Boxing hero Mayweather, a softie and a realist at heart

London, Sep. 16 : He may be known as one of the world’s best boxers currently, but at heart, American pugilist Floyd Mayweather is a softie and a realist. He likes to switch off his sports-related ego, and would like nothing better than to be remembered for teaching his kids to be responsible and respectful human beings. Asked what he would like his legacy to be, the Daily Mail quoted Mayweather as saying: “My long-term ambition is to be remembered for teaching my sons and daughters to be respectful, responsible human beings.”
That may seem a touch ironic to those who have felt the rough edge of Mayweather’s tongue, but he explains: “Sometimes I contradict myself, but we all do. We’re only human,” adding with typical mischief: “Except, that I’m the king of the ring.”
Commenting on the fact of him throwing and waving around 100 dollar bills, Mayweather says: “I make money, but money doesn’t make my life. Yeah I’ve got a few Rolls-Royces, but whatever I earn, is there to be spent. It’s up to each person to choose how to live their life. Some like to be relaxed and quiet. Me, I’m fully energised and while I’m here for my one time on earth, I want to have fun.”
“You gotta make the most of every minute,” he adds.
That brings him back to his kids.
“If you want them to be really successful, you have to make sure they go at something from very early on. I played a bit of football and basketball, and yes, I could have been good at any sport. But I never lived more than a block from a boxing gym, and for that, I give thanks. That’s why I like my gyms to be dirty and scruffy. It’s part of what I am,” Mayweather says.
On rumors of a second marriage being round the corner, Mayweather says: “Maybe, I do like being settled with someone who doesn’t judge me, just supports me for what I am.”
This surprisingly romantic Mayweather is still in mode when he discusses his professional life after boxing.
The movie industry looms larger in his thinking than fight promoting, but when you ask him to name his favourite film it’s not Rocky or The Terminator.
“I love The Notebook. When you get old, what could be more beautiful than a man and a woman in love holding hands as they both die. That way, neither of you will ever be lonely,” he says.