“With two months to prepare for Mayweather, I’d kill him.”
His name has been mentioned as one of Floyd Mayweather’s next possible opponents, but no official announcement has been made just yet. However, for the Black Panther Lovemore N’dou, he is not waiting for someone else to tell him that he has been selected before preparing for what would be his biggest fight of his boxing career, he has already gotten himself in the gym fine tuning his pugilistic skills confident that HBO will pick him to be in the ring with Pretty Boy this January. N’dou is also sure that once they do meet, an upset is on the horizon for the undefeated lightweight champion. BoxingTalk recently spoke with N’dou to get his thoughts on fighting for the lightweight title once HBO makes an official announcement, when he expects to know for sure, what Mayweather could expect from him when they meet, as well as N’dou’s take on the recent match up between Kostya Tszyu and Sharmba Mitchell.
“With two months to prepare for Mayweather, I’d kill him.”
BoxingTalk: Hey Lovemore, it looks like you could be facing Floyd Mayweather soon…Â
Lovemore N’dou: Yeah, it looks like we’ll get the Mayweather deal. It would be a great fight. It could turn out to be the fight of the year. I think it would be a great way to start out the new year.
BT:Â When did you first hear that your name was being mentioned as a possible opponent for Mayweather?
LN: My name was first mentioned when Mayweather made his 140-pound debut. There were two names thrown out there, myself and DeMarcus Corley, and he decided to fight Corley. I know for a fact that since then Dan Goosen has been negotiating for me to fight Mayweather, and then the next thing I knew my name was being mentioned along with Steve Johnston and Muhammad Abdulaev.
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BT:Â Do you know when and where this fight would take place?
LN: It would take place in the U.S. on January 22nd, which means I would have about two months to prepare for it. You could expect a lot from me, and expect an upset. I won’t come in there to play, I would come in and give Mayweather a boxing lesson. I don’t want to disrespect Mayweather because he has proven that he is one of the best fighters pound for pound, but I believe styles make fights, and I have the right style to upset him. I think I’ve proven that before when I took fights on short notice and I have the guys a tough fight. With two months to prepare for Mayweather, I’d kill him.
BT:Â Obviously you want this fight, what needs to occur to make this fight actually happen?
LN: I think it’s all up to HBO and Top Rank if they want to go ahead with the fight, but it looks good, and I think it’s going to happen. It would be a good thing to do because this is a fight a lot of boxing fans want to see.
BT: How does Lovemore N’dou beat Floyd Mayweather?
LN: I beat him up, simple as that. That’s the only way to beat Mayweather in America…to knock him out. Like I said, with two months preparation I will knock him out.
BT:Â Are you still working with Jeff Fenech?
LN:Â I am working with Jeff, and he will be in my corner for this title fight.
BT: This fight with Mayweather would be the biggest fight of your career…
LN: Every 140-pounder would love to have a shot at Floyd Mayweather. For me to have a shot at him shows that I’ve proven to be one of the best out there or else HBO wouldn’t even consider my name. The fact that they are considering me proves that I’ve proven myself. Mayweather has got some issues going on…the kid is kind of confused. He doesn’t know whether he is a boxer, or a rapper, or a pimp. When he decides that he is a boxer, and forgets about becoming a rapper and a pimp, then he will excel and he will go on to become one of the best boxers in the world.
BT: What are you thoughts about HBO deciding who Mayweather fights next or who you fight next? Should that not be up to the fighters and their promoters?
LN: They are the one putting the money up, so they get to call the shots, I think that’s pretty fair.
BT:Â Do you believe this is a fight that fans will want to see?
LN: I believe it is a fight the fans want to see. Like I said, styles make fights, and his style and my style will make for a great fight. Mayweather has got great hand speed, I’ve got great hand speed, and I just think it will turn out to be a great fight.
BT: On another topic, what did you think about the Kostya Tszyu – Sharmba Mitchell fight?
LN: I wasn’t surprised at the result. I said before the fight that Kostya’s best chances were in the early rounds. He needed to get in there and intimidate Sharmba to break him down, and that’s exactly what he did. I hate to say this, but Sharmba was scared shitless, and it was all over his face. Even in the first round, the way he was throwing his jab with no authority, it was like a jab that was saying, “Stay away from me, I don’t want any of you.” Sharmba was not even jabbing to hurt Tszyu. The minute he got hit from the first round on, he was just confused. He didn’t know where he was, he lost his game plan, he started brawling with Kostya, which was his biggest mistake.
BT:Â How was Sharmba different when you fought him compared to when he fought Tszyu?
LN: What people forget is that I had less than two weeks to prepare for Sharmba. Kostya had nearly two years to analyze the guy, study his movements. I don’t take anything away from Kostya, he fought a great fight, but he still doesn’t intimidate me. I’ll fight him tomorrow, I don’t care if he knocked out Godzilla, I’ll still fight him.
BT: Going back to Mayweather, 32 people have faced him and 32 have been unsuccessful. What do you possess to beat Mayweather that these other boxing did not have?
LN: Like I said, styles make fights. I believe I have the right style to upset him, and I’ve got a big heart. Also, I’m hungry. Mayweather has already made a lot of money, I’m still hungry, I want to make a lot of money. I want to make a name for myself out there, I want to win the world title. He’s been there and he is not as hungry as I am.
BT:Â Do you possess the power to knockout Mayweather?
LN: I think I do. As a 140-pounder I am a lot more powerful than the people he has fought.
BT:Â When do you expect to hear something from HBO about the fight?
LN: I am expecting to hear something in a couple days. I have a feeling in the next few days they will be making an announcement, and it will be my name that is mentioned. Steve Johnston against Floyd Mayweather would be a boring fight. Johnston is boring to watch and Mayweather would beat him easily. Against Abdulaev it would be a mismatch. Mayweather would play around with him. HBO really needs a good fight and it boils down to Lovemore N’dou against Floyd Mayweather, and that would be a good fight.
BoxingTalk thanks Mr. N’dou for taking the time to speak with us. We wish him continued success both in and out of the ring. CLICK HERE FOR MORE OF THIS EXCLUSIVE
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