Mayweather to Try Wrestling

After testing his moves of “Dancing With the Stars,” welterweight boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. is preparing to drop the gloves and do some wrestling. A $20 million payday awaits the man many consider the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. The undefeated World Boxing Council welterweight champion is scheduled to take on Big Show as part of WWE’s “WrestleMania XXIV” at Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida on March 30.

“It’s entertainment” Mayweather said Monday after a chaotic news conference at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The boxer nicknamed “Money” clearly likes the way WWE does business. “Wrestling takes care of business right on the spot,” Mayweather said. “Whatever they say they’re going to do, they do it right on the spot. There’s no waiting three, four, five months. Quick results, quick money. Quick big money, too.” His manager Leonard Ellerbee and WWE executive Shane McMahon confirmed Mayweather’s eight-figure payday for the outdoor match to be shown on live on pay-per-view.

Mayweather had a “Pacman” Jones flashback when he whipped out a thick wad of cash and tossed $100, $50 and $20 bills into the crowd causing a mad scramble, with a light pole nearly getting knocked over and two small children caught in the chaos. I know the WWE is famous for marketing ploys but making it rain cash can cause people to literally lose their minds if we can remember what happened last year in Las Vegas when “Pacman” made it rain causing a riot, which included a shooting incident.

At 5-foot-8, 150 pounds, Mayweather gives up big numbers to the bald Big Show, who stands 7-feet and weighs 430. “I weigh three times as much as he does,” Big Show crowed. “It’s not fair, but I’m a businessman and I see an opportunity for business.” Mayweather hopped onto a chair and exchanged glares with Big Show while some WWE regulars looked on, witnessing a newcomer who clearly understands the antics of the wrestling business.

The wrestling gig is another part of Ellerbee’s carefully crafted plan to expand Mayweather’s fan base. He scoffed that hard-core boxing fans won’t take Mayweather seriously after his WWE antics. That’s why Ellerbee snagged Mayweather a spot on ABC’s reality show “Dancing With the Stars.” “It crossed him over and took him into the households of many middle-aged Middle Americans and turned him into a mainstream superstar,” Ellerbee said. “Now when Floyd goes into the grocery store, the first thing 65-year-old ladies say is, `You’re Floyd from `Dancing With the Stars.”’

“I’m outside the box,” Mayweather said, “Floyd Mayweather is not just a fighter, he’s an entertainer.” Mayweather plans to train with WWE Latino star Ray Mysterio, who wears a mask on his face. But he hasn’t forgotten his night job. He is thinking about a rematch with Oscar De La Hoya