Part two of our interview with Floyd Mayweather discusses what the boxer did during his nearly two year layoff from the ring and why he feels he gets a bad reputation from the media. Mayweather takes on Juan Manuel Marquez on Saturday, Sept. 19 live on pay-per-view.

I was able to spend a lot of quality time with my kids. These are the years that are most important to me and most precious to my kids. These are their developmental years and it’s very important as a father that I spend quality time with my kids. During my time off, that’s what I was able to do. I got a chance to know myself a lot better.

On if his kids gave their approval on his return to boxing:

(Laughs) Of course. I’m daddy to the kids so no matter what I do my kids always support me.

On staying focused on the fight and not caught up in the distractions outside the ring:

The press tends to blow things out of proportion. There aren’t any distractions. My focus is on my fight. I had nothing to do with the alleged incident and my focus is solely on Marquez on the 19th.

On how hosting WWE Raw compared to his appearance at Wrestlemania 24:

It was an unbelievable experience. I’m thankful Leonard put it together for me and I had another great opportunity to have a platform to go out there and showcase my talent. We have a great relationship with the WWE that we hope to continue for many, many years. It was great working with Vince and Shane and I’m just glad to be a part of their family.

On why he doesn’t get more press attention for the positive things he does outside the ring:

I just think that’s how society is. They just tend to focus on the negative instead of the positive. Negativity sells I guess. You see a press release that comes out that says Mayweather’s house gets searched weapons, bulletproof vests and something else. They fail to tell you the guns were registered to my security and were legal weapons. They paint the picture that the weapons were my weapons. They weren’t my weapons. They talk about the bulletproof vests … I use that as a form of entertainment. The vests that they were talking about were giving to me by the police. Tell it like it is. If we being to focus on the more positive things like how I go out and feed the homeless and how I donated $250,000 to Grand Rapids so the kids could come and fight in the nationals. If I didn’t do that, they wouldn’t have had an opportunity to come out and pursue their dreams. These are the kind of things they don’t talk about.

Access Granted: Floyd Mayweather Jr.: Part I

In the eyes of Floyd “Money” Mayweather, “to be the man, you have to beat the man.”

And at 39-0, nobody has been able to beat the 32-year-old welterweight.

Mayweather makes his return to the ring after a nearly two-year layoff on Sept. 19 against Juan Manuel Marquez live on HBO PPV.

Marquez is no stiff himself with a 50-4-1 record.

Mayweather chatted with BET.com just two weeks before his epic return to the ring.

In the first of a three-part interview, Mayweather discusses training for the Marquez fight and when he knew it was time to return to the ring.

You can also check out Part I of “Mayweather/Marquez: 24/7″ (Language NSFW)

On training for his fight with Juan Manuel Marquez:

Training has been coming along great. Having a great training camp. I’ve had excellent sparing. Just looking forward to coming back and putting on a great show for the fans.

On if his rib injury is 100 percent:

100 percent. I had a freak accident and I gave my body a chance to heal. Come September 19th I’ll be ready to go.

On what he has seen on the tape of Marquez:

Well, everybody knows that I don’t watch film of no boxer. What I’m able to do … I have been blessed with a great talent and I’m able to adjust to anyone’s style once I step in the ring. I don’t watch no tape and I never have for any of my opponents. I leave that up to my Uncle Roger. No matter what Marquez brings to the table, we’ll be ready come September 19th.

On if his trainer Roger Mayweather has noticed anything on the tape:

No, not at all. My uncle will be able to devise a great game plan on that night and I’ll be able to go out there and execute.

On when he knew he was “ready to dance again” and return to the ring:

Actually it was the fans. It was the fans. No matter where I went the fans asked me the same question. They said ‘Floyd, when are you coming back, we truly miss you.’ I feel as though I miss my fans too. So both of those combined and I had been around the gym and I said if I’m going to be here I might as well do what I do.

Yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, YO!

One of the hottest tag teams in World Wrestling Entertainment the last couple of months have been Cryme Tyme.

Shad and JTG have been wrestling in the WWE since their debut in 2006 and quickly moved up the ranks as one of the most popular tag teams within the WWE Univerise.

This Sunday at Summerslam (Live on PPV at 8:00PM EST/5:oo PM PST), Shad and JTG will compete for the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship when they square off against Chris Jericho and The Big Show.

Cryme Tyme took time out before the biggest match in their young career to chat with BET.com about life on the road, Twitter Nation and the additions of Slam Master J and Eve Torres.

Word up.

On how they came up with the Cryme Tyme gimmick:

Shad: Cryme Tyme really isn’t a gimmick. It’s just me and JTG having out there. A lot of people might think just because we wear Timberlands and jeans that we are a gimmick. I wear Timberlands and jeans when I’m walking around the house and going out chillin.

