Though he may not always back it up with actions and deeds, Floyd Mayweather is one of the best trash-talkers in recent boxing history. Here is “Flamboyant Floyd” (as he liked to be called at the time) at his loquacious best, during the conference call before the Arturo Gatti fight in the summer of 2005…
“All his shots are wide. He’s flat-footed. He’s got six losses, plastic surgery and he’s punch drunk. You can tell he’s taken a lot of punishment.”
“Gatti’s got no discipline. He lets his weight go up between fights. Gatti’s never been in with a guy like me. He’s a club fighter.”
“Gatti doesn’t really believe he’s going to win.”
“There’s no one tougher mentally than me.”
“I don’t intend to (be in boxing wars). The name of the game is not to get hit. I’m not in the sport to show how many times I can get hit. I’m in it to hit the other guy as much as possible, to dish out all the punishment.”
“Arturo can’t do anything with me. If (trainer Buddy) McGirt was boxing around the same time as me, I’d have beaten him and Gatti on the same night.”
“I’m just so surprised that I’m HBO’s pride and joy and they’re taking me to this man’s home turf after I’ve been with them for so long. I don’t understand it.”
“This isn’t a great fight. Great fights take place on neutral ground. I don’t have a problem fighting him in Atlantic City because it (the fight)’s not going to be a problem.”
“When Gatti comes out everybody will go crazy. They’ll scream when he throws his first couple of shots. But then I’m going to put him on his backside. It’s not going the distance.”
“I’m no fake. Gatti doesn’t really believe he’s going to win. I’m going to give him a personal beating. I’m going to mix it up. I’ve never shown my weaknesses but Gatti’s shown his.”
“I’m an A plus fighter and he’s a C plus. His chances of winning are like a guy down to his last two dollars, putting his money in a Mega Millions machine trying to hit the jackpot.”
“I’m going to put on a great show, it’s going to be easy work.”
Showing off his excellent speed and skills and punching ability, a 28-year-old Floyd Mayweather, scored a spectacular TKO 6 win over the outmatched Arturo Gatti on June 25, 2005 to win the WBC Super Lightweight title.