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	<title>Playa Hater &#124; BET.com &#187; Access Granted</title>
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		<title>Catching Up With &#8230; Floyd Mayweather Jr., Part II</title>
		<link>http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/access-granted-floyd-mayweather-jr-part-ii/</link>
		<comments>http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/access-granted-floyd-mayweather-jr-part-ii/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 13 Sep 2009 08:10:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Marcus Vanderberg</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Access Granted]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Boxing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Floyd Mayweather Jr.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HBO]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/?p=1774</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
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.
On what a typical day was like for Mayweather [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1775" title="6_11_09_may023622" src="http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/6_11_09_may023622.jpg" alt="6_11_09_may023622" width="343" height="450" /></p>
<p>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.</p>
<div><em>On what a typical day was like for Mayweather during his retirement:</em></div>
<p>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.</p>
<p><em>On if his kids gave their approval on his return to boxing:</em></p>
<p>(Laughs) Of course. I’m daddy to the kids so no matter what I do my kids always support me.</p>
<p><em>On staying focused on the fight and not caught up in the distractions outside the ring:</em></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><em>On how hosting WWE Raw compared to his appearance at Wrestlemania 24:</em></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><em>On why he doesn&#8217;t get more press attention for the positive things he does outside the ring:</em></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><a href="http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/access-granted-floyd-mayweather-jr/">Access Granted: Floyd Mayweather Jr.: Part I</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Catching Up With &#8230; Floyd Mayweather Jr.</title>
		<link>http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/access-granted-floyd-mayweather-jr/</link>
		<comments>http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/access-granted-floyd-mayweather-jr/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:35:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Marcus Vanderberg</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Access Granted]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Floyd Mayweather Jr.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HBO]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/?p=1668</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
In the eyes of Floyd &#8220;Money&#8221; Mayweather, &#8220;to be the man, you have to beat the man.&#8221;
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 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1669" title="6_11_09_may023638" src="http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/6_11_09_may023638.jpg" alt="6_11_09_may023638" width="406" height="450" /></p>
<p>In the eyes of Floyd &#8220;Money&#8221; Mayweather, &#8220;to be the man, you have to beat the man.&#8221;</p>
<p>And at 39-0, nobody has been able to beat the 32-year-old welterweight.</p>
<p>Mayweather makes his return to the ring after a nearly two-year layoff on Sept. 19 against Juan Manuel Marquez live on HBO PPV.</p>
<p>Marquez is no stiff himself with a 50-4-1 record.</p>
<p>Mayweather chatted with BET.com just two weeks before his epic return to the ring.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>You can also check out Part I of &#8220;Mayweather/Marquez: 24/7&#8243; (Language NSFW)</p>
<p><em>On training for his fight with Juan Manuel Marquez:</em></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><em>On if his rib injury is 100 percent:</em></p>
<p>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.</p>
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<p><em>On what he has seen on the tape of Marquez:</em></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>On if his trainer Roger Mayweather has noticed anything on the tape:</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><em>On when he knew he was “ready to dance again” and return to the ring:</em></p>
<p>Actually it was the fans. It was the fans. No matter where I went the fans asked me the same question. They said &#8216;Floyd, when are you coming back, we truly miss you.&#8217; 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.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>8</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Access Granted: Cryme Tyme</title>
		<link>http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/access-granted-cryme-tyme/</link>
		<comments>http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/access-granted-cryme-tyme/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:12:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Marcus Vanderberg</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Access Granted]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cryme Tyme]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WWE]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/?p=1555</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
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 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1556" title="crymetyme4" src="http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/crymetyme4.jpg" alt="crymetyme4" width="300" height="450" /></p>
