'I'll do some interviews!': Mayweather shifts to promotion

'I'll do some interviews!': Mayweather shifts to promotion

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 6:24 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON (AP) 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's retired, promoting the fights of others would come naturally, too.

That's why what happened Monday - at a news 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 letting everyone know, ''I'll do some interviews!''

As reporters and cameras surged forward, the man known as ''Money May'' spent more than 20 minutes talking, a little bit about Broner and Theophane, but mostly about himself. His getup included Gucci sunglasses, Gucci burgundy horse-riding boots and white pants, and he fiddled with a pinky ring adorned by a diamond the size of a nickel.

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Perhaps, he mentioned in passing, he will try to buy a stake in an NBA team (Mayweather attended a Washington Wizards game Sunday, planned to go to another Monday night, and said he has sought counsel from that club's owner, Ted Leonsis).

No, Mayweather insisted, there is zero chance that 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 replied. ''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 explained: ''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 no one else.''

Long acknowledged as one of the greatest defensive boxers in history, Mayweather likes to say 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.

''He seems content now. He's happy. At the end of the day, boxers, we have to retire at some point in life,'' Theophane said. ''If he feels the itch to come back, then he will come back. But he's happy now. ... A lot of professional boxers, they end up broke. He's got a lot of money and now he wants to help out the next generation of boxers, so I think he should be applauded.''

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Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich

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