"There is too much money to be made for them not too. You don't leave that kind of money on the table if you are either fighter. They will get it done. It's just going to take a minute for them to agree on everything...At the end of the day, we are fighters and you do whatever it takes to get in that ring, especially for the amount of money they are making. I think additional testing is great for boxing. I'm all for anything to help the sport. People have to understand, Mayweather is not just a boxer. He's trying to revolutionize the sport," stated former featherweight champion Kevin Kelley as he shared his thoughts on the potential Mayweather vs. Pacquiao clash and whether or not the highly-anticipated mega-fight will ever take place. Check it out!
PC: What are your thoughts on the way Mayweather-Mosley played out?
KK: I think Shane was overtrained. It's a difference between being overpeaked and overtrained and I think Shane overtrained for this one. Hats off to Mayweather though. He is just on a different level right now.
PC: The fight everyone wants to see is Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather of course. Do you think the fight will get made?
KK: Yeah, they will fight each other. There is too much money to be made for them not too. You don't leave that kind of money on the table if you are either fighter. They will get it done. It's just going to take a minute for them to agree on everything.
PC: One of the main sticking points has been the drug testing that Floyd asked for. Where do you stand on that subject?
KK: At the end of the day, we are fighters and you do whatever it takes to get in that ring, especially for the amount of money they are making. I think additional testing is great for boxing. I'm all for anything to help the sport. People have to understand, Mayweather is not just a boxer. He's trying to revolutionize the sport like Ali. Mayweather is trying to do things that haven't been done yet and I respect him for that.
PC: So you wouldn't have a problem giving blood during camp?
KK: Not at all. Don't get me wrong, I would never want to give blood the day of a fight, but I don't think they're calling for that. There is nothing wrong with giving a little blood 3, 4 or 5 days out. I would definitely do it. Like I said, we are fighters and that's what we do; whatever it takes to fight.
PC: When you say Floyd is trying to revolutionize the sport like Ali, could you elaborate on that some more?
KK: Muhammad Ali did things in boxing that had never been done and to this day, some of it hasn't been duplicated. We're talking about a man that gave up 3 years of his boxing prime to fight for his religious beliefs. Floyd is doing things similar to that. Floyd's being creative, which boxing is lacking right now. When Floyd says he gave HBO the idea for 24/7, I can believe that. This enhanced drug testing, this is all things to help boxing, so when I see fans complain about it, that let's me know they don't understand the sport. I mean, the 24/7 idea is brilliant, but again, can you imagine if we got a 24/7 every other week of your favorite fighter? Follow Paul Williams around, Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather. Even the younger guys, Victor Ortiz, Donaire and guys like that. Let the fans know who these guys are. Could you imagine if Hagler-Leonard had a 24/7, or Holyfield-Bowe, or Chavez-Whitaker? Aw man, forget about it. That would have been crazy. But fighters these days are stuck in self-promotion. You have to promote yourself. Like I said, Floyd isn't really a bad guy, but Floyd understands one thing. African Americans aren't following the sport like they used to in the 80's, so now he has to go in another direction and embrace the villain role. That's brilliant. If they won't watch me for my skill level, they will watch me hoping I get knocked out. Brilliant! You take a Mexican fighter, their fans will send their last $20 to come watch them fight. Manny Pacquiao's entire country supports him. But if you look at guys that are good fighters, like Andre Berto, the kid can't even sell tickets in his own hometown. And that's not a knock on Berto; blacks just aren't following boxing anymore. They had a good idea with KO Nation, but the performance should have come after the fights and not before.
PC: So you're all about fighter promotion?
KK: Without a doubt. Think about it. Manny Pacquiao was in a movie as a superhero. That's great. I think fighters should get movie roles other than playing a fighter. I would love to play Martin Lawrence in a movie about his life. Martin was a Golden Gloves boxer, but he went on to do big things and I think that's the direction that boxers should head in; being in movies playing roles other than boxers. But in order to do that, they have to be put on the forefront, so people can see them and know who they are and right now, Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather are the only fighters doing that!
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]