FLOYD RETIRES FROM BOXING TO TAKE ON WALL STREET
Hometown boxing hero Floyd Mayweather says he’s through with fighting and now wants to take on Wall Street. He has now started describing himself as “an ex-fighter,” but he’s in the midst of a new fight trying to get a so-called Internet Floyd Fan site to remove his name, face and fight footage.”I have nothing to do with them,” he said and he’s filed a lawsuit here seeking damages from them for trading illegally off his distinctive and famous name.
I chatted with Pretty Boy Floyd at his Mayweather Foundation dinner co-hosted by Red Rock realtors Bob and Jill Barnstable to benefit St. Judes Childrens Research Hospital.
At the Wynn he told me categorically: “No more fights. No more contests in the ring. No more championships. That boxing career is over. I’ve got my target set now on Wall Street and want to conquer that. I’ve made a lot of money from the ring and now I want to make even more from the world’s financial hheadquarters.
I’m going to fight to the top there next. My foundation is only a year old but I want to do more with my life helping touch childrens’ lives. I want to be able to celebrate the winner in everybody and help them before they get into trouble. My life now is as a charitable guy, all about caring, giving back and being kind. I want to see kids getting healthy and in proper programs with structured housing and good educations”
The former Dancing with the Stars contestant and World Wrestling one-time only sensation added: “It’s all about giving back to children but having fun while we’re doing it.” It’s estimated that Floyd made hundreds of millions of dollars during his fight career.
He recruited actor Taye Diggs, singer Keyshia Cole, NBA star Gary Payton and actress Vivica Fox to his charity evening at the Wynn and took them all off to Victor Drai’s Tryst nightclub there afterwards. One bidder paid $100,000 in the auction for his final-fight boxing gloves which he promptly autographed. Floyd himself paid $3,000 for a plastic surgeon’s eyelift package and I mischievously asked if it was insurance in case he ever fought again.
He laughed: “No, it’ll be a gift for a girlfriend sometime. I’m not going to fight again.” I pushed: “Ever? Never ever again?” Floyd was firm: “No, there will be no more fights. Well maybe just one that would be completely different than normal, if we can come up with something so unique and special that could never ever be repeated. It would have to have the biggest prizefight purse in history and I’d donate it all to my children’s charities.”