"He wants me back because he know it's going to be a whole different fight. Even if he wins, he's going to feel the differenceÂ…pain! He wouldn't be calling if he didn't want me back," stated legendary trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr. as he talked about Oscar De La Hoya's preparations for his fight with Steve Forbes and the eagerly anticipated rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr. Check out what else he had to say as he shares his thoughts on Joe Calzaghe's win over Bernard Hopkins, his chances against Roy Jones Jr. or Kelly Pavlik and much more.
PC: What did you think of the Bernard Hopkins and Joe Calzaghe fight?
FM: I'm going to be honest man, the fight to me man was a very, very boring fight. Even though Calzaghe won the fight, I don't see the punch count that they was talking about. I don't see all of that man. What punch count are you talking about man? He ain't even do shit; he's the worst fighter I've ever saw in my life. I wouldn't pay $5 to see him. I'm serious man, this guy cannot fight. He's worse than a novice fighter for real. He's like a junior fighter; he fights like a beginner man. He can't punch at all. That fight didn't look good at all. Whoever rates him as one of the greatest fighters of today's era, man trust meÂ…I don't give a damn how many fights he wins, that man don't know how to fight. He throws punches like a wash woman.
PC: It looks like he's going to have a record to where they will put him in the elite status.
FM: I don't give a damn if he wins 200 fights and goes undefeated, he cannot fight man. He still won't be able to fight. That man is one of the worst fighters I've ever seen in my life.
PC: I think if he fights Roy or Pavlik next, it could end that undefeated streak.
FM: That might be a little bit of a bump to Glen Johnson because I know everybody said he ain't got no snap and stuff like that, but he bumped Roy worse than I ever seen anybody bump Roy. Then shit, he had Chad, who's 25-years-old, running all over the place and staggering him from corner to corner so he got something somewhere. My thing is, Roy should be able toÂ…if Roy hit him and hurt him, he'll jump on him and finish him. Calzaghe got a way of smothering you and Roy lay on the ropes with his hands up and he'll take a lot of punches and even though they don't do nothing, he can't just lay there and let the guy beat on him; ain't nothing changing about that. I think Pavlik will hurt him. He's slower, but he's in condition.
PC: I know it was a flash knockdown, but that lick Hopkins caught him with didn't seem too hard and Pavlik can crack.
FM: Bernard ain't knocking nobody out at this age and this stage of his career. I don't think he has a good chin. He was fighting most people from Wales and "Left Hook" Lacy, that's all he got is a damn left hand if he got that, I don't know.
PC: Were you surprised Bernard didn't jump on him after he dropped him because for the most part, he was still boxing him?
FM: Evidently Bernard knew his own conditioning and I assume that's why he didn't make his attack and that's why he laid back more. If it was a time to go in, that was the time. Calzaghe is highly overrated. If you go all the way back toÂ… he better be glad that it ain't no good fighters now. All of the ones that are older now would've whooped his ass back then. He couldn't have fought Roy Jones a few years ago. If he was back in the 80's, he couldn't have fought them guys back then. That would've been an ass whoopin' then, even with Hopkins, Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard, Tommy Hearns, they wouldn't have even thought of no shit like that. Even John "The Beast" Mugabi would've beat the shit out of him. "Caveman" Lee would've tore his ass up. He ain't nothing but a club fighter and he ain't even a good club fighter. I have never seen a fighter fight like that. They don't even have a name for the punches he throws.
PC: I knew he never impressed you.
FM: Man, not at all.
PC: After watching the countdown, my boys was tripping out on how Oscar was saying you're in charge and the way you were getting on him.
FM: They were tripping out huh? How do you think Oscar is still here today? His shit would've been over a long time ago. It would've been over a long time ago. We have another thing coming on the day of the fight. It's another countdown the day of the fight and it's basically showing me training Oscar.
PC: I didn't know your brother Jeff was into graphic designing until the countdown.
