Mayweather ‘sharp as razor’
With four days to go before he returns to the ring, resuming his boxing career after a 21-month layoff, Floyd Mayweather Jr. declared all is well.
“I’m sharp as a razor, and everything will play out the way we planned,” Mayweather said after his official “arrival” Tuesday afternoon at the MGM Grand, where he will meet Juan Manuel Marquez in a welterweight fight Saturday.
Mayweather (39-0 with 25 knockouts) said he has been sticking to his routine as the fight draws nearer.
“I’m boxing every day, going home, playing with my kids, watching and betting on sports; I love sports,” Mayweather said. “I box every day. It’s like a basketball player shooting jumpers. You don’t want to take a week off.”
Mayweather was respectful toward Marquez on Tuesday, as he has been throughout the fight’s promotion, but also maintained he will remain undefeated after Saturday’s scheduled 12-round fight.
“I don’t worry about no fighter,” Mayweather said. “He’s got to worry about me. I don’t watch no tapes. I can adjust to anything in the ring.”
Mayweather’s not worried about anything outside the ring, either. In the latest potential distraction, The Associated Press reported Monday that Mayweather is being sued by JP Morgan Chase Bank over a car loan. The story said Mayweather owed $167,000 on a Mercedes Maybach 57S valued at $528,000.
The former champion said he wasn’t aware of the suit, filed in Clark County District Court last week. In fact, Mayweather claims he hasn’t owned the car in nearly two years, having sold it two months after he reportedly bought it.
“I’m fine,” Mayweather said when asked about the car specifically and the health of his finances in general. “I’m comfortable. But I don’t understand why people keep bringing up my finances. They’re my finances. I don’t come into your house and start asking you about your finances, do I?”
Leonard Ellerbe, chief executive officer of Mayweather Promotions, said the AP story was inaccurate and that Mayweather sold the car to a Las Vegas businessman awhile ago.
“Floyd hasn’t been served no lawsuit,” Ellerbe said. “Floyd hasn’t had this car in well over a year. It’s more like two years. A guy named Mark Laidler bought it from Floyd in April 2007, so I don’t know where all this stuff is coming from.”
Several hundred people filled the MGM’s lobby for both fighters’ arrival, with Marquez being roundly cheered and Mayweather drawing a mixture of cheers and boos.
Marquez (50-4-1, 37 KOs), a former world lightweight champion, will be at the highest weight he’s ever fought at.
He is eager to get in the ring after the bout, originally scheduled for July 18, was postponed because of a rib injury Mayweather suffered in training in June.
“I’ve waited a long time for this opportunity,” Marquez said. “I am prepared to give my best.”
Interest in the fight appears to have picked up. Ticket sales are near 12,000, an MGM spokesman said, and the fight should be close to a sellout. The Grand Garden will seat 15,700 for the bout.
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.