Floyd Mayweather faced heavy criticism from Gervonta Davis after replacing Leonard Ellerbe and telling fans to watch UFC instead of his old protege.
Davis gave Mayweather both barrels by branding his former promoter a b**** and a ‘fraud who will f*** up your career following digs at his fight with Frank Martin.
Mayweather first hired Richard Schaefer to replace Ellerbe a day after the press conference where Ellerbe sided with Tank. The five-weight world champion then stated Davis vs Martin was canceled before plugging the UFC event in direct opposition.
“Perez vs Taira is LIVE and FREE on Saturday at 10 pm ET on ESPN2 and ESPN. UFC Fight Night,” said Mayweather before facing heavy fire from Davis.
Meanwhile, three men plotting Davis’s downfall – as Mayweather seems to be, spoke about Saturday night’s event.
Martin said, “This can go down however he wants it to go down. As I’ve been saying, you’ll see Gervonta Davis get knocked out if he acts up. If he acts up, he’s getting knocked out, period. If he acts crazy, he’s going to sleep.
“Come out and expect a good fight. Let’s get it. He’s been working his a** off because he knows what time it is. He’s been grinding. We haven’t seen too much of you. It’s because he knows this is real.
“It’s a blessing to be in this position, but it won’t hit me until I get the win. I feel like I worked, and that’s why I’m here. Now I have to get this win, and then it’ll all hit me. He comes out to hurt everyone he fights. We’ve heard that before. We’re not worried about any of that. We’re ready for whatever he’s about to bring. We got his number.
“I just have to go in there, fight my fight, and be comfortable. He has good power, but it doesn’t matter. I’m here to get my hand raised and come out with that WBA strap. Then there’s a new face in the seat, which will be me.”
Promoter Errol Spence added: “I guarantee you that Frank will put on a great show and performance. He’s ready for this moment, and he’s been ready for this moment for a long time.
“I’ve just told Frank to stay focused, hungry, and dedicated. It’s all about the grind. That’s how he got to this point. I guarantee you that Frank will show everyone why he’s the best 135-pounder in the world and the new WBA Lightweight World Champion.”
Trainer Derrick James said, “I like that everyone calls Frank the challenger. Because the thing about boxing is that he’ll come in as the challenger, and one thousand percent, he’ll leave as the champion.
“Frank had a really good camp. We’ve been able to use everything ‘Tank’ said as fuel for the fire. He wants to get in the ring and prove his point. We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t believe in ourselves.”
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