JTG: We are actually ourselves with the volume turned really up.

On how they met in Ohio Valley Wrestling:

Shad: I was already down there training and JTG was riding a Greyhound bus from New York City to Louisville, Kentucky every weekend for his training. Once he was full time, we had a good chemistry so we started tagging together. It turned into what it is right now.

JTG: Vince saw it. Loved it. Put it on TV. That’s how we make it work.

On a typical day when they have a TV taping:

Shad: Normally we wake up at 9:00AM after driving two hours from the previous show. We go to the gym, work out for maybe an hour and a half to two hours depending on how tire we are or not. Go back to the hotel, shower up, make sure we are fresh and clean and then we come to the arena around 1:00PM. We talk to our agent to go over any matches we have and just prepare for the show. Its really more a mental thing than it is a physical thing when getting ready for a show. Read the rest of this entry »

Rising star Chad Dawson will look to prove that his first victory over veteran Antonio Tarver wasn’t a fluke. The 26-year-old southpaw defeated Tarver last October  and kept his perfect record intact at 27-0 with 17KOs. With Bernard Hopkins considering retirement, another victory over Tarver would cement him as the face of the light heavyweight division. Dawson chatted with BET.com this week to discuss Hopkins, the excitement about fighting on HBO and what he listens to before a big fight. You can watch Dawson-Tarver this Saturday at 9:30 PM/6:30PM PT) live on HBO.

On how training is going for his fight against Antonio Tarver:

Training is going excellent. It’s the last 2-3 days before the fight. Just winding down and staying in shape, mentally and physically.

On his thoughts about fighting on HBO for the first time:

To me, it’s a dream come true. Fighters these days, their goal is to make it to HBO. Showtime is mainstream but HBO has the best athletes and fights. I want to go out and impress the fans and I hope they understand my talent and let them know I take boxing very seriously.

On the influence his father plays in the ring:

Watching him when I was younger in the gym, I always wanted to be a fighter and boxing is always something I wanted to do since I was little. He kept me off the street and made sure I was in the gym everyday.

On his thoughts about fighting Bernard Hopkins:

That’s the fight I want. The fight I need. The fight that will solidify me as one of the boxing greats. It’s been 2-3 years as world champ and I still haven’t got the big fights I need. Now its’ time for me to sit back and relax and stop chasing big fights. I deserve a shot at Hopkins.

On Tavoris Cloud, his WBC mandatory opponent:

Honestly, the guy hasn’t fought anybody. The same way I came up and it took me 2 years to get a name fighter. If you look at his resume, he hasn’t fought anybody. I’m not saying he doesn’t deserve his shot but I’m looking for bigger names and bigger paydays. This kid really doesn’t have a name there is no money in that fight.

On what he listens to before a fight:

I listen to everything. 50 Cent, Rick Ross, Jadakiss, I like to keep my iPod on, I have over 4,000 songs.

On the comparison between rap feuds and pre-fight hype between boxers:

In a certain sense, when I listen to music, I think music and boxing is one and the same. When boxer spit a rhyme, I think I’m the rapper and I’m talking to another fighter. I think a lot of fighters think that way too.

Photo Credit: HBO

Boxing gets back into full swing this weekend as Paul Williams takes on Winky Wright this Saturday live on HBO at 10:00PM EST/7:00PST.

BET.com spoke to both fighters about this weekend’s middleweight showdown at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas.

Next up in Access Granted is Paul Williams (36-1), who has been labeled as the most feared opponent in boxing. The talented middleweight is not shy and takes a shot or two at his opponent before stepping into the ring Saturday night.

On how training is going:

Training is going great.  It’s been the best training camp in the past 10 years.  It’s comfortable because I get to eat whatever I want and I am still trying to put on the weight.  I feel strong.

On being labeled as one of boxing’s most avoided boxers:

At first I had reservations about being labeled “the most feared fighter” in boxing.  But when I continued to have trouble making fights – I came to realize that it is an accurate statement.

On what challenges Winky Wright will present in the ring:

I am not looking past Winky. But I don’t see any challenges in the ring.  When you are in the ring with an opponent who has nearly 40 fights on his record you know that you’ve seen everything he has in his arsenal.  There is nothing I have not seen.  I don’t understand those who put him on a pedestal.

On being able to expose the fact Winky Wright hasn’t fought in 21-months:

Well, I don’t believe in ring rust.  That is just another label people like to give fighters. If you look at the past greats … Sugar Ray beat Marvin Hagler after not being in the ring for 3 1/2 years and Ali beat Quarry also after being out of the ring for 3 1/2 years. So I don’t feed into that label…

On James Kirkland calling him out:

I responded to him….  He should get his title back and come meet me in the ring.  He’s nobody and has always been.

