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Floyd Mayweather Sr.
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Last Saturday night in Las Vegas offered up a memorable fight, even if partially for the wrong reasons, between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Zab Judah. Mayweather and Judah fought at a seemingly even pitch through the early rounds before Floyd figured Judah out and took over with his cunning and skill. By the tenth round Mayweather was breaking Judah down to the point where a stoppage seemed possible before some unexpected drama stole the spotlight from the Grand Rapids, Michigan native.
In the tenth round Judah, knowing that the fight was slipping further from his reach, clocked Mayweather with a low blow and followed it up with a viscous rabbit punch that could have turned out to be dangerous. Despite grimacing in pain it appeared as though Floyd was alright, although the same could not be said for his uncle and trainer Roger, who stormed the ring in anger with ten seconds left in the round. Moments later the usual suspects would join the action and within seconds a full-fledged riot was on the verge of breaking out.
Despite the emotion and frustration from all parties involved, things eventually settled down and the fight continued with Mayweather capturing a clear-cut decision along with Judah’s IBF belt. The fight wasn’t the most impressive of Floyd’s career but it was very meaningful and he found a way to keep his calm and professionalism during it all. One man who was watching everything with a close eye was Floyd’s father, Floyd Joy Mayweather Sr.
‘Floyd did what he had to do,’ Floyd Sr. told Bragging Rights Corner over the weekend. ‘He got the job done. By the time it was all over it really had become a one-sided fight.’
You’ll be hard pressed to find a more noticeable name in the sport than the Mayweathers, and there is plenty of drama that lies within our family. It is no secret that Floyd Jr. and Sr. have often been on the outs, but in a move that is both surprising and encouraging, it was Little Floyd who recently reached out to his father.
‘My son called me after the fight and we spoke about things. We talked about the fight and he told me that Zab was just a frontrunner, and he was correct.’
When asked what he thought of the nearly disastrous melee in the 10th round, Floyd Sr. was both objective and understanding of what transpired.
‘I wasn’t really surprised because Roger is family and he does have a genuine concern for Floyd,’ Floyd Sr. told us. ‘I wasn’t in his position so I really can’t speak on that. I heard that him and Zab had gotten into it at the weigh in, so there did seem to be some genuine bad blood between them already.’
Floyd Sr. does feel that if things had not gotten out of hand in the 10th that Judah might not have made it to hear the final bell.
‘If my brother had not jumped in the ring it would have been very possible that Floyd could have stopped Zab,’ he told us. 'The fight was beginning to look that way. Zab was getting roughed up pretty good and he was looking bad.’
With many people talking about the negative effects that could have came from the near riot, Floyd Sr. offered up a different view and put his focus away from the storm and solely on his son.
‘I think Little Floyd conducted himself as a gentlemen through it all,’ he told us. ‘When everything broke out, he had nothing to do with Roger, Zab Judah, or any of the other crews in there. All I saw was my son being respectful and handling himself well.’
It’s not secret that Floyd Sr. has had some bitter feelings in the past towards his departure as his son’s trainer, but overall you get the feeling that he just wants to see his son happy and where he belongs, inside the ring.
‘I am very proud of my son. That’s my son and he’ll always be my son. If I was with Floyd I would have possibly done something different with him, but at the end of the day he got the win and that’s all that really matters. I was happy about what I saw.’
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© Copyright / All Rights reserved: Doghouse Boxing 1998-2006
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By Chris Robinson, BRC (April 17, 2006)
