In case anyone was too busy watching Monday Night Football, here's what went down during Floyd Mayweather's chat over at boxingtalk.

Enjoy...



QUESTION: Welcome back Floyd, and very possibly, welcome 24/7 if this is being filmed. give your loyal Boxingtalk fans a shout out. lol anyway, great stuff on the show. As a boxing fanatic, I'm ready to witness a great show and a great fight to end this year. You mentioned in episode 2 that your body is breaking down and that your doctor agreed that you shouldn't fight much longer. Honestly, how are you feeling days before the fight? Are you pain/injury free at this moment? I love the training footage and your pad work. Best of luck champ. God bless.

FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR: I feel great man, I'm just ready to go on and on Saturday night, it's going to be nothing but the best from the best of the best, I can't wait. It's great to be back home at Boxingtalk, I love my Boxingtalk.com fans.

QUESTION: Floyd, you are without a doubt the most talented in boxing, what makes you better then all of the rest

FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR: Dedication and hard work.

QUESTION: What up Champ, Some of the greatest of boxers of all time ali, leonard, robinson, pep 1st losses were all to relentless, pressure/swarmer type of fighters. What do you do to make sure that the same fate doesn't happen to you? Good Luck

FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR: I just need to be Floyd Mayweather Jr. This guy couldn't beat me on his best day and my worst day, on Saturday night you're going to see me at my best so it don't matter what he's coming with.

QUESTION: Floyd it’s a pleasure to speak with you IN in London, England .We would like to say that you are great champion and the you are inspiring many kids in far away places around the world including places like South Africa , Zimbabwe and elsewhere due to your professionalism , work ethic and sportsmanship . We have operated a fan website since 2004 , Floydmayweather.co.uk which we are currently upgrading at the moment to 10 languages , who can we talk with to receive periodic news from you and about you.

FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR: I have my own website it's FloydMayweather.net you can hit me on it anytime for the latest and greatest on what's going with none other

QUESTION: hey floyd, hatton says you have no power, do u feel you have the power to hurt hatton and maybe even stop him? and how are you going to deal with the type of pressure he is going to bring in this fight, are u worried bout his famous body shots? i think you are going to win in a repeat of the great jesus chavez performance

FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR: Well, Ricky Hatton don't even believe that himself. He's just running his mouth. If he's talking that shit thinking I aint got no power, I guess he'l be ableto speak on it first hand come Saturday night.

QUESTION: After you humiliate Hatton, is Cotto on deck? Good luck Saturday night and thanks for taking the time out to chat with us!

FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR: For Boxingtalk.com, it's an anytime thing, but right now my focus is on Ricky Hatton and no one else, ask me that again next time. Ain't nobody pver here thinking about anybody but Ricky Hatton.

QUESTION: Hi Champ, you being number one at 147...Who you think is number 2 and why? Hatton?

FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR: They all in the same boat to me. They're all young and upcoming but that's about it.

QUESTION: Floyd, what makes this payperview worth buying?

FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR: You have two young undefeated champions. I know for a fact he's going to lay it on the line because he's not going to want to let his country down. He's fighting for his country. I'm going to continue to show why I'm the best and nobody aint on my level.

QUESTION: Floyd, I'm from Harlem,NYC(home of the hustlers & fresh 2 death dudes so Floyd what music are you coming out to and what are you wearing?...You should come out to "Livin in America" James Brown & come out like Apollo did in the first Rocky movie..Ya Dig!

FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR: Well, tune in December 8 to witness the Mayweather experience and be a part of it. This is real live shit, everyone knows the Rocky stuff is fake. I'm going to give him a real ass whooping.

QUESTION: Mr. Mayweather how is this build-up for Hatton different then the one for De La Hoya ? And how do you like this new version of HBO's 24/7 ?

FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR: Ricky Hatton has talked the talk, De La Hoya didn't. He's continued to talk the talk, but come Saturday night we're going to see if he can walk the walk. The new version of 24/7, what can I say? It's a great show that the fans should love how HBO is giving it to them.

QUESTION: Assuming u beat Hatton on Saturday, are u up to a reall test in Cotto? If not who is your next best option.

FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR: Right now my focus is only on Ricky Hatton, ask me questions about who I might fight next or who y'all want me to fight next the next time y'all got me. It's not like this is the first and only time I'm on Boxingtak.com, this is my house. Money Mayweather calls this home.

