Personally, I'm not a huge fan of Mayweather's make-all-the-money-in-world attitude, but his work ethic is insane and I admire him for that. He's a winner. You may not like how he wins, but he knows the ins and outs of the game and knows how to use it to his advantage. "One of the things that amazes me all the time about Floyd is that he works and trains like he's never made a dime in boxing. It's incredible to see a man who has made a couple of hundred million dollars in this business pushing himself the way he does. He's a perfectionist," said Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions.
Next to him in this photo is Paul Levesque. Many of us know him as Triple H, professional wrestler and executive in the WWE. This is a story about his visit to Mayweather's locker room before a huge fight with Marquez. It's something I read once and could not get out of my head.
“I’m friends with Floyd Mayweather, and I was walking him to the ring one time, I think when he fought Marquez. I wanted to watch some of the undercard, and we got there early. Then his guys came and got me and said, ‘Floyd just wanted to say hi before he starts getting ready, chat with you for a few minutes.’ So Steph—my wife—and I went backstage, we get in his locker room, and he’s lying down on the couch watching a basketball game. He said, ‘Hi, have a seat.’ We’re talking a little bit, but I’m trying to be ultra-respectful of him. He’s about to go into this massive fight.
“The second there’s a lull in the conversation, I say, ‘All right, man. We’re gonna get outta your hair and head back, and we’ll come back here when it’s time for us to get ready for your deal.’ And he’s like, ‘Man, you don’t gotta take off. You can sit down. I’m enjoying the conversation.’ He’s completely relaxed.
“So at another lull in the conversation, I say, ‘We’re gonna run, Floyd. I don’t wanna be in your way,’ and he says, ‘Hunter, I’m telling you: I’m just chilling, watching the game.’ I said, ‘You’re not wound up about this at all?’ and he goes, ‘Why would I be wound up? I’m either ready or I’m not. Worrying about it right now ain’t gonna change a damn thing. Right? Whatever’s gonna happen is gonna happen. I’ve either done everything I can to be ready for this, or I haven’t.’"
This reminds me of a lecture by Prof. Liberatore of the Ateneo Theology department about graduation. He was talking about how graduation isn't a one-day event. It happens everyday. Everyday, we worked towards the ceremony, but it's a process. By the end of the year, we've already done all the work, all the "graduating," and all we have to do in the end is to climb up the stage, shake Fr Jett's hand, smile, and bow.
The same goes for all kinds of work. Do the work everyday and when the time comes to perform, fight, or deliver, all we have to do is show up.
