Columnist Dean Juipe: Mayweather aims to move up with perfect mark

Dean Juipe's boxing notebook appears Thursday. His sports column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Reach him at [email protected] or 259-4084.

It's one last fight at 130 pounds for Floyd Mayweather Jr., who, win or lose Saturday against Jesus Chavez, is leaving the junior lightweight division behind.

A world champion at 130 for three years and through eight title fights, Mayweather says the lightweight division is beckoning. The only question now is whether he makes the move with a 27-0 record or if it will be blemished by his mandatory challenger.

Mayweather, 24, of Las Vegas, and Chavez, of Austin, Texas, are meeting at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. HBO will televise.

"He's overrated," Chavez said during a shared conference call. "He got most of his recognition for his fight with Diego Corrales. I am going to give him the fight of his life."

Chavez, who turns 29 next Monday, is 35-1 and a veteran of 13 North American Boxing Federation title fights.

"He says I'm overrated, so I'm going to give him a chance to see if I am," Mayweather said. "He can pick his way to go out: On his back or on his face."

This is a fight delayed from Oct. 6 due to Mayweather having four wisdom teeth pulled, and rescheduled from the Paris Las Vegas to San Francisco.

Mayweather says his teeth and his hands, which have troubled him for a couple of years, are fine. In an effort to correct the hand problems he is no longer wrapping his own.

"I can be vicious, a knockout artist at this weight if I didn't have hand problems," he said. "(The hands) have kind of hurt my pound-for-pound ratings."

A distance win over Carlos Hernandez in his most recent outing, May 26 in Grand Rapids, Mich., dulled Mayweather's star power and allowed Chavez to give serious consideration toward pulling off an upset.

"I'm very excited and I come into the fight with great confidence and expectations," Chavez said. "(But) I could have been just as prepared three years ago."

His best wins have come against Louie Espinoza, John Brown, Troy Dorsey and, most recently, Juan Arias. Chavez is getting $400,000 for this fight with Mayweather, who is to receive $1.6 million.

"It's a big fight for me," Mayweather said. "I'm in better shape than I was for Corrales. My body looks totally different (and) a lot stronger."

Mayweather's trainer and uncle, Roger, predicts the fight won't go past six rounds, while Floyd says he's elated to be healthy and facing a respectable opponent.

"I fight according to my competition," he said. "He's a good fighter, so I should look good."

archive