QUESTION: Floyd do you think fighting Hatton after fighting in a big fight against de la hoya...is some what of a step down seeing that this is PPV mismatch?...P.S Your going to kill him! Is Lampley gonna announce it as "Floooooooooooooyd Mooooooooney Maaaaaaaaaayweeaaather"

FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR: Thanks for the support, but I'm not going to fall into the trap of thinking less of Ricky Hatton as an opponent. He's had to accomplish a lot to get here. He just ain't fight me. He's young though and he's never lost, I never fall into that trap of taking anybody lightly. If I did, I wouldn't be where I'm at. Money Mayweather it is.

QUESTION: Floyd I believe a the fight with Hatton is another step closer to becoming the greatest ever. I know you are a professional, but you should not take him lightly. He likes to grab and fight dirty to throw boxers off their rhythm. How do you deal with a fighter like that? Also, would you consider fighting Cotto if all is well against Hatton because many would pay top dollar to see that.

FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR: I'm not worried about dealing with he comes to table with, like I said, he's got more than enough to worry about. I have 100% in Joe Cortez not allowing those dirty tactics, we know he's a dirty fighter, but Nevada has had the best commission for a number of years.

QUESTION: Have you really not watched any tapes? Nothing?

FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR: I never watch tapes on anybody. Anybody who knows me would tell you this, that's Roger and Leonard's jobs.

QUESTION: what up floyd?your crib was hot...who do u have in tonights game? and do u stop hatton on cuts or just knock him the F out...cause i know it aint goin 2 decision...whats the most u made it rain? BALLINNN!!!!!

FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR: I think this fight is more personal than any fight I've been in because of all the trash that he's talked. Ricky Hatton has never been no trash talker, so it's kind of new to hear shit coming out of somebody mouth who don't talk. He's going to pay for all the pulling down his pants and all of the racist comments that his trainer made, he's going to pay for all of that and then some on Satuday night.

QUESTION: Floyd what made you like every other boxer and decide to come out of retirement? Also Forrest called you out after last Saturdays fight any interest in taking him on?

FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR: Fight Vernon Forrest for what? Vernon Forrest don't mean nothing to nobody. I'm not thinking about nobody but Ricky Hatton. Ricky Hatton running his mouth on HBO. ANd it's one last country for me to conquer.

QUESTION: Floyd, this is Marshall-Rock's trainer, what kind of gloves will you be wearing on Sat. that will help you bust hatton's face up?

FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR: Tune in to see what kind of gloves absorb his blood. Thanks for your support.

QUESTION: Floyd do you think Hatton will last longer than Gatti did? If not why? All the best Sat.

FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR: I just know he ain't going to make twelve. The kid is going to come out andlay it on the line and I'm going to fight my ass off. The fans will get a chance to see me at my best, I'm not playing with this dude. I call him a camera gangster and I just can't wait for Saturday night.

Whata arrogant faggot. I hope Hatton gives him bleeding on the brain.

yhea Mayweather is realy getting annoying with that sh*t he's trying to act like Ali but is coming off like a snobby little bitch.

Not at Hatton fan at all but I realy hope he whoops Gayweathers ass.

exactly how i feel...he is so full of himself that it's pitiful. while PBF is very talented, for him to even say he is the best ever & all these fighters are making their best paydays because of him is a joke. i just hope fatton breaks his ribs & pounds his face to a pulp.

If he fought like he talked then all that arrogance would be entirely acceptable.

One thing I don't understand is why nobody asked him about Williams. I'd really like to hear Floyd talk about what a nothing fighter Paul is. And I really hope Floyd doesn't retire until it's clear to everyone that he's ducking Williams like he ducked Margarito.

"yhea Mayweather is realy getting annoying with that sh*t he's trying to act like Ali but is coming off like a snobby little bitch."

You ever notice how common it is to say someone is trying to act like Ali, which is always an interesting "type" statement. I mean, so no one can talk confidently, believing that much that he is in fact the best, but Ali? Sure they can, but Floyd doesn't easily give the impression he "really" talks in public...in the manner he does for the camera, which is more like simply babbling on a mic during a RAP concert (We may've all seen the old Hammer dancers shouting and jumping around, so you know what I mean). Oh, I think he'd like to, but he doesn't seem to be the type who's really gained comfort in being himself in a crowd, even though he still "kinda" likes the idea that he feels misunderstood, which allows him privacy as well when he needs to retreat back into his own shell. If anyone, his mom has admission onto the seeming portico of entrance into the building of his deepest feelings, as well as his kids. On that personal level, he may be hard to get close to, though he'd 'actually' like to, and I believe it would be like that even if not for his being in the public eye.

