By Chris Robinson
At the moment trainer Jeff Mayweather is far away from his Las Vegas bases, currently tucked away in the city of Tokyo in Japan.
Mayweather left U.S. soil this past Monday with his charge, WBA featherweight champion Celestino Caballero, as the two will be meeting the challenge of hometown favorite Satoshi Hosono in a December 31st clash in the city of Kanagawa. Mayweather and Caballero had been training at the Mayweather Boxing Club in Nevada and were in great spirits just days before leaving.
Asked his thoughts on taking in a completely different culture overseas, Mayweather seemed to be impressed by the ambience around him.
“Japan is a very beautiful place and very clean,” Mayweather stated “It's a culture that is extremely respectful to one another and it appears that it has nothing to do with age. Everyone of all ages bow to one another in show of respect.”
Caballero’s defense of his title is intriguing but he has shown little worries heading into the fight. Mayweather points out that Jonathan Barros, whom Caballero defeated in Argentina in a rematch in October to grab the WBA bauble he now holds, was and is a more formidable opponent.
“He's a very good fighter,” Mayweather conceded. “Appears to be strong also but in all honesty he doesn't look to be as good as Jonathan Barros. The one fight that I watched of his on Youtube I actually thought he lost but he was given the decision.”
Going into your foe’s hometown is always risky but Mayweather feels the fight will ultimately boil down to the superiority of Caballero.
“Yes, that makes me a little worried but as long as Celestino’s legs are strong, and they are looking great in this camp, he loses to no one at 126 pounds no matter where he fights them at. Because with his legs under him he's an extraordinary fighter and I expect a dominating performance,” Mayweather said brazenly.
On Wednesday afternoon, news hit that Jeff’s nephew Floyd Mayweather Jr. would be sentenced to 90 days in jail for his role in a September 2010 domestic violence case involving his former fiancé and two of his children.
Mayweather was eyeing a May 5th return to the ring but those plans now seem to be out the window and Jeff gave his taken on the ordeal.
“It's an unfortunate situation for him and hopefully he can put this behind him and move forward in a positive way and come back even better and stronger,” said Jeff. “90 days won’t affect his career but it may have some effect on the May 5th fight. But I guess we all will have to see how that plays out.”
In a bit of an ironic twist, just the other day Mayweather crossed paths with bantamweight titlist Nonito Donaire at the Teiken Gym. Donaire has a residence in Las Vegas and spends much time in the area but it doesn’t seem that he and Mayweather had crossed paths until just recently in Japan.
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