LEONARD ELLERBE: "FLOYD MAYWEATHER IS GETTING BETTER...THAT'S TROUBLE FOR THESE GUYS OUT THERE"
By Ben Thompson | October 09, 2013
"I have seen the evolution, you know, and it's a great feeling. I just told him, and he knows I keep it real with him, but I honestly feel in my heart that he's getting better. I know what history says and I know what logic says, but there's sometimes that there are some people in life on this earth that are special, you know, have certain gifts, and I think that he's just one of those people," stated Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe, who recently made a surprise visit to FightHype Radio and shared his thoughts on Floyd Mayweather's victory over Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. As far as Ellerbe is concerned, it was Mayweather's best performance to date, and given the fact that he plans on being more active than he's been in the past, the undefeated pound-for-pound king is only going to get better.
"Yeah, it says when you get in your late 30's, you're supposed to slow down. To me, from what I see and what I know, and I think I'm capable and qualified of knowing what he's able to bring to the table, Floyd Mayweather is getting better, and it's all because, I told people, I said the worst thing for the fighters that he has to compete against is that when we did that deal with Showtime and CBS, is that Floyd Mayweather had a chance to be active, and that's trouble for these guys out there that, you know, he has to compete against," Ellerbe explained. "Floyd's been beating these guys, and with all due respect to them because they all are very, very good fighters, is that he's been beating them off of 16, 18, 22 months off, you know, and as he says partying. He don't drink or smoke, but just partying and hanging out. Now with him being active, and you see the difference in the last two fights, and I've said it and I'll say it over again, he's sharp as a razor."
In fact, Ellerbe believes the performance against Canelo was so dominant that it actually made Victor Ortiz's effort during his 4th round knockout loss to Mayweather look good. "It was his best performance because you gotta understand, it's how you go about doing something. I'm telling you, man, this game is about timing and inches, and you know it was not no whole lot of moving around. Floyd sat in the pocket with this cat and, you know, he made him miss and made him pay. Now when you look back on the Victor Ortiz fight, Victor Ortiz don't look so bad after all because clearly you see a youngster, a young fighter who's clearly getting frustrated because he can't get no get-back. You know, he's getting touched and he can't get no get-back," he continued. "From being on this side of the fence and knowing what Floyd brings to the table and seeing what kind of work he puts in, that man takes his job very, very, very seriously. See, the fans don't get a chance to see him put in that kind of work because all they see is the, you know, the entertainment side of it, the persona side of it, the Money Mayweather, but Floyd Mayweather the fighter, I'm just glad I'm on this side of the fence and not the other side where you gotta deal with a guy [like this] because he'd be a handful to deal with with [for] anybody."