Mayweather gets delayed jail term, won’t face Pacquiao May 5

A Las Vegas judge on Friday delayed the 90-day jail term for Floyd Mayweather Jr. after his defense lawyer argued the sentence would interfere with training for the boxing champ's May 5 bout, which could be worth $100 million to the city.

Despite a prosecutor's argument that the undefeated 34-year-old boxer should be treated like everyone else, Justice of the Peace Melissa Saragosa gave Mayweather until June 1 to report to the Detention Center to serve the sentence, which he received for beating his ex-girlfriend in front of their children in September 2010.

But Saragosa said Mayweather must start year long counseling sessions immediately and attend those sessions every week, "fight or no fight."

Last month Mayweather pleaded guilty to domestic battery and no contest to two counts of harassment, all misdemeanors, for assaulting the mother of three of his children and threatening his two sons.

Mayweather did not appear in court Friday, but an entourage of supporters, including entertainers Lil' Kim and Ray J , attended the hearing.

The entertainers, with Mayweather's defense lawyers, were all smiles as they left the courtroom. Earlier, Ray J and Lil' Kim would only say they had come to support their friend. "That's my brother," Ray J said.

Attorney Richard Wright asked for the last-minute delay Friday -- the same day Mayweather was scheduled to start serving his sentence.

Wright told Saragosa the May 5 fight would be an economic boon for the city to the tune of $100 million. Wright said Mayweather's last seven fights garnered a total of $1 billion for Las Vegas.

The lawyer said Mayweather wants to honor a commitment the boxer made to the MGM Grand, where the fight is scheduled to take place, and to cable providers who have booked the date.

"It's simply a delay so he could honor that commitment," Wright said.

Wright said he told Mayweather he could make those commitments because he expected the trial in the domestic violence case to be delayed until well after May.

But Mayweather accepted the plea deal last month and received the 90-day sentence.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Lisa Luzaich argued that Mayweather "shouldn't be treated any different than anybody else that comes into this court ... because of his status as a celebrity."

Luzaich said Mayweather had scheduled the fight before he entered his pleas and could have asked for a delay at the hearing last month. She also said the fight could be rescheduled.

But Wright said the fight business was fluid, and it wouldn't be easy to reschedule.

Wright added that he is aware that granting the delay could be seen as favorable treatment for the boxer, but he said that courts have allowed other defendants time to get their affairs in order before fulfilling sentencing obligations.

The defense lawyer said he asked for the June 1 date because Mayweather will need some time to recover from the fight. Wright also said he knows his client will win the fight, though an opponent has not been named.

Saragosa said Mayweather has a yearlong commitment to the court to complete the counseling and other portions of his sentence, which includes 100 hours of community service and a $2,500 fine. The judge said she viewed the counseling as the most important part of the sentence.

News of the delay was well-received by the Mayweather camp, which is moving quickly to finalize details for the May 5 date at the MGM Grand Garden.

In a statement, Mayweather co-manager Leonard Ellerbe said, "We're pleased that the judge granted a postponement of his surrender date so he can fulfill his commitment to Las Vegas to deliver the megafight and the economic benefit it provides to the community."

When pressed for details on the opponent Mayweather (42-0, 26 knockouts) will fight on May 5, Ellerbe said an announcement could come sometime next week, but he couldn't say exactly when.

"We're trying to get everything together," he said.

To that end, Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer said two possible opponents are junior middleweight Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and junior welterweight Robert Guerrero.

"I've talked to Canelo, and he would love to face Floyd," Schaefer said of the 21-year-old Alvarez, who is the reigning WBC junior middleweight champion and is undefeated at 39-0-1 with 29 KOs. "He's not afraid of risking his undefeated record."

Guerrero (29-1-1, 18 KOs) is coming off surgery on his left shoulder but has publicly called out Mayweather. He is back in training and waiting to see whether he is Mayweather's next opponent.

"We'll be moving very quickly," Schaefer said. "We'll talk to Floyd, and we'll talk to the networks, and we'll get a deal done, hopefully quickly."

One person whom Mayweather will not face is Manny Pacquiao. The pound-for-pound champion from the Philippines is not an option for Mayweather, said Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum, who promotes Pacquiao.

"There's not enough time," Arum said of properly promoting a megafight between the two. "Manny also may not be ready for May 5. We're looking at a fight for him in Las Vegas in later May, early June. He has a cut from his last fight (vs. Juan Manuel Marquez on Nov. 12) that is still healing. And the third reason is the MGM has only 16,000 seats. It's too small a venue for a fight this big as Pacquiao and Mayweather."

Schaefer accused Arum of ducking his responsibilities in making the fight boxing fans worldwide want to see.

"I find it interesting that before Floyd got his reporting date pushed back that Pacquiao was going to fight May 5," Schaefer said. "All of a sudden, Floyd's available to fight May 5, and Pacquiao can't make that date. It's clear Bob Arum doesn't want to do a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight. I hope it's en eye-opener to all the fight fans."

Ellerbe said three months was enough time for Mayweather to properly train and promote his May 5 fight.

"It won't be a problem," he said. "Floyd will be ready, no matter who his opponent is."

Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.