I recently was afforded an opportunity to speak to former light heavyweight champion of the world, Montell Griffin. Griffin has the distinction of being the first man to put a blemish on boxing legend Roy Jones Jr’s record, and now at age 45, Griffin is looking to come back to the boxing ring. In this interview, I talk to Montell about his desire to come back and what he hopes to attain in returning to the ring. I also get Griffin’s thoughts on the current boxing landscape, speaking on Mayweather’s future, Pacquiao vs. Khan and a possible Mayweather-GGG bout. Here is what Montell Griffin had to say.
Robert Brown: You fought Roy Jones twice in you career. Roy recently fought Eric Watkins and got a knockout win. What are your thoughts on the fight and do you think he has a chance to win the cruiserweight title?
Montell Griffin: Me and Roy spoke on Facebook and I asked him what he thinks about me continuing to fight if I were to make a comeback. He said, “Just live your dream,” so that’s what he’s doing right now. I’m sure there are people who try to talk him out of doing it — it is a dangerous sport but he’s doing what he wants to do.
I’m actually also thinking about making a comeback on November 25th here in Chicago. I feel really good about myself, I’m gonna come back at cruiserweight. I’ve been training, I’ve been getting my weight down and I’m thinking about coming back also. I talked to Roy about trying to fight him for a third time, and he keeps promising me the fight but it still won’t go through, so I doubt it will ever happen.
Robert Brown: How long have you been thinking about making a comeback?
Montell Griffin: My main thing was I kept getting hurt. I hurt myself running three times, my calf and Achilles tendon. I knew I had the skills to do it but if my body couldn’t hold up, I didn’t think I could come back. I changed my training a little bit. I was running on concrete, I don’t run on concrete no more and things are holding up.
I tore my calf three years ago and I went up to 214lbs and for some reason I just couldn’t get under 200lbs, so this is my first time in three years that I’m under 200lbs. I’m 198lbs right now, I’m thinking about going down to 190lbs. I’m talking to Bobby Hitz to have a fight on November 25th at the Horseshoe Casino in Indiana.
(Listen to the full interview here)
Robert Brown: Where do you think Floyd Mayweather’s legacy will end up at? Do you have him in the top fifteen or twenty fighters of all time?
Montell Griffin: He’s in my top five in history. He won’t be appreciated for probably ten or twenty years from now. The man is amazing, I watched him in the gym a few weeks ago in Las Vegas. He sparred thirty six minutes at thirty nine years old, he’s at the top of the game.
I look at Ray Robinson, Cassius Clay and Floyd Mayweather as the three best fighters I’ve ever seen. I have maybe Pernell Whittaker, Michael Spinks or James Toney, those would be my other three to round out my favorite fighters.
Robert Brown: Do you think Floyd will stay retired after his win over Andre Berto?
Montell Griffin: I think he’s gonna retire, he doesn’t want to fight anymore. He’s only fighting on Mexican Holidays and I don’t see him fighting in May, I see him taking a year off and then fighting in September the next year. I asked him, “What will it take to make you come back?” and he said, “150 million.”
Robert Brown: For him to get 150 million dollars, it’s gonna take something like a Pacquiao rematch. Do you think there’s a good chance that it will happen again?
Montell Griffin: Amir Khan is the only guy he hasn’t fought before. I see Amir Khan, I see the winner of Cotto vs. Canelo, and if Pacquiao fights Terence Crawford and beats him, then I can see a rematch. They made over 500 million off that fight, so it can sell again. Amir Khan is the only guy he hasn’t fought that I see him fighting. If Pacquiao wins a big fight and stays on top, he may fight him again.
Robert Brown: How do you see a fight between Amir Khan and Floyd Mayweather playing out?
Montell Griffin: I told everybody that Khan is probably the most suited for Floyd’s style than anybody else. I think Khan would have done a better job than Pacquiao, because he’s fast, throws a lot of punches, he’s busier, and he brings the fight to you. Pacquiao is a little bit too small for Floyd but Floyd did tell me that he can punch.
If Floyd fought Khan in England, it would be the biggest fight in history, it would even break him and Pacquiao’s fight. I don’t think Floyd’s gonna go over there though, so if he fights him here in America, I think it will be a 100 million dollar fight for Floyd.
Robert Brown: Manny Pacquiao may fight Amir Khan next, how do you see that fight playing out?
