Jeff Mayweather Says a Fight Between Floyd And Paul Spadafora “Means Nothing To Floyd, Means Nothing To Boxing”

By James Slater: We’ve all read the rumours that say the great Floyd Mayweather Junior is and has been in talks with the Paul Spadafora camp, about a possible fight this summer. Every time Mayweather or anyone close to him says anything, the item is instantly newsworthy, and to some, the idea of a Mayweather-Spadafora fight – a clash of unbeatens who once sparred together in a session that has grown in infamy ever since – is appealing.

As most fans know, the two fighters, then both lightweights, met in a sparring session over a decade ago, and the then IBF 135-pound champ handled himself well. Some say (and there is some footage of the sessions up on You Tube), “Spaddy” even got the better of an out of shape Mayweather.. In any case, there has been talk recently of the two meeting as pros soon. However, Jeff Mayweather, in speaking with The Las Vegas Boxing Examiner’s Chris Robinson, said such a fight would be all but meaningless for everyone apart from 35-year-old southpaw Spadafora, 45-0-1(19).

“To be honest, it’s a meaningless fight,” Mayweather said. “It means nothing to boxing. It means nothing to Floyd. It only means something to Paul Spadafora. If I walked into a room of people and asked ‘who is Paul Spadafora?’ they would have to be complete boxing enthusiasts to know who he is. He brings nothing to the table other than a video that was ten years old.”

Mayweather, Floyd’s uncle and an esteemed trainer in his own right, is of course referring to the sparring session when he talks of a video. Reportedly, Spadafora trainer Jesse Reid put the video up on You Tube. But Jeff Mayweather says the early rounds of the spar belonged to Mayweather Junior.

“I was there to watch the whole thing unfold,” Jeff said of the sparring session. “It was one of those situations where Floyd was going through some stuff with his manager at that time, so he took some time off and he didn’t fight for eight months. So he jumped in the ring [to spar] with a guy who had a title defence the next week. Basically, for the first two or three rounds, Floyd beat the crap out of him. But that part of it people never see.”

Jeff went on to say that a fight with Spadafora would hurt Mayweather Junior’s credibility and that it is not a good business decision. Floyd’s uncle said how there are too many marquee fights out there for Floyd and that it would be “wrong” for him to take a fight with the former lightweight titlist.

But, as much as we all want to see “Money” in there with the best possible opposition (Manny Pacquiao being at the top of the list), wouldn’t the 34-year-old master be foolish not to take a tune-up fight before stepping in to the ring with someone as formidable as Pac-Man? Assuming he is able to iron out his many legal issues beforehand, Mayweather could well fight Spadafora in such a tune-up. And guess what? The fight would attract a big audience; maybe even a Pay-Per-View audience on T.V.

It’s not a bad fight on paper, not a terrible match-up by any stretch, and, with the sparring episode as well as Spadafora’s back-story to go along with it, such a fight would generate its share of print.
Floyd dances to nobody’s tune but his own: let’s see if he wants to fight “The Pittsburgh Kid” after all.