In some instances, in fact, on 24/7, it seemed that Floyd's crew was a little annoyed with him, by the expressions on their faces. And I would not be surprised if he's somewhat of a nutcase to a number of them -- a galaxy ranger, whose personality does not quite, from their observance, fit in as well as his fighting abilities to the 'click' -- ah, the stranger in the crowd, indeed. Sure, they go along with it. But that may be due to simply being because they're on the payroll, nothing else; so it's worth the "payoff."

Just curious... What racist comments did Hatton's trainer make?? I've watched 24/7, but dont really remember hearing anything racist...

Thats what I wondered.

All the other crap is just usual PBF stuff, but I did actually wonder what comments these were?

LOL! That's how Ali came off too. LOL!

I LOVED Frazier/Ali I.

Umm this is boxingtalk & saying anything against a house fighter in one of their chats is grounds for abooting. Notice how everyone was tounging his balls in that "Ohh you are the man" "Money Mayweather" when what they are really saying is "I am so far up your arse I use your shit for toothpaste".

So did I the good guy beat the shit out of the arrogant loudmouth.

I like how he doesn't answer any of the questions asked. Even when someone asked him about what music he's going to play in his entrance he answered "Tune in on December 8th" WTF?

I don't recall any racist stuff either on 24/7.

Reg was the Arthur Ashe of the college court scene. You racist bastard Fitz it was people like you that stopped him being better than Sampras.

I Love how he promotes Boxingtalk

QUESTION: Floyd do you like softballs?

he was confused...fucks his said he needed a shot in his hand & to take a shit

No, Ali knew how to talk trash without coming off like a dick and he had charisma something Mayweather will never have.

I see where you are coming from. But I still thought he came off as a dick. A big one at that. Especially the way he treated Frazier. That was worse than anything Mayweather has done.

Thank you. Theres obviously some history revisionist here. Theres a reason why Frazier feels the way he does about Ali to this day. (In addition to him and Ali being friends prior to their fight and him loaning Ali money at various junctions) Ali was perceived at the time by the mass media as the same talkative DICK most of you refer to Floyd as. If not worse due to the climate of the country at the time.

Now that said my problem with Floyd is that regardless of his persona, he usually can be funny or informative (to some). His best sound bites came during the Arturo Gatti build up. When his "no contest" conviction was being frequently mentioned, I loved how he brought up Gatti's past incidents.

Then how he mentioned, "it doesn't matter if its in Atlantic City because Zito, Mickey Ward, none of them can get in the ring for him". This was on the Tarver vs. Johnson II fight.

I loved how he discussed how the media played "cover up" regarding Oscar's "alleged" rape and how thats never brought to light.


That said if he gave the same ol, "one day at a time" Bull Durham type of answers we'd scream how "boxers have little to no personality". What gives??


I will totally agree though that his interviews of late are sounding quite the same. Don't worry if you miss one, you'll hear the same quotes again.

"It's all about Team Mayweather, blah, blah blah'

"Hard work, dedication"

"Only god can judge me"

Gesh, Leonard needs to tell him to change the repeat button on the CD..

Floyd overdoes it a bit with his "talking".

Sometimes, less is more. He would make a lousy guitarist.

Ali does get away with lots of SH!T he said- like the "Ali Rap" thing. What a waster of paper.

You know what was pretty funny that I heard recently? That thing between Larry Holmes & Nate Robinson of the Knicks. Now, that IS funny.



***A tip of the hat to Larry Holmes, one of the greatest heavyweight champions ever. Last month, Holmes attended the Great Sports Legends Dinner that's held annually to raise money for The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis. Other attendees included John Elway, Magic Johnson, Mark Messier and Gary Player.

Then there were the second-tier sports celebrities, including New York Knicks guard Nate Robinson. At one point, Holmes and boxing memorabilia expert Craig Hamilton found themselves talking with Robinson.

"I hope you're not embarrassed," Robinson told Holmes. "But I don't know who you are."

