This Saturday, millions of people will sit around the tube to watch welterweight Floyd Mayweather take on Marcos Maidana. It’s sure to be an exciting fight.
Here’s the thing, though: there’s a chance that it might not be the best fight of the night. There are three fights on the undercard: Amir Khan Vs. Luis Collazo; Adrien Broner vs. Carlos Molina; and J’Leon Love vs. Marco Antiono Periban.
Most people are familiar with Khan and Broner. But, middleweight Love is still on the come up.
That’s now. That kid, who is signed to Floyd Mayweather promotions, is on his way to being a world champion, but first he has to take care of the tough Periban.
Leading up to the fight, we got a chance to chop it up with the boxer. We talked about a range of topics, from sparring with Mayweather to where he fits in in the middleweight scene.
Give it a look below.
GlobalGrind: What do you know about the dude you’re fighting on Saturday?
J’Leon Love: I know he’s a tough guy. He’s very tall, very awkward, throws a lot of punches. I’m just a slick fighter. I use my skill, my defense, my jab. So I think his style is tailor made for me.
So this should be someone you should be able to carve up, no?
Yeah. He can box a little bit, but he’s gonna try to come straightforward because I am the smaller man, so we’re preparing for that. We got the right sparring partners, strong tough, busy sparring partners. We’re actually sparring light heavyweights just to get ready for that.
What would you consider yourself: are you a prospect, a contender or world champion ready?
Right now, I’m in the stage of graduating from contender to a world title contender. I never fought for a title. This will be my eliminator to actually do that, so this is my graduation day.
Who’s the best middleweight in the world right now?
Middleweight? There’s a lot of them. You got Carl Frock (edit note: he’s a super middleweight); you got Peter Quillin; you got Gennady Golovkin; Andre Ward is a super middleweight, but they’re all the same. There’s a lot of great champions out there, and I just want to mix it up with any one I can.
You work out in Mayweather’s gym; what’s that like?
The atmosphere of the gym is crazy. You got so many guys from all over the world. So many different world champions come in to try and get an opportunity to be with Mayweather promotions and to make a name for themselves. So it’s a very competitive gym.
I know you’ve sparred with Mayweather. What’s that like?
I haven’t sparred with Floyd since the Cotto camp. It was definitely great work. It’s like playing one on one with Michael Jordan. Not many people can say they did that.
The dude is quick, intelligent. It’s like he knows the next four moves you’re going to make before you make the first move.
He’s a shit talker, right?
Oh, yeah, he talks a lot of smack. But he’s very respectful outside of the ring. Once your out he shows you a lot of respect.
In general, do you enjoy stuff like that when you’re in the ring?
It depends how the work is going. If it’s competitive I try to get into somebody’s skin, or whatever. It just comes with the territory: we all talk smack in some kind of way. And being in the gym we’re at, we got a lot of guys in the same weight class, and near the same levels, so you get a lot of talk down there.
Do you enjoy training for a fight?
I love training. I love doing what I do.
What’s some of the things you can’t do because you’re in camp?
Really, leaving camp period. This is your job: to be in the best condition you can be. The clubs? I don’t really do too much of that anyway. I don’t gamble. I don’t drink. I don’t smoke. It’s not really too much for me to handle.
What’s your vice then?
I do have one, and it’s a small one. It’s Taco Bell. They got those Volcano Tacos. Those are the joints you grab real quick, and you’re good to go.
How about women? You stay away from women?
Yeah, I do stay away from women. Some people say it affects you and some people say it doesn’t affect you. It’s a mental thing. I don’t want to be the one to find out about it during a fight. I don’t want to be in there giving you an answer about it. I rather do what I’m supposed to do as far as stay away from them. Now, after the fight, that’s a different story.
Let’s get to some of the fights on the undercard. How is Adrien Broner vs. Carlos Molina going to play out?
That could be a tough fight. Carlos Molina is a tough guy, man. People say he’s slow, and he’s not at that level, but you never know. When you get these guys, like a Carlos Molina, in a position to fight a Adrien Broner they bring their A plus game. And you never know.
I go with skill, though. I like skill. So I would say Broner to be victorious, but you never know. I’m just hoping for a good fight.
How about Amir Khan vs. Luis Collazo?
That’s another tricky fight. Collazo is a cagey fighter. People don’t know: that man been in the sport for so long. He’s a vet but not really a vet. He’s not that old. He’s been grinding for so long. That’s a real Brooklyn dude. He gave Ricky Hatton a great fight. He gave Andre Berto a good fight, and I definitely think he could give Amir Kahn a good run for his money. So I don’t know, man. It’s a toss up.
And, finally, Floyd vs. Maidana?
Of course, Maidana! Nah, I’m just playing. Floyd will be victorious. Maidana is a tough dude. Every time we count him out, he’s out there doing something. I just think Floyd is on a different level, as far as skill, as far as been they’re done that.
Is there anyone that can beat Floyd?
I don’t see it.
Who gives him his toughest fight?
I don’t know. I don’t think there’s anyone out there. I think Manny Pacquiao would be an easy fight for him, honestly. Manny Pacquiao makes so many mistakes, and Floyd makes sure you pay for every mistake you make.
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
