Throughout Floyd Mayweather’s 18 year professional boxing career, he has reached dizzying heights inside and outside the ring. Well publicized rifts in camp shine a spotlight on what appears a turbulent lifestyle at times. Throughout Floyd’s immense success there has been one consistent in Floyd’s life since he joined the camp in 2007. Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe, has played a vital and influential role in Floyd’s decision making. September 13th, Ellerbe will again take his place by Floyd’s side as he enters the ring for the 47th time as a professional prizefighter. I had a chance to catch up with Leonard recently ahead of Mayweather vs Maidana 2.

Frank Walsh: September 13th, Floyd Mayweather meets Marcos Maidana in a rematch for the 147lb and 154lb titles. Why did Floyd chose Maidana as his next opponent?

Leonard Ellerbe: Well Marcos Maidana put in a tremendous performance in the first fight. Maidana is a tough fighter and he earned the right for a rematch with his performance last time out.

Frank: Maidana pushed Floyd to a closely contested bout first time out. Did anything about the first fight surprise you?

Leonard: No, not at all. Marcos Maidana is a wonderful fighter. You have to understand that anyone that steps into the ring with Floyd is bringing their A plus game. This is the opportunity of a life time. Everybody is going to train hard and be the best that they can be when they are entering the ring against Floyd Mayweather.

Frank: Fans have come to expect a dominant display from Floyd every time out, what adjustments do you feel Floyd needs to make this time out if any?

Leonard: There are a few little adjustments that will be made, but Floyd doesn’t need to make major adjustments. Floyd won the first fight. I think what it comes down to is their performance going to be better. Floyd wants to give the fans a tremendous fight, and that’s what will happen on September 13th.

Frank: The day before the first fight, an issue arose regarding the design of Marcos Maidana’s gloves. Has this issue been resolved in negotiations or is it an ongoing issue?

Leonard: No, there is no ongoing issue with the gloves.

Frank: Following the first fight, some fans had labeled Maidana a dirty fighter so to speak. Do you feel referee Tony Weeks had a poor performance that night?

Leonard: Not so much a poor performance, sometimes you can miss things going on in the ring. I think Tony Weeks is a tremendous referee, and nobody is perfect. Things happen and I still think he is a great referee.

Frank: What other fighters under the Mayweather promotions banner can we expect to see on September 13th?

Leonard: I can’t say right now, but I will be making an announcement in that in the coming days.

Frank: Lastly, in terms of events outside of Las Vegas, if say an Amir Khan fight did materialize, would a football stadium in the UK be an option such as Wembley that recently hosted Carl Froch vs George Groves?

Leonard: Anything we do is not going to be tied to a specific fighter. Floyd would love to come fight in the UK. He loves his UK fans. The UK fans are the best fans in the world. And Floyd is really appreciative of the support he has received over the years from the UK fans.