"I'm not embarrassed," the legendary champion responded. "But you should be."
****

LOL! That's awesome.

LOL! Nate Robinson. I went to school w/ that guy...

Awesome. Too bad you didn't have the chance to school him in basic boxing history. lol

Haha. Nice.

Agreed 100%. Frazier has every right to feel bitter. With all the radical shit going on with the Black Panthers & that to call him a "Uncle Tom" repeatedly is attempted murder IMO. Fuck Ali he got his comeuppance both in the first fight & in life.

No doubt about it, although Holmes can be quite a smug guy & say things he may regret(like the Marciano debacle).

Randall Cobb is another guy that had some great, great quotes. Just funny sh!t.

Pretty Boy needs to laugh at himself a bit. I actually don't believe he is the complete dick he portrays himself as

Also regarding Ali, he wasn't exactly eloquent with Liston either. I've heard people through the years say Frazier should get over what was said so long ago, but it's obvious they still hurt Smokin' Joe: he's said some mighty things regarding Ali as well.

I don't want to come across as thinking of Ali being some big time A-hole, but there is certainly a double standard, where he gets a pass for his words being some sort of "art form", or a "Art of War" tactic.

Ali was worse. Mayweather's antics are ony skin deep. Ali would go straight to the heart. And to be truthful, Mayorga is quite a bit worse than Mayweather when it comes to disrespecting their opponent. Mayorga gets very personal.

But Mayorga's body language is hilarious & his whole persona of being a street thug is true. I expect nothing more from him.

I'll bet all that would change if it was your wife he was talkin about though. He said some fucked up shit to Vargas. He says jacked up things to most of his opponents. It's all fun and good when it's not you that he is talkin to. But what if you were one of his opponents? This is my problem with mayorga. He can dish it out, but then when a personal attack came back on him, he could not take it and lashed out physically. That's a punk in my book.

his dumb fans sings christmas carols in september and you call Mayweather annoying?

I hate Hatton and his f#ing Mr rogers neihborhood image ,i hope he gets destroyed saturday night.

Thats because there was no racist shit said, its fucked up to see Floyd play that card and make it a race issue but its expected from a punk bitch like Floyd, I hate when blacks try and play that fucking card its pathetic.
But honestly I think Floyd is saying that in hopes to get more support from fans and if so that is even more pathetic, then again what do you expect from a guy whos mother looks like Sha-Ne-Ne

Oh he is a punk. If it was my wife he was talking about I would concentrate on making him shit his teeth out his arse & totally humiliating him.

Do you even know where Hatton comes from? He comes from a shitty area to say the least.

I hear that. I'd have my people take care of him. That is........ if I had people.

Could you imagine someone like Norman Stone as a trainer for an opponent of Mayorga's at a presser!?

I am pretty sure he does not, as can be evidenced by the mere fact that he does not quite understand the whole England soccer pub drunken chant song deal.

I just spilt my coffee laughing at the immediate image of a beetroot red Normie flipping out screaming "goddam cocksucker" over & over whilst flailing away with his feet in the air as Jawny clinches him to hold him back .

I see where you guys are coming from but It's not jus the trash talking it's how he comes off like he's the greatest thing since slice bread, flashing money everywhere and calling himself the GOAT the guy is delusional.

Listen, his name is Money Mayweather, and what he does is get the money...and if you don't like him, you don't like your motherfucking self.

lol

I had a friend living in the UK, & there were some terms like "yob" & etc. that I found to be hilarious.

Or how they call college, "university" or "uni". I go to "uni". Small things like that, which are amusing.


And yes, Mayweather makes money, like Bill Gates makes computers. Just like Uncle Roger said.

Hey they have Canadian teams in there too.





He is like a real life Steve Austin except he makes $6M per fight & he will soon need bionic hands.

WTF

These are not my original thoughts. I am just quoting Money May, my friend.

That is so funny.

Seriously, if Floyd talked like that and fought like Roberto Duran he'd be bigger than Jesus.

A cumulative comment on several of the previous posts:

Floyd:
Floyd tries to portray himself as a flashy, clever, smooth well known sports figure. But, in reality that's not the case. So, everytime he tries to project that image, he fails and fails miserabally. That is why he comes off like an out of control kid with money. He's trying to be something he's not. So the comments many make about the image he projects are true. But its not him that you're really seeing, its his fake persona and this is what people hate ...... the persona he projects. And he does a piss poor job at displaying this persona and a piss poor job of representing himself.

