Relaxed Floyd Mayweather doesn't appear to remotely be thinking about fighting again
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Floyd Mayweather who came to promote his fighter, Ashley Theophane, during the press conference Monday afternoon for Theophane's super lightweight title fight against Adrien Broner on April 1, did not appear to be a man who was even remotely contemplating fighting again.
A relaxed and affable Mayweather, who turned 39 last week, patiently answered the questions, 'Do you miss the spotlight?' and 'Do you miss fighting?' and 'How does it feel to be retired?' as many times as they were asked during a lengthy session with reporters.
Do you miss the spotlight? "Absolutely not. I'm blessed way beyond belief. To be in the sport of boxing and make somewhere upwards of $800 million, and to receive seven figures every month for the rest of my life, I'm truly blessed."
Do you miss fighting? "Not at all. I'm older now. Next year my son is going to college, so I had a great run."
Is it hard for you to stay retired? "No, I'm okay. I'm happy for these guys. I fight through these guys. When they got out there and fight and win, I feel the same emotions."
Do you still get in the ring to spar? "Uh, no. No wear and tear on this body. This body's gotta rest."
How does it feel to be retired? "It feels great. To leave the sport with all my faculties, to still be sharp. I was in the sport for 20 years, and I still feel good."
You said if you and Danny Garcia made a fight for Cinco de Mayo weekend, you could could sink Canelo vs. Khan on May 7. Were you serious about that? "Aw, I was just kidding around when I said that."
Mayweather answered many other questions that had nothing to do with the fight he was there to promote.
What's next? "I'm looking forward to stepping back from betting on sports and getting some ownership in an NBA team." (He would not be specific on which team he would look at, but said he was planning to talk with Wizards owner Ted Leonsis when he attended the Wizards-76ers game Monday night).
Will you hang out with President Obama while you're here in D.C.? "I've hung out with Obama before, cool guy, cool president. I don't know if he can beat me in basketball but a very cool guy. This time around I don't really know who to vote for."
What (political) issues are important to you? "Homelessness. Us giving back to our American citizens first. When I think about certain things, like Powerball, how we can generate so much money from Powerball. A lot of that money could have went to our American citizens, the homeless. And you think about how the water is in Flint. Getting with the Floyd Mayweather Foundation, and getting hundreds of thousands of bottles of water to Flint."
Do you have a favorite candidate for president? "Whoever can save me the most in taxes, man. Uncle Sam be gettin' us."
(Mayweather photo from Monday by Stephanie Trapp, Mayweather Promotions)