On Antonio Margarito getting caught with illegally wrapping his hands (Kirkland defeated Margarito in 2007):

First of all  I didn’t believe it when I heard it.  It was just until recent that I now do believe it.  He didn’t have any need for it with his skill level and talent. I was looking forward to the rematch against him but now that is out. When I fought him none of his punches really stood out to me…  They all seemed the same.  Hard.

Boxing gets back into full swing this weekend as Paul Williams takes on Winky Wright this Saturday live on HBO at 10:00PM EST/7:00PST.

BET.com spoke to both fighters about this weekend’s middleweight showdown at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas.

First up is Wright (51-4-1), who is returning to the ring after a 21-month layoff. Check back on Friday for our interview with Paul Williams:

On how training is going:

Training has been going great … you know … just been working hard. Now I’m just getting anxious to get back into the ring. It took me a minute to get back into the groove of training, running a lot and all that because your body isn’t used to it anymore. I got back into it though and now it’s been going really good.

On any challenges losing weight during his 21-month layoff:

No, I mean not really. At first it was tough getting back into training hard … but it’s going well now. I’m back in shape where I need to be but it wasn’t too hard.

On if he has any concerns about such an extended layoff from the ring:

I’m not really too concerned. I mean, it is what it is. Yeah, I have been out for a while so I might be a little rusty and you know that might affect the beginning of the fight. But after the first or second round, I’ll be back into the groove and I’ll be good after that. My opponent might think that it’s an advantage that I haven’t fought for a while, but just because I haven’t been fighting doesn’t mean I can’t fight.

On what more he wants to accomplish in the ring:

I want to win more fights. I want to fight the best and I want to beat the best. That’s what I’ve tried to do so far and that’s what I want to keep doing. Hopefully after this one I’ll have a big fight at the end of the year and then after that, we’ll just go from there.

On if his heart is more committed to outside ventures than boxing:

I am dealing with my outside ventures. I mean, I’ve got to get prepared for when boxing is over. You never know how much longer you’ve got. But that doesn’t mean I’m not ready to fight or I don’t want to fight. I still look forward to getting into the ring and showing everyone what I’ve got on April 11.

Quick: Name one NHL player not named Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin.

Better yet, name a Black NHL player.

The National Hockey League is a sport that might not be on your radar but thanks to Hockey is For Everyone, more minorities are being exposed to professional hockey.

While hockey is a way of life in Canada, it has struggled to gain popularity in the United States after the devastating work stoppage during the 2004-05 season.

And with the NBA and NFL reaching new heights of popularity and MLB rebounding after a work stoppage of their own, it’s easy to see why the NHL is at the bottom of the “Big 4.”

But of the four sports, you won’t find a more exciting sport to watch in person than hockey.

If you weren’t able to name Kevin Weekes, Anthony & Chris Stewart or nearly the other dozen or so Black players in the league, don’t feel bad.

BET.com recently had the opportunity to chat with the veteran New Jersey Devils goalie and two of the league’s rising stars about how they got involved in hockey and steps the bond between Black players in the NHL.

On how they got involved in hockey:

Anthony Stewart, Florida Panthers:

I started off when I was 4. I got some equipment from my cousin who played semi-pro hockey. On top of that, just watching CBC every Saturday night, watching the Canadians and the Leafs. Despite my economic issues, I had a lot of support from the community and a lot of families pitching in when I needed new equipment.

Chris Stewart, Colorado Avalanche:

Basically, I took the same path as my brother. He got me a tryout in the Ontario League and I played there for three years and I was drafted to Colorado. I played my first year as a pro in Cleveland in the American League and this year I was fortunate enough to be with the big club.

Kevin Weekes, New Jersey Devils:

I grew up in the Toronto area and started playing when I was 6. My cousin played so I followed him. I knew right away that I wanted to be a goalie in the NHL. That was my dream and my goal. I played for the same minor hockey organization for nine years in AAA. I played in the OHL for two years. I was drafted by the Florida Panthers and ended up playing in the minors for two full years and was called up to the Panthers in 1996-97. Read the rest of this entry »

“Sugar” Shane Mosley is preparing for one of his biggest challenges to date, taking on a red-hot Antonio Margarito in a welterweight championship showdown. Mosley recently spoke to BET.com about his upcoming battle with Margarito. You can watch Mosley-Margarito Saturday night at 10:00PM ET/7:00PM PT live on HBO.

On how training for Antonio Margarito is going:

Training is going great. I have been working out and everything is going well.

On new trainer Nazim Richardson:

He didn’t try to change anything. He tried to pinpoint the mistakes and capitalize on those. He’s a type of guy that picks out things and works on them. Bernard Hopkins (who is also trained by Richardson) is coming up this week, we are probably going to go over some things.

