By Norm Frauenheim
LAS VEGAS – Look into the 0 and you’re supposed to get a look into Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s soul.
But the zero on the right side of his unbeaten record, Mayweather says, is the wrong place to search for hints at what motivates him.
Only one symbol really matters. It’s in his wallet.
“Absolutely, because at the end of the day my daughter can’t eat the zero,’’ Mayweather told reporters Tuesday after his formal arrival at the MGM Grand Garden Arena where he faces Manny Pacquiao Saturday night in one of the biggest fights in years.’’
There always been a debate about whether legacy or money is the reason Mayweather fights. On Tuesday, at least, money ruled. He wore his TMT logo in black on white. At his own arrival at the Mandalay Bay earlier in the day, Pacquiao said that the acronym stood for The Manny Team.
It was a good quip. But money, piled higher than it ever has, was the only sure bet five days before opening bell. First, foremost and forever, this one is about finances and Mayweather wanted to remind everyone that there wouldn’t be record revenues if it weren’t for his keen business sense.
“If all my kids get, say, $50 million apiece, I can say I did my job,’’ he said.
Four kids equal $200 million, which would surpass even the most optimistic projections for the pay-per-view bout. Depending on the source, the number has jumped around, all the way from $80 million at the low end to $180 million at the high end.
“A lot of people criticize me for being a defensive fighter,’’ said Mayweather, who again called Pacquiao reckless, saying it was a gift and a curse. “Last night, I was sitting at home with my mother and daughter. I thought to myself:
‘You know what, I’m proud of myself that I can be in a sport for 19 years and that I’m able to get out of that sport and still be sharp. Be sharp and have all my faculties. That’s remarkable
“The money is about my children and their children.’’
Yeah, it’s also about a so-called Big Boy mansion in Vegas, homes in South Beach and Miami, a private jet and a garage that would make the Ferrari family jealous.
On Tuesday, at least, it sounded as if Mayweather wanted to make sure that he would to be remembered for all of his wealth. He repeatedly said one fight would not define him. Presumably, that meant Saturday night’s fight.
If he prevails over Pacquiao, the guessing game is that the 0 in Mayweather’s resume would drive him to fight at least two more times, once in September in the final fight of a six-bout deal with Showtime and then a 50th fight in a bid to surpass Rocky Marciano’s 49-0 record.
Surely, he wants to go 50-0. Right?
“No,’’ he said.
Instead, he talked about retirement. His dad and trainer, Floyd Sr., has hinted that it’s time to quit or risk permanent injury.
“My father was right,’’ he said. “It’s about time for me to walk away.’’
But the pursuit of money could always draw him back through the ropes. He said Tuesday he had earned an $11 million dollars over the last 48 hours from an investment. He wouldn’t describe the investment, other than to again say “remarkable.’’ At 38, that’s a word he uses as much as he once used profanities.
Yes, he contradicts himself as much as anybody.
“I try to be perfect, but I might have said me and Manny Pacquiao would never fight,’’’ he said. “Now, we fight.
“I’m not perfect.’’
Only the 0 is.