The Race Card:
The race card should never be used for promotional sports related gains. Sure there are instances in real life where race divides, motivates and inspires those who have been on the short end of the stick. But to degrade real race related issues for personal gain is probally the lowest you can go. Race relations have always been an issue in this country and worldwide and to diminish its seriousness by using it to promote a fight is uncalled for and totally unnecessary. So, again floyd's childishness is on display for all the world to see. For some strange reason floyd has gotten in his mind that its more profitable to accumulate haters than true fans. Maybe it is ......... Read on.

Its strange to me that many here aren't accustomed to the BS constantly spewed by fighter's before a fight. Its a common event, RJJ, Tarver, Mayorga, Floyd, Tyson, Vargus, Ali the list goes on and on. So, I'm puzzled by the responses of many here who know the fight game intimately. You all, better than anyone else should be able to tell the difference between BS and reality. So to see some here, taking this common BS soo seriously is strange to say the least.

Bottom line ..... Floyd is acting out the "bad guy image" " He does it every fight" {Poorly, I might add} he wants you to hate him so that you will buy his fights. He wants you to hate him soo much that you will pay anything to watch him get his ass handed to him in a brutal fashion.

And many who hate, THE FLASH, ALL THE MONEY, ALL THE TALK OF GREATNESS, are going to buy this fight for the sole purpose of seeing their wish fulfilled {Floyd Getting His Ass Kicked}.

Now, if this is the case, then Floyd is waaay ahead of the game, mush richer and the hater's are poorer as a result. And I appluad the clever ploy used before every fight

So, are you HATER'S playing Floyd's game of rags to riches???

The poll should be how many are buying this fight just to see Floyd get his ass kicked.

See while I think you're right that this is Floyd's ploy, I think it's totally wrong that there are people (a significant number at least) that will buy this fight (and who wouldn't otherwise) solely to see him get his ass kicked. Floyd is p4p #1, that fact should sell itself.

Any person who pulls the race card or attempts to play it, is more than likely a racist himself and I do beleive this about Floyd, I remember seeing him on quite frankley years back and as he came out he shook two black dudes hand and when he got to the white guy he just ignored him all together knowing that his hand was right there and being the company that he does keep I wouldnt doubt and I dont, the sad thing is the people he has around him remind me so much of King and John Horn when Tyson had just got released from Prison

I guess you could tell I don't follow Mayweather too much. LOL

LAS VEGAS -- Before Floyd Mayweather Jr. emerged this year as a mainstream star, he would constantly tell anyone who would listen that the day was coming.

For years, he would say he was going to be a pay-per-view star.

That he would fill arenas.

That he would become big outside of boxing.

He made sure to remind the media of that again this week.

"In the past, I told you guys that certain things would happen," he said. "I think a lot of times people looked at me and said, 'Yeah, right. Whatever.' But I told you guys I would be the best in the sport one day. And I told you guys that I was going to become a mega superstar. I told you guys I would become an A-lister."

Guess what?

Mayweather was right.



It took hard work and sacrifice, but Floyd Mayweather Jr. has finally "arrived." A win on Saturday will take the "Pretty Boy" to even further heights.
He's had a gargantuan 2007, a year in which he has truly arrived. When it's over he will have earned more money in his field of play than just about any other athlete in the world -- an estimated $50 million -- for two fights. Sort of makes A-Rod's $27 million salary in 2007 look like chump change, doesn't it?

"To say it was a career year would be a trite way to describe it, that's how big a year he's had," said HBO PPV chief Mark Taffet, who has watched Mayweather grow from that precocious prospect with big dreams to champion to pound-for-pound king to star during Mayweather's 12-year pro career. "He's turned from the pound-for-pound king in the ring to one of the pound-for-pound kings outside the ring.

"The year that Floyd Mayweather has had in 2007 -- between the promotion that started back in January for his fight with Oscar [De La Hoya] and the fight itself, the exposure on '24/7' and the incredible audience for 'Dancing with the Stars,' plus endless fulfillment of media requests in urban markets and African-American media outlets -- is a big year not only for any boxer, but for most athletes if you look back over the past 10 years."

