Boxing Examiner | Michael Marley
Joshua Clottey trainer Lenny "The Locksmith" DeJesus does not buy the notion that Floyd Mayweather put the kibosh on fighting Manny Pacquiao because of a disagreement over random blood testing.
DeJesus, 64, a veteran of 75 world championship bouts dating back to the 15 rounds or less era, told me Wednesday he is convinced Mayweather dodged fighting Pacman out of simple fear.
"It's two things with Mayweather," DeJesus said from the Clottey training camp in Fort Lauderdale. "One thing is his precious undefeated record. Floyd doesn't want to lose that. Let me be blunt, I think he rejected a Manny fight because he wants to make sure he stays undefeated and because he's worried that he could get knocked out.
"If not for those worries then, why wouldn't Floyd take the fight and, whatever happens in the fight, he goes to the bank laughing with $40 million?"
DeJesus thinks Mayweather should not worry so much about protecting his unbeaten status.
"Fans don't care about all that. Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali and Wilfredo Gomez, who I worked with, they all lost but they came back to win. I just think Mayweather had an eerie feeling that Manny Pacquiao could take him out. Like Joe Louis said, you can run but you can't hide and he could run against Manny all night.
"Floyd could be jumping around like a jackal but somewhere in the fight he would feel Manny's power and that's what boxing is all about, hurting power. That's the game of boxing."
DeJesus injected a little humor into the situation.
"I thank three people for Joshua getting this (March 13) bout against Manny," DeJesus said.
"First, I thank Freddie Roach for taking the fight. Second, I thank Manny for taking the fight. Third, I've got to thank Mayweather for not taking the fight."
Veteran trainer, former six bout Pacquiao cutman Lenny DeJesus preps Clottey for March 13 (Top Rank/Chris Farina Photo)
DeJesus worked six different bouts in Megamanny's corner as a cutman when promoter Murad Muhammad was handling the fighter but then got cut adrift when Shelly Finkel and Gary Shaw moved in on Manny and Murad walked the promotional plank.
"I feel good, I feel confident about this fight," DeJesus said. "I like Freddie Roach, we go back to when he was the bucket boy for Eddie Futch. Freddie hit the jackpot with Manny in a way I never did with one fighter.
"But we'll see in Dallas, at the end of the day, who's done the better job of preparing his fighter, me or Freddie. Joshua didn't have that extra oomph he needed to beat (Miguel) Cotto but I was in a different role then.
"The (training camp) environment wasn't right for that fight but that was then and now is now."
And Fight Night at Cowboys Stadium is inching closer.
Source: Examiner.com
