Source: Boxing Scene
With the Mayweather-de la Hoya II rumors seeming to gain incredible steam, it only figures that Floyd's father and Oscar's former trainer, Floyd Mayweather, Sr., would come out of the woodwork.
Senior, who trained Oscar de la Hoya for years, says he'd be happy to step back into the corner of "The Golden Boy" should Oscar actually fight his son in a rematch of last May's record-setting bout.
You probably recall that Oscar chose to go with Freddie Roach for the bout after Floyd demanded $2 million to train de la Hoya to fight his son. You also probably recall that Floyd wound up working in his son's camp briefly while his brother, Roger Mayweather, was dealing with some legal issues that threatened to keep him out of Junior's corner.
When the dust settled on Roger's legal troubles, Floyd says, he was essentially shunned by the Mayweather camp, paid a mere $10,000 for his trouble, and then didn't even receive tickets to the fight from his son, but, rather, from Oscar.
If Floyd, Sr., were to return to Oscar's corner, it would create a new dynamic for the fight, and would maybe offer something new to fans who feel a rematch is really more of a re-run.
While I think Floyd, Sr., often overestimates himself and underestimates every other trainer on the face of the planet, it's hard to imagine a better fit for de la Hoya. First, of course, is the fact that the two of them have had a successful working relationship in the past, always seemed to get along well, and meshed, which is tremendously important for any fighter-trainer pair.
Second is the simple and obvious fact that we're talking about the pound-for-pound king's father here, a man that spent years training and developing Floyd Mayweather, Jr., into the fighter he's become. I think Roger Mayweather is the better fit for Floyd; I think he's a better fighter with Roger than he would be with his dad or anyone else. Again, they mesh. They work together perfectly.
But, coming in a distant third for most of us but perhaps A #1 in the minds of those in charge of marketing is what this would offer in terms of selling the fight. Floyd-Oscar II was going to be somewhat tough to sell to a lot of boxing fans. Throw the charismatic, off-beat Floyd, Sr., into Oscar's corner, and you've got a marketer's dream. Oscar will suddenly know the secrets to beating Money Mayweather, and plus we'd get a healthy dose of Mayweather family feuds at every press stop, on every edition of the highly likely "24/7" series, and in every interview that any of them give.
Like them or not, the Mayweathers are an entertaining, bluntly honest, often hilarious bunch of guys, and they all know how to sell a fight. It's an area in which I felt Oscar didn't actually pull his own weight last time around; there's only so much smiling and fake trash talking that the audience can handle.
It's hardly anything that's been decided on yet. But if you ask me, chances are good that we're going to see Floyd-Oscar II on May 3 in Las Vegas. And I'd bet that this time, Oscar would pay a healthy sum to have his real trainer back in his corner. One thing Oscar's never done before is lose two straight fights. Going down a second time in convincing fashion to Money Mayweather could effectively end Oscar's career as a surefire, big business attraction. Having lost three (four, really) of his last five is bad enough -- if people stop believing that Oscar can beat top names, it's over.
In short, a rematch with Mayweather is foolish, I believe. But if he's going to do it, he needs to pull out all the stops. Floyd Mayweather, Sr., is one of those stops.