Mayweather's 2007 will culminate Saturday night (HBO PPV, 9 ET) when he defends the welterweight championship against England's Ricky Hatton at the MGM Grand -- which sold out in 30 minutes and will do a gross gate of more than $10 million -- in one of the most anticipated fights in a year that has been filled with significant matchups.

But the fight, in which Mayweather is a clear favorite against the junior welterweight champion, is merely the last dance of a mammoth year that has been about more than just boxing for "Pretty Boy."

As he likes to say, the year was also about "raising awareness of the Mayweather brand" and having people involved in the "Mayweather experience."

He's sure done that.

• After an exhausting five-month promotion, Mayweather's May 5 victory against De La Hoya shattered all boxing revenue records, including setting the all-time pay-per-view buy mark at 2.4 million.

• Mayweather had a starring role in two editions of HBO's hit reality series "24/7." The first one in the spring followed the buildup to the De La Hoya fight and drew an astonishing 4.7 million viewers on average for each of the four episodes.

The second series, which concluded Thursday night, followed the buildup to the Hatton fight. The debut episode, the only one for which numbers were available, drew a healthy 2.6 million viewers, according to HBO.

• Mayweather also drew massive mainstream recognition for his participation in the ABC hit reality series "Dancing with the Stars."

"'Dancing with the Stars' was truly an amazing show. It was the icing on the cake that was going to put the 'mega' in front of the superstar," Mayweather said.

Night after night, Mayweather was featured on entertainment programs such as "Entertainment Tonight" and "Extra." There were loads of talk show appearances and coverage in publications such as TV Guide and Entertainment Weekly.

In fact, when Mayweather walks to the ring Saturday, he will be accompanied by "Dancing with the Stars" winner and two-time Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves and fellow contestants Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, and Las Vegas entertainer Wayne Newton.

"'Dancing With the Stars' was such a great experience for me this year and now to have Helio, Mark and Wayne be a part of my real world makes it that much more meaningful," said Mayweather, who has become particularly friendly with Cuban to the point where Mayweather said they are doing business together.

That's good company for a fighter who hadn't even headlined his own PPV card until two years ago, when he faced Arturo Gatti, and was not a big ticket seller anywhere outside of his hometown in Grand Rapids, Mich.

"Floyd Mayweather chased a lot of people until they caught up with him," Taffet said. "He did it very effectively. For at least two years prior to the Gatti fight, I thought there were 20 Floyd Mayweathers because everywhere I went, I saw Floyd and he kept saying to me over and over again, 'I'm ready to fight on pay-per-view, I'm ready for the big stage, it's my turn, its my time.' Boy was he ready."

This year certainly has proved it.

"My year has been truly, truly great, a blessing," said Mayweather, who is quick to give a lot of credit to adviser Al Haymon and best friend and adviser Leonard Ellerbe. "I have the best team. Al is behind the scenes. He never wants to come out. He likes to lay in the back. Whatever him and Leonard say they're going to do, they do. They go to bat for me. 'Dancing with the Stars,' him and Leonard put that together, got me on all those talk shows. Probably after this fight, we'll do the Oprah show. It's just amazing the year I've had. Made a ton of money in the sport.

"The chemistry is amazing between Al and Leonard along with my big ideas. They bring them to life. I couldn't get that when I was with [former promoter] Bob Arum. They kept me kind of in a choke hold."

Ellerbe, who is with Mayweather daily, was named CEO of Mayweather's upstart Mayweather Promotions, which is co-promoting the Hatton fight along with De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions. But Ellerbe is also involved in all aspects of Mayweather's business endeavors, many of which have blossomed this year.

"We used the Oscar fight as a platform to be able to go off and do other things like 'Dancing with the Stars' and really be an A-lister," Ellerbe said. "And he's really, truly appreciative because everything is coming together. Everything is about timing. All the hard work and dedication is really paying off now."

One of the moves, controversial at the time, was the decision to buy out Arum's promotional contract for $750,000, which enabled Mayweather to get the fight with De La Hoya because, at the time, Arum and De La Hoya refused to do business with each other.

"We wouldn't have been in that position if we had still been in the contract with our former promoter," Ellerbe said. "So when he got out of that situation -- in his last three fights, including this fight [with Hatton] -- he's earned more money than he has in his whole career. Top Rank did a wonderful job building him but once he made the decision to move off and be in control of his own career, like any elite fighter should do at that point, then he really became a successful entrepreneur."

