Mayweather shifts to promo mode
Floyd Mayweather Jr. never shied away from self-promotion during his 49-0 career as a professional boxer, so it stands to reason that, now that he is retired, promoting the fights of others would come naturally.
That is why what happened on Monday - at a media conference announcing Adrien Broner's bout against Mayweather protege Ashley Theophane for a minor piece of the 140-pound title on April 1 at the D.C. Armory - made all the sense in the world.
After plenty of cursing and trash-talking from Broner, who showed up nearly an hour late, the champion declared he would not take any questions from the media and headed for the exit, accompanied by rapper Rick Ross.
Guess who strode to center stage? Mayweather, of course, spreading his grin wide and arms wider and telling the crowd: "I'll do some interviews!"
As reporters and cameras surged forward, the man known as 'Money' spent more than 20 minutes talking, a little bit about Broner and Theophane, but mostly about himself.
His getup included Gucci sunglasses, burgundy horse-riding boots and white pants - and he fiddled with a pinky ring adorned with a diamond the size of a nickel.
Perhaps, he mentioned in passing, he will try to buy a stake in an NBA team (Mayweather attended a Washington Wizards game on Sunday, planned to go to another on Monday night, and said he has sought counsel from that club's owner, Ted Leonsis).
But he insisted there is zero chance he will get back into the ring.
"I was able to retire from the sport with all my faculties and not let the sport retire me," Mayweather said.
But doesn't he miss fighting?
"No, not at all. Not at all. I'm blessed," said Mayweather, who turned 39 last week. "I'm a lot older now. Next year, my son will be going to college. I had a great run."
Does he ever spar for fun?
"Ain't no more wear-and-tear on this body," he said. "This body has got to rest."
How does he satisfy his competitive juices?
"I fight through these guys. When they go out there and fight and they win," Mayweather said about boxers he's promoting. "I feel the same emotions."
As for Mayweather Promotions and the business side of the sport, he said: "We're not rushing. We're taking one step at a time."
Theophane called Mayweather a mentor and "one of the smartest, if not the smartest boxer ever, so there is knowledge he can give me you can't get from anyone else in boxing".
Long acknowledged as one of the greatest defensive fighters in history, Mayweather likes to point out he earned about $800 million in his career - a figure that includes $32 million for his last fight, a victory over Andre Berto in September.
