the fight happen, you know. It’s an all or none, you know, when you talk about Miguel Cotto before and you talk, but you know, if you ever notice Bob Arum don’t have, Bob Arum will say to you he, Bob Arum, he do want a big fight so you know what Bob Arum can do? He could take Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto and put them together and then he got a big fight right there.
DAN GOOSSEN: The only problem, Floyd, is Paul Williams is the mandatory to Margarito and he, they should have been fighting December 2 nd.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I don’t even, well he knows me. I don’t even know, there’s so many different fighters and they, I mean there’s so many different, I don’t know who these fighters is, you know. But, I mean it is what it is. I mean, you know right, as of right now my whole focus is Baldomir and, but I don’t know who, what the future holds for Floyd Mayweather. If it’s Miguel Cotto then it’s Miguel Cotto but most likely it’s going to be somebody else because I know Miguel Cotto, he got his hands full for the, you know, for the rest of the year and a couple of other fighters got their hands full for the next, rest of the year and I don’t know what Team Mayweather’s got on the board for me.
OPERATOR: Thank you. And your final question comes from Chuck Johnson of USA Today.
CHUCK JOHNSON: Yeah, Floyd. I know there’s a, you know, you have a long-term relationship with Bob Arum is done but as far as with Dan, now Dan Goossen, is this more than a one-fight deal? Or it’ll, how is that arrangement?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I, all I got to say is Goossen Tutor has, I mean, I can’t, what can I say about him? What more can I say? It could be for the rest of my career. I don’t what the future holds for Floyd Mayweather. But as of right now, I’m with Goossen Tutor and he’s the best man, he’s the best promoter in the sport of boxing. Why? Because he got the best fighter in boxing and not just one, not just me, he got James Toney also so I mean he got a good line-up.
CHUCK JOHNSON: What do you think about Bob Arum calling you, to keep continuously saying that you’re ducking Antonio Margarito?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I mean, Bob Arum is the type of guy, you know, I mean he’s grumpy. He’s an old lady’s grumpy, you know. But, I mean I’m just going to tell Bob, you know, thanks for every, you know thanks for our relationship. I mean in the past thanks for everything you done for me, you know, I appreciate you. I won’t have nothing bad to say about you; I wish you done, but the best of luck in the future and I wish Todd DuBoef and all of DuBoefs and the whole Arum family good luck but as, I’m with Goossen Tutor and me and Dan’s going to take it to the next level. I mean he’s, I mean, man, that’s the real promoter. When I was with Dan and I went back and done another fight with Bob, you didn’t see Dan bad-talk me or trash talk me. I mean Bob Arum has made a lot of money off me; I made a lot of money over there. I mean why would you, I mean a deal, some day you talk about us, it’s about being positive but then, you never see me talk about negative things and then once I started my training camp for this fight he told me I can use the top rank boxing gym and then in between, and if you don’t (inaudible), he told me that he’d kick me out of his boxing gym so you want me to fight your fighter but you don’t want me to work in your boxing gym. So, it’s obvious that you don’t want the fight.
CHUCK JOHNSON: So you’re no longer working at Top Rank Gym? Hello?
DAN GOOSSEN: No, he’s not, Chuck..
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Wait, Bob Arum would have, Dan can make Bob Arum an offer. Bob Arum can never make me an offer but Dan can make him an offer.
CHUCK JOHNSON: All right. All right.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: But you got to realize this. I’m an A level; I’m an A level opponent, OK? Oscar de la Hoya’s an A level; Floyd Mayweather’s an A level. I mean Margarito is a, he got, he got D level fighters. He had, so Bob Arum, he got D level fighters. You know without, you know without, be honest without Floyd Mayweather or Oscar de la Hoya, I mean what is Top Rank, honestly?
CHUCK JOHNSON: All right. So Margarito is not on your radar at all?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I’m not; you know I’m looking for a household name. I mean he’s a household; we need two household names.
CHUCK JOHNSON: OK. All right, Floyd. Appreciate it, man.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: No, come on. We got to realize this. 25,000 homes? If that. And then that’s, and that’s given them the benefit of the doubt. And I mean he’s supposed to be a Hispanic fighter with Hispanic fans. So, I mean, come on, man.
KELLY SWANSON: Thank you, Chuck. OK. Floyd, do you have any last comments for us? Or have you said enough? Whatever you choose, sir.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Well, to all the media, all the guys that’s on the website, thank you. I mean here’s a fight that you can’t miss. I’m going to go out there and be my best and I know you guys are going to continue to write, not just good stories, great stories about the living legend, Floyd Mayweather.
Thank you. God bless everybody and God bless your families.
KELLY SWANSON: Right. And, Leonard, if we could get closing comments from you, I’d appreciate it.
LEONARD ELLERBE: Just want to say thanks to everybody and be sure, like I said, don’t blink because it’s going to be an exciting fight. This is a fight we’ve been looking forward to and like I said, (inaudible) and talking that trash and hopefully (inaudible) exciting night, play it on the line because…
KELLY SWANSON: Thank you. And we’ll close with Mr. Goossen. Sorry, Leonard. Say that again,
LEONARD ELLERBE: I said, we can guarantee he won’t make 12 rounds.
DAN GOOSSEN: Well obviously Leonard’s got that bad phone now. Look, I, first off it’s always nice to hear nice things about us but when everything’s said and done, we’ve got a job to do and to have the pound-for-pound king as one of our fighters it just makes us proud to go out there and make this event successful and see Floyd’s hands raised and I know one man that was happy about a comment, who walked in right when Floyd was saying it’s always timing, James Toney walked in and said, “that’s my man, Floyd Mayweather.” Watch him knockout Carlos Baldomir November 4th on Pay-Per-View. Anyway, thank you all for getting on again and we’ll see you next week.
KELLY SWANSON: Thank you, everybody. Bye-bye, Floyd. Thanks a lot.