Besides the high-profile bouts and TV series, Ellerbe said there are many other things in the works for Mayweather. He said there have been two movie offers. "Major features," Ellerbe said.

There is also an equity stake in a new "stimulation beverage" called Fever, the launch of a Mayweather-themed boxing video game and a book about his life, all due in 2008.

Mayweather has also long had an interest in music and Haymon has been one of the nation's foremost concert promoters. Mayweather has partnered with him on tours involving star artists Beyonce and Chris Brown.

"We just did the Beyonce tour. Right now are doing the Chris Brown tour, co-promoting it," Ellerbe said. "I have a staff of people, entertainment people, that are right now in Detroit, a street team promoting the concert. So when he fights Saturday night, Floyd will be earning money in two different cities. He'll be earning money right here and we're promoting Chris Brown. We have a video game coming out next year and we have a book, his life story. So with all that combined with all he's doing is elevating his business enterprise, taking the Mayweather brand to a whole other level, trying to turn it into a Fortune 500 company."

But with so much outside-the-ring activity, it's hard not to wonder if it will take its toll when the bell rings Saturday night.


"He might be with the dancing thing wanting to endear himself to the public, he might be going down the celebrity route a little bit," Hatton said. "I think like in the first 'Rocky' movie when Rocky fought Apollo and I think his corner said to him, 'He thinks it's a fight, you think it's a show.' Maybe there is the sense of that but he's gotten to the top with dedication, so I have no doubt he's trained hard and as hard as ever, but I don't think he particularly thinks I'm as good as what I am."

Mayweather insists he is focused and ready for Hatton.

"It's not hard," Mayweather said of getting up for the fight. "Even if it was hard, I'm still gonna tell you it's not hard. I'm never overlooking no opponent. Never. I know this kid is going to come out and fight his heart out. It's just that he makes a lot of mistakes."

Said Ellerbe, "It's no problem for him getting up. Any time Floyd comes into a fight he's going to be prepared the best way he can. He's not going to cut no corners. That's one thing Floyd Mayweather isn't going to do."

But Ellerbe also admitted that Mayweather is tired. This will be his third bout in 13 months plus all of the other activities.

"After the [Carlos] Baldomir fight [in November 2006] me and Al were working trying to get the Oscar fight," Ellerbe said. "Shortly after the Oscar fight we went on a tour where he went and helped other athletes with their foundations, Alonzo Mourning, Allen Iverson. Floyd talked to all types of kids in various inner cities. He's never had a break from the Baldomir fight. He's worked constantly. It was good for him because he elevated his business enterprise and became a mainstream A-lister, and he worked very hard to get there. But after this fight I think he needs to take an extended break."

It sure has been a big turnaround from the days when Mayweather was vilified for declaring a multimillion dollar contract offer from HBO "slave wages" and wound up fighting before sparse crowds in nonboxing havens such as Fresno, Calif., San Francisco and Miami.

So what changed?

"Over the past year, Floyd has shown facets of himself that he's never shown so openly to the media and public before," Taffet said. "People are seeing now [on '24/7'] that Floyd Mayweather has an incredible love for his mother, that he has an incredible relationship with his uncle [and trainer] Roger, you see the kind of relationship he has with his kids. He's involved in a lot of charitable functions and it's almost like a diamond -- the more facets you add to it the more it shines and glows and increases in value, and that's what Floyd has done this year.

"He has given so much of himself that people now understand Floyd Mayweather the man, not just Floyd Mayweather the fighter. And there's a connection that exists between Floyd and the fans that takes it to another level. Floyd has clearly established himself as a force in the media, as a force in the African-American community and as a force outside the ring to boxing fans around world. That appeal has taken Floyd to where the sky is the limit and it's really only limited by Floyd's willingness and desire to keep up an incredibly arduous schedule."

Even De La Hoya, who has had his own huge years and isn't exactly Mayweather's biggest fan although they're in business together on this fight, admires what he's done in 2007.

"I can imagine how tired he must be with his training schedule, trying to fit in training and trying to fit in all the other stuff he's doing like 'Dancing with the Stars.' It will be very interesting to see if he has that same energy coming into the ring on fight night because we know Ricky Hatton will come with everything, nonstop from the first bell," De La Hoya said. "But it's a big year. It's the biggest year of his boxing career. And there's no sign of it stopping."

Dan Rafael covers boxing for ESPN.com.