Montell Griffin: I know that Freddie Roach came out and said that Pacquiao knocked out Khan a couple of times in sparring. That’s training, it’s different and Khan was probably fighting at 140lbs.
That would be a good fight. They both fight the same, they throw a lot of punches, they’re both fast. I think Khan is a little bit bigger than Pacquiao, I think he’s build up to welterweight a little bit better than Pacquiao. I think unless there’s a major fight with Floyd, Pacquiao would be better at 140lbs.
Robert Brown: Do you think it’s unrealistic for Floyd to fight Gennady Golovkin?
Montell Griffin: No, that’s a dumb fight. Floyd walks around at 147lbs, he gains nothing by beating Golovkin. If he wins, he was supposed to win, if he loses he ruins his legacy. Who has Golovkin fought? Why is Golovkin even mentioned in the breath of Floyd Mayweather? Golovkin has never beaten a world champion.
Griffin was just a big joke…another garbage, better stays retired ypu are just a garbage kimd of fighter to watch like your fellow chimphunks sons of slaves better go back in AFRICA where you trully belongs…amostly of your race is just only great in marathon nothin else you can put to show…only TYSON broked that ypur apes style of so called sweet science? lol…lol…pathetic….PACQUIAO is still the most exciting and the real true greatest fighter the whole wide world ever seen…DUCKWEATHER JR is nothing but a huge scrap that retard country of the US of fuckin A had..now the latest record of his own garbage PPV clearly shows that only PACQUIAO brought that few greatest intertainment that the whole planet earth waiting to see…americans…eat your own shiiiit.
Well, then you should be off in the Philippines sucking on Pacquiao rather than disparaging boxers that would put your ass in the ground, Dranreb. Montell wasn’t a joke. How many other 5’7″ light heavyweight champions do you know? For that matter, how many fighters can you name who beat James Toney twice?
You need to lighten up on who you ridicule. You’ve got plenty to laugh about at home.
You Idiot Ass Racists Mother Fucker, Such My Dick Bitch!!!
xylocaine usada friend angel memo ped floyd senior ped drugs ped ped drug test drug tset ped xylocaine ped ped ped floyd floyd floyd xylocaine angel memo..FLOYD IS THE BIGGEST BS IN BOXING EVER.
Pacquiao isnt interested to do a rematch agaisnt Floyd after the world had learned the latter’s doping controversy. A fighter like Pacman who is revered in and outside the ring does not deserved a rematch agaisnt a Cheater! Pacman has won the May 2 Collision period! Floyd has accused Manny of using PEDS only to be discovered by no one else but Thomas Hauser to be the doper! Benett of NSAC has said that Mr. Mayweather has done nothing wrong but after the alleged doping controversy revealed by Hauser in SBNation, the ever useless Benett said that no drug testing company could give TUE only the NSAC. Gayfloyd, NSAC, and USADA are under Floyd’s payroll. Thsese people are Cheaters!
If you could read, you’d know that there was no doping controversy.
Floydie Jr is a cheat all along. It was not the first time that he cheated when he fought Manny Pacquiao with the IV injection of chemicals in two ways. IV is prohibited and the volume of the drug is not allowed likewise. When he fought Marquez, he deliberately came out two pounds heavier than the limit. When he fought Victor Ortiz, Floydie Jr lucky punched his opponent wanting to easily win. Going back to the fight with Pacquiao, how many times that he grab Pacquiao and pulled his arms. How many times that he tried to slam Pacquiao down. How many times that he used his elbows against all his opponents? And who knows that in all his fights he used banned substances & IVs?. He is a big cheat big time!!!
IV infusions are not prohibited by the NSAC or USADA, and Mayweather’s infusion was vitamins and electrolytes, not drugs.
Floydie jr should be ashamed of himself in comparing his record with Marciano. KO rate of Marciano is 88% compared to Floydie’s 65%. Marciano’s all fights were interesting & entertaining while only a handful of Floydie’s match are ok to watch only because of the performance of his opponents. Marciano did not cherry picked opponents while Floydie cherry picked 70 – 80% of his foes. Marciano has long strings of KO wins while Flodie has none, very pathetic. It was the fans and boxing experts who said Marciano was a very great boxer and champion while Floydie Jr claimed he is a very good boxer.
In reality, Marciano did exactly that: cherry picked his opponents. He avoided true heavyweight contemporaries who were physically bigger. Of course, few remember this fact and history romanticizes and makes legends and heroes of faded memories.