On the decision to let go his father, Jack Mosley:

He thought that he could be training me but he supports my decision. I really do like the way Nazim trains so I will probably be looking to keep him around.

On his opponent, Antonio Margarito:

Antonio is very consistent and he’s a workhorse. He throws a lot of punches and applies a lot of pressure.

On staying in boxing too long such as Roy Jones, Jr.:

No, I’m not worried at all. Every fighter is different. Look at Bernard Hopkins’ last fight. Everyone is different.

On President Barack Obama:

I think it’s a great accomplishment for the nation. I think we have come pretty far as a nation.

In part two of our three part conversation with Roy Jones, Jr. leading up to his Nov. 8 match against Joe Calzaghe on HBO PPV, the boxer talks about if the Joe Calzaghe fight is the most defining of his career and talks about the rumor of a possible match with UFC star Anderson Silva.

On if Calzaghe is the most defining fight of his career:

Nah. It’s not the most defining fight of my career. At 39-years-old what are you going to prove? I don’t have nothing left to prove. Even if I win, what does it prove? It just proves against the critics who thought I was through. I don’t have nothing left to prove to the boxing world because I have done all of that.

On how much boxing Roy Jones Jr has left:

I’ll still keep going. You’ve never seen Roy Jones Jr in the media for being drunk at a party or doing things that are crazy or outlandish that a professional fighter shouldn’t do. I try to take care of myself and do the best that I can do to stay in the right frame of mind and keep myself healthy as possible so I can go on. As a result of that you see I am still going at 39 and I’m still healthy.

On the similarities between this fight and the Bernard Hopkins/Kelly Pavlik fight:

This fight is a little different. This guy beat Bernard Hopkins so he is not Kelly Pavlik. Kelly Pavlik was just green and got beat. I saw that coming. Bernard’s took advantage of him. Truth be told, after Pavlik fought Jermaine Taylor they asked me if I thought he was ready for Bernard Hopkins and I said “No.” But then they go and feed him to Bernard Hopkins. There’s a big difference (between Hopkins and Taylor). Hopkins is a wily veteran and he was going to get killed. That’s exactly what happened. He got ate up. I saw it coming a mile away. If he couldn’t catch Bernard early, it was over for him. He didn’t have the boxing skills to go up against Bernard Hopkins. At 43-years-old, Hopkins was faster than a 26-year-old.

On his desire to continue rapping:

Better believe it. It’s something that I love to do. I’m not trying to compete but my thing is that I’ve got my side where I talk about what I do for a living. A lot of rappers talk about stuff that they don’t do.  I talk about my real life and just speak my mind. I talk about how I feel on a day to day basis. I love it! I’m not trying to compete but I just love doing songs and making good music. They still be saying (Jones’ first song) “Y’all Must’ve Forgot” to this day!

On if there was any merit to the rumor of fighting UFC top fighter Anderson Silva:

Yeah. There was merit to that rumor. He said he wanted to fight me. I told them that I wasn’t going to fight him in a UFC match but if he wanted to box me, we can get in the boxing ring. Let’s do it.

Photo Credit: Will Hart

More Roy Jones, Jr.:

Access Granted: Roy Jones, Jr. Part I

BET.com is chatting with Roy Jones, Jr. on three different occasions, leading up to his Nov. 8 match against Joe Calzaghe on HBO PPV. In part one of a three-part series, Jones discusses his training for the fight against Calzaghe and why you shouldn’t count on a match with Bernard Hopkins anytime soon.

On who Roy Jones, Jr. is:

Just some old guy who used to be really, really good. (Laughs). He was a fighter of the decade back in the 90’s but the night is gone.

On how training is going for Joe Calzaghe:

Training is going really, really good. I’m enjoying myself and having a great time.

On how the fight between the two fighters happened:

After the Bernard Hopkins fight with Joe Calzaghe, he said he was free of Frank Warren and had no more ties to him. The next morning, I met with Frank Warren and he said he still had a contract with Joe. I didn’t know who to believe so he gave me Joe’s number and Joe said I do want to fight you and I’m not dealing with Frank. He said I want to make a fight with you. I said if you want to make a fight with me, I’ll come over there and we can sit down and make the fight happen. He gave me a date, I flew to England, we sat down and made the fight happen.

On the advantages of being his own boxing promoter: 

You get to speak your mind and do things how you want to do it. You don’t have anyone kicking you around and talking to you like you’re some kid or something. You get to be your own man.On if he would fight Bernard Hopkins:

I leave it alone. I don’t even entertain it. I have a bigger prize on my hands anyways.

On who he expects to fight after Joe Calzaghe on Nov. 8: 

After I defeat Calzaghe, that will be his first loss, and he will want to avenge that loss. So I have to go over there and give him a rematch.