FM: Yeah, his thing isÂ…well I know he did some commercial art, but yeah. I draw better than him though; way better. I always was a natural drawer. Like I told you man, when you come to Vegas, I'm going to show you how I do my thing. I'm a very accomplished artist too. If I don't train, I can sell paintings.
PC: My wife had the baby girl Thursday so once things settle down, I will make my way up there guaranteed.
FM: Oh, she had the baby? How many babies is that now?
PC: Two and that's it Big Floyd!
FM: Well, you know I just found out I got 2 more. I got a boy and a girl. My girl is 31, the same age as Lil Floyd, and my son just turned 21 the other day. Like I said with that Oscar thing though man, if you remember what I told them on there, it's only 3 ways.
PC: Oh, I finished that sentence for you before you even said it on HBO. It's your way, the highway and it ain't no other way.
FM: They gotta learn about me man is that I'm a realist. I call a spade a spade. What you have to realize man is that all of the reporters call me because of my realness. They like the way I talk to them and tell them like it is. I don't give a damn what people say. On this new countdown I was telling you about, they say Freddie Roach and I say, "Oh, Freddie 'The Joke Coach' Roach." That's going to be on the next segment. They might try to cut that out, but that's just what it is to me. I like to keep it real man. If I see it with my own natural eyes, I can say it this way or that way. Like I said with that Calzaghe guy, to me, that guy is garbage. I want you to make that clear, that man is garbage; he ain't nothing. When it comes to boxing, that guy can't spell box.
PC: Yeah, it was a tough pill to swallow him beating Bernard.
FM: I tell you about them people man, you know those strength trainersÂ…I don't believe in all of that shit. It ain't no place for that in boxing man. They come in with all of thatÂ…what's his name?
PC: Mackie Shilstone.
FM: Mackie Shittystone. It ain't no place for that in boxing. We had a guy here, right, that does that stuff, all these different gadgets and shit. I told that motherfucker, "Man look, don't you pick up another motherfuckin' thing (laughing). If he going to pick up another motherfuckin' thing, don't fuck with no fighter man, at least not the ones I deal with." I told him, "Don't deal with Oscar. You can feed him, run with him and do stomach exercises, but after that shit, I got it." He came in with all of this stuff and hitting the walls. I said, "Motherfucker, you crazy? You must be fucking crazy man. You a fuckin' boxer; you don't know nothing about the body." He got him doing all of this other work man and all it's doing is training him. He had him throwing a heavy ball against the wall and getting a rope and hitting off of this side and then that side. See, I really got mad when he was getting ready to fight Mayorga. I went down there and I said, "Look man, this fuckin' shit got to stop." I told Oscar he could send me home right now because I wasn't going to tolerate that shit no more. Every time I look around, he huffin' and puffin', doing shit that ain't have nothing to do with boxing. He came with a whole lot of gadgets, but I tell you one thing, ain't nobody pulled not one out because if they would've pulled one out, it would've went across their head and that's real. I told him I'm not playing that and I'm not with that.
PC: Yeah, I definitely think Bernard should've stuck with Brother Naazim. He had too much going on in his corner.
FM: Ah man, that don't make no sense man. 3 or 4 trainers in your corner, for what? Roach ain't stern enough to train Bernard. You saw how I was with Guzman?
PC: Yeah, I remember you pushing him back into the corner.
FM: Damn right! Get right, all of that fucking wild shit he was throwing. You ain't going to be doing that wild shit with me because you will mess around and get caught; now you knocked out. That's why Lil Floyd wants me back.
PC: Yeah, I seen where he said if Roger would train Forbes, he would pay you more than Oscar to get you back in his corner.
FM: He wants me back anyway. It ain't no if Roger would train Steve and all that; he wants me back because he know it's going to be a whole different fight. Even if he wins, he's going to feel the differenceÂ…pain! He wouldn't be calling if he didn't want me back. What you calling me for if Roger is the best? You got the best. Why call me and settle for second best. He's the best fighter so he should want the best trainer and he says that's Roger. It's getting close, that's all.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]