NEW YORK (February 15, 2022) – Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather sat down for a rare and exclusive sit-down interview on the latest episode of “The Pivot Podcast” as the Hall of Fame fighter went deep on topics such as wealth, family and more with co-hosts and former NFL stars Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder and Fred Taylor. Watch the new episode NOW on the show’s YouTube page.
The 50-0 fighter, who won titles in five weight classes on his way to becoming the biggest pay-per-view star of all time, engaged Clark, Crowder and Taylor in a discussion of the mindset that has allowed him to achieve the financial success that he’s become synonymous with.
“I wanted my dad to be proud of me first,” said Mayweather. “Before anything. When my dad would say that ‘my son will break all the records,’ that stuck with me. On top of that, I wanted my own people to be proud of me. There’s nothing like that feeling. I’m more than the ‘American Dream’. I’m my own boss. I do what I want to do and I say what I want to say. If I feel that something is not right, then I’m going to speak on it.
“I changed the whole dynamic of how athletes get paid. I’ve been fighting since Michael Jordan was playing basketball. I was undefeated from then to now. LeBron James’ career is almost over, and I’m still getting paid.”
The co-hosts also push Mayweather on a recent story that has cropped up involving YouTuber Logan Paul, who Mayweather fought in a blockbuster pay-per-view exhibition last June. Paul has claimed publicly that Mayweather still owes him money from the event, a claim that Mayweather states will be handled in time.
“This comes with the territory,” said Mayweather. “To them, that’s real money, and I like the YouTubers. The money on the back end though, from pay-per-view, that takes a while. Nothing comes right away. I’m still collecting checks from fights seven or eight years ago. They just hate when the table is turned. Be happy with the biggest payday you ever got in your life.”
Mayweather continued to open up throughout the conversation, going into his family life, including recently becoming a grandfather to the son of his daughter Yaya Mayweather and rapper NBA YoungBoy. For Mayweather, he has welcomed the new additions to his family and plans to continue to push them to follow his successful legacy in any of their endeavors, while offering his own perspective on the difficulties they face.
“I’m proud of my daughter and NBA YoungBoy,” said Mayweather. “I look at him like one of my sons. I only want the best for him. These kids beef nowadays and they don’t know what they’re beefing for. These young rappers are dying on the regular. I’m going to continue to push both of them to be great in everything they do.
“I love being with my grandson. He’s just like his mom was. All he wants to do is hold onto my leg and have me pick him up all day.”
The panel was eventually able to get Mayweather to go deeper on the subject of wealth and how he’s been able reach these heights both inside and outside of the ring, including an anecdote from his time spent with prominent billionaire Warren Buffet.
“Rich is something that’s short term,” said Mayweather. “Wealth is long term. It’s established. I was sitting with Warren Buffett in my locker room before a fight and we were talking about private jets. He said he’s got over 500 jets. But when you’ve been living this life for so long, that’s normal.
“The only way to pick up these things is to sit, listen and learn. There are three ways to learn: hearing, seeing and doing. That’s what makes me so deadly in boxing. I can learn all three ways. I’m deadly in all three ways.”
Amongst the many pieces of knowledge that Mayweather drops throughout the episode, towards the end of the discussion, Mayweather invokes an overarching lesson that has helped define his career and legacy.
“The ultimate goal is to go to sleep when you want to and wake up when you want to,” said Mayweather. “If you’re not doing that, then someone or something is controlling you. I don’t want to be controlled. I want to be my own boss. That’s why I paid 750 thousand dollars to get out of my first promotional contract. Because I eventually made 750 million dollars in just three fights.
“I don’t really care what people believe. No matter what you do, it’s not good enough for everyone. No matter what, they’re going to say what they want to say. But the history books, they will say something completely different.”
