“Jazzy Jeff“, the Quiet Mayweather Speaks Up

By Dan Hernandez

“Boxing is a one on one sport…No one is going to tap you on the shoulder and sub for you!”

Jeff Mayweather, Trainer and Former World Champion Boxer

“Jazzy” Jeff Mayweather had a ring record of 32-10-5 (10 KO’s). He accomplished his goal of winning a world title, the IBO super featherweight crown, from John Ruby on April 21, 1994. He is better known today as an excellent trainer and developer of young boxing talent. He is also part of the royalty of boxing. He is the brother of Floyd Mayweather Sr. and Roger Mayweather, and the uncle to the retired undisputed pound-for-pound kingpin of boxing, Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Jeff is represented by VMG Worldwide Inc. , who is one of the leading presenters of sports, media, and entertainment in the world. VMG is a wholly owned subsidiary of Vexiom Corporation who owns or controls a collection of companies, including; VMG Marketing, VMG Management, VMG Event, and VMG Entertainment. It is my pleasure to thank Nicholas Sampson, Vice President of VMG Worldwide Inc. for arranging this interview and Tyler Barr, CEO/President of VMG Worldwide Inc., for encouraging Jeff’s participation. Mayweather was enthusiastic in discussing the upcoming Pacquiao-Hatton bout in Las Vegas, Nevada, his family, and his personal goals.


DH: Where did you get the nickname of “Jazzy Jeff”?

A lot of people thought I was named after the rapper but basically, a friend of mine gave me that name a long, long time ago. Some of my teachers used it also, they called me Jazzy because I used to dress up when I went to school.

DH: So you always dressed sharp then, is that right?

Yeah, they used to say that, “You look real jazzy today.” The name just kind of stuck.

DH: How about today, do you still dress up sharp?

Occasionally, when I have to. (Laughter)

DH: When you were a fighter, you won the IBO Super Featherweight title. How did it feel when you won that championship?

It felt good; it felt like I had arrived. Anytime you do any kind of sport, at the end of your career, you want to be able to look back and say, I achieved something in this sport. It wasn’t the title that I would have preferred to win, but I’m glad I was able to win a title.

DH: Congratulations on that, you can never lose that, it’s in the records.

No that’s true; I have proof of it, at home.

DH: Jeff, your family is famous in boxing with: Roger, Floyd Sr., and your nephew, Floyd Jr. Were there fighters or other people in your family involved with boxing prior to your immediate family?

No, it started with my brother, Floyd Sr., that’s as far back as I know. My dad was never a fighter and I never heard of anyone in his family being a fighter. It all started with us, with Floyd Sr.

DH: How much older than you is Floyd Sr.?

I think 10 years.

DH: Did you guys ever come to blows growing up?
No, no, never, however, Roger and I had a few.

DH: You all seem to get along well now, do you always work together?

Actually, we all work separately; we all try to be in support of one another. However, we all do our own separate things.

DH: Another nickname for you is “The Quiet Mayweather”, why is that?

They call me that too, because I’m not flamboyant, I’m not boisterous, and I just try to let my work speak for itself and get along with everyone.

DH: I like that. Is your popularity as a trainer growing?

Lately I’ve been getting a lot of calls and a lot of people are trying to contact me, it’s a good position to be in.

DH: Do you enjoy training people as much as you did boxing?

To be honest, I think I enjoy being a trainer better than being a fighter.

DH: How is that?

It’s kind of like being an artist and you’re painting a portrait. Once you start, you don’t really know what it’s going to look like when you’re done. Sometimes you’re lucky and you create a masterpiece, you create something special. So far, I’ve had a pretty good ratio of people that I’ve trained; over 95% of the people that trained with me have been winners.

DH: Are you attending the Hatton-Pacquiao bout?

Yes I am, I’m going in support of my brother and as a fan. I would love to be in the corner but I’m just going as a fan. Unfortunately, that job of training of Hatton was already taken. (Laughter)

DH: Who is going to win that fight?

Well, I’m rooting for Hatton. Of course when I say that, the first thing people say that it is because my brother is training Hatton. But, no, I would say that even if my brother weren’t training him. I think that Pacquiao got far too much credit for beating a drained De La Hoya, I mean Oscar had depleted himself of everything, he went in the ring that way and it showed. I had picked De La Hoya to win that fight, but I didn‘t know that he had done that to himself.

Pacquiao struggled at 126 pounds, I mean the two fights with Marquez could have gone either way. As a matter of fact, the second one I actually gave to Marquez. It’s a situation where Hatton is the bigger man and I believe the smarter man. I think Pacquiao is a heck of a fighter, but I don’t think he has what it takes to makes the adjustments that are necessary to beat Hatton. Hatton gave Floyd Jr. for five rounds before my nephew was able to overcome his style, and I think that in all honesty that Floyd is probably the smartest fighter in the world.

DH: Floyd is awesome, no doubt about it.

So, I can’t see Pacquiao being able to make the same adjustments that Floyd did. A lot has to be taken into consideration when you’re talking about a fight of this magnitude.

DH: Have you found that the smarter a boxer is, the more effective he is, and the longer his career?

Certainly, sometimes you have to make adjustments in the middle of a fight. That’s where the smartness comes through. Just like Bernard Hopkins, at an age where he should be home watching the fights, he’s still winning big matches. He has style and smarts.

DH: Does that go down to training also, showing boxers how to switch styles or plans in mid-stream?

You are fortunate if you have a fighter that can do that. I believe most trainers try to instill that in their fighters but few boxers have that ability.

DH: How many fighters are you working with at present?

Currently I’m working with four professional fighters and a few amateurs as well. Professionals that I am working with are; Mickey Bey, Cortez Bey, Lorissa Rivas, and Renell Griffen. Griffen is a kid from New Orleans and Lorissa is a female fighter. They are all good and I believe that they’ll get better with me. Mickey and Cortez are already proven fighters I just hope to make them even better.

DH: How do you keep them focused with so many distractions?

Boxing is a sport in which you have to focus to get the most out of it you have to be focused. In any sport, you can’t worry about what’s going on in the world, you just got to do what you do. As a trainer I try to come in with a positive mindset and giving them the benefit of that. It’s mutual. I give them my full and positive attention and I expect the same.

DH: Do you have any other goals beyond boxing or in boxing?

Of course, all trainers have the goal of taking their fighters to fight for a championship. I have been blessed by having a few fighters that have been in that position. What’s more important now is what happens after boxing. That’s why my brothers and I have many interests, we all work hard to enhance our name and to add value to our name in the sport of boxing. We are trying to ensure a good future for ourselves.

DH: After the Mayweather-Hatton fight, Floyd mentioned starting his own promotional venture, a la Golden Boy. Has anything come of that?

He actually ended up retiring after that fight and it would have been a perfect time to begin promoting if that’s what he wanted, but he’s young and has time to accomplish whatever he wants. I’m kind of in the dark in that situation, but it seems that that plan is off to the side right now.

DH: Jeff in closing, do you have any words of wisdom that you’d like to share young boxers?

When it comes to boxing as a profession, you have to be focused and it has to be something that in your heart, that it’s something that you know you want to do. It’s not a game, it’s not like most sports. I mean football and basketball are games, but boxing is fighting. If you look at this as a career, you have to realize that what you’re doing and that’s what you’re doing the rest of your life. No one is going to come in a tap you on the shoulder to sub for you; it’s a one on one sport. It is not tidily winks. On the other hand, all the glory and all the spoils will go to you.