Floyd Mayweather Jr. considering hiring his father as his trainer
Floyd Mayweather Jr. and his father, Floyd Mayweather Sr., have had a rocky relationship for more than 10 years. Junior booted Senior from his gym last year in an angry display prior to a fight with Victor Ortiz that was a big part of the HBO "24/7" series that was documenting that fight.
As Mayweather stormed out of the room after making his father leave, he shouted, "And [expletive], I'm not no junior."
But on Wednesday, Mayweather gave an interview to Ben Thompson at Fight Hype in which he said he is considering using his father as his trainer rather than his Uncle Roger. Roger Mayweather, a two-time world champion, has been Mayweather's primary trainer for most of his professional career.
"At this particular time, I'm thinking about working back with my father."
Mayweather Jr., the top-rated fighter in the world by Yahoo! Sports, has been fiercely loyal to his uncle. But he told Thompson that Roger Mayweather is "not healthy" and not eating well.
He acknowledged the issues with his father, but said he believes they can work together.
"My Dad has to realize I'm an adult, you know. I just want my Dad to accept and respect me as an adult. I think my Dad, the thing is, he still looks at me as his 10-year-old son. I'm a lot closer to 40 than I am to 21, but I have a lot left in the tank and I want to go out there and give the fans nothing but excitement."
Mayweather has yet to announce his opponent, though he is expected to meet Robert Guerrero on May 4 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas. It will be his first fight since he was released after serving a two-month prison stint at the Clark County Detention Center.
Mayweather Sr.'s health hasn't been the greatest recently. He suffers from sarcoidosis, a disease that has affected his lungs. In 2008, he told Yahoo! Sports the disease was impacting him greatly.
"I'm going to see how it goes. But I know it's not going to be long. I am pretty sure I am not going to be doing this more than two years. This lung disease is what I have to worry about."
Mayweather Sr. trained numerous notable fighters, including his son, Oscar De La Hoya, Chad Dawson and Ricky Hatton.
Leonard Ellerbe, the CEO of Mayweather Promotions, said he did not have any information on the nature of Roger Mayweather's illness or any other aspect of Mayweather Jr.'s announcement.
"I don't know a thing about that and I don't want to comment," Ellerbe told Yahoo! Sports. "My only comment is that I have no comment. Floyd is his own boss. If he is saying that, he's his own boss. Floyd is his own boss and I have no comment other than that."
