Mayweather vows jail, ring rust will not weaken him

LAS VEGAS: Unbeaten American boxing star Floyd Mayweather says neither jail time nor ring rust from a oneyear lay-off will diminish him next week when he returns against compatriot Robert Guerrero.

“Of course I feel unbeatable. I’m in the sport where I’m the best,” Mayweather said yesterday in a teleconference call. “I’m not going into the fight thinking I’m beatable.”

Mayweather, 43-0 with 26 knockouts, will defend his World Boxing Council welterweight title against southpaw Guerrero, 31-1 with 18 knockouts, on May 4 at Las Vegas, a year after beating Miguel Cotto by unanimous decision.

It will be Mayweather’s first fight since serving two months in jail for domestic battery, a fact that gives challenger Guerrero a confidence boost.

“Most definitely Floyd Mayweather is taking me seriously,” Guerrero said. “It has been his longest training camp in a long time. Being a whole year’s lay-off, he’s going to feel the punches. We’re going after him the whole fight.

“It’s going to take a little time to shake that ring rust off.”

Mayweather, 36, says he is as fit as he has ever been and ready to face whatever challenge Guerrero brings.

Mayweather, who will launch a sixfight deal over 30 months with the Guerrero match-up, has fought only four times since December 2007 and says resting his body for peak performance is far from losing fight fitness.

“I took a long time off before. I just call it a vacation,” Mayweather said. – Sapa-AFP