<p>Yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, YO!</p>
<p>One of the hottest tag teams in World Wrestling Entertainment the last couple of months have been Cryme Tyme.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>This Sunday at Summerslam <strong>(Live on PPV at 8:00PM EST/5:oo PM PST)</strong>, Shad and JTG will compete for the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship when they square off against Chris Jericho and The Big Show.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>Word up.</p>
<p><em>On how they came up with the Cryme Tyme gimmick: </em></p>
<p>Shad: Cryme Tyme really isn&#8217;t a gimmick. It&#8217;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&#8217;m walking around the house and going out chillin.</p>
<p>JTG: We are actually ourselves with the volume turned really up.</p>
<p><em>On how they met in Ohio Valley Wrestling:</em></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>JTG: Vince saw it. Loved it. Put it on TV. That&#8217;s how we make it work.</p>
<p><em>On a typical day when they have a TV taping:</em></p>
<p>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.<span id="more-1555"></span></p>
<p><em>On what they do during the down time between matches:</em></p>
<p>Shad: Honestly, we play jokes on each other. And twittering.</p>
<p>JTG: We literally eat and play jokes on each other. Nine out of 10 times when we are on the road, we are playing jokes on each other, eating somewhere or working out.</p>
<p><em>On who travels on the road with them:</em></p>
<p>Shad: It&#8217;s usually just JTG and me. We have a couple of guys who will jump in with us every now and then. Kofi Kingston use to ride with us. We tried to get him some flavor but you know &#8230; it&#8217;s really hard when you&#8217;re working with a guy like that.</p>
<p>JTG: We have our own motto, our own style, our own swagger and we don&#8217;t want anyone else interrupting that.</p>
<p><em><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1557" title="crymetyme2" src="http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/crymetyme2.jpg" alt="crymetyme2" width="450" height="321" /></em></p>
<p><em>On the use of Twitter to communicate with their fans:</em></p>
<p>JTG: We are having a ball on Twitter. We hit them with a couple of punch lines, similes and metaphors and they hit me back. They get to know what I&#8217;m eating, what time I go to sleep, what I do for my workout.</p>
<p>Shad: I think it&#8217;s another way to get in touch with our fans and let them know a little more about us. We admire and respect our fans. That&#8217;s why we talk to them on Twitter and MySpace.</p>
<p>JTG: Last week we had a contest and the winner sent his phone number and we called him (from a blocked phone number of course).</p>
<p>Shad: It&#8217;s cool because that one guy, that&#8217;s his memory of us. Just like we all have memories of Hulk Hogan, The British Bulldog, Macho Man Randy Savage, The Rock, and Stone Cold Steve Austin. We have our memories. We want our fans to remember us as guys who respected and loved them as much as they loved us.</p>
<p><em>On their favorite tag teams growing up:</em></p>
<p>JTG: My favorite tag-team growing up would have to be The Pink and Black attack, the Hart Foundation. I was a big Bret Hart fan and that was my favorite tag-team.</p>
<p>Shad: Growing up as a kid, I was a big Legion of Doom fan. I use to love Animal and Hawk. I didn&#8217;t realize human beings could get that big. It made me want to get as big as those guys.</p>
<p><em>On their match at Summerslam against The Big Show and Chris Jericho:</em></p>
<p>JTG: This has to be the biggest match of my career. It&#8217;s Summerslam, one of the biggest events for our company. It&#8217;s in LA and it&#8217;s for the titles. I hope we can bring those titles &#8230; well we&#8217;re going to talk positively and bring the titles back to the hood and have fun afterwards.</p>
<p>Shad: A lot of people don&#8217;t know this but LA is where JTG and me debuted three years ago. To have it culminate where we had our first tag team victory at Summerslam, one of the biggest events of the year, would be a great, great thing for us to achieve in our career at this point. We have never won the tag titles but we hope to win them in LA, the city where we debuted, at Summerslam, the biggest event of the year.</p>
<p><em>On how doing Word Up and other in-ring segments compares to wrestling:</em></p>
<p>Shad: Some people relate just on their wrestling. Some guys can just wrestle and their great wrestlers. They don&#8217;t have the personality. They aren&#8217;t diverse. JTG and me, we are blessed to have that personality and humor that relates to everybody. Whether you&#8217;re from the hood or the suburbs, people get our humor. Doing a backstage promo like Word Up is us just having fun rather than just going out there and wrestling all day.</p>
<p>JTG: I would rather be in the ring but backstage gives us a chance to extend our personalities and we just have fun with it.</p>
<p><em>On which WWE superstar is most like Slam Master J in real life?</em></p>
<p>Shad: Honestly, there is nobody like Slam Master J. He&#8217;s out there. At first when they brought it to us, we were shying away from it but he&#8217;s just someone trying to find himself.</p>
<p><em>On if the dynamic of the team changes with Eve Torres around:</em></p>
<p>JTG: Eve brought a little Latin flavor to the mix. Nothing wrong with having a female helping us other.</p>
<p>Shad: Nothing better for a team than bringing a sexy, big booty Latino girl on board. That makes everyone look good. That&#8217;s our fly girl. That&#8217;s our Jennifer Lopez.</p>
<p><em>On what’s on their iPod:</em></p>
<p>JTG: My favorite artist just dropped an album, Fabolous. I&#8217;m a big fan of the punch lines, the metaphors, I want to give a shout out to Fabolous and to come holla at his boy and help him with a new theme song.</p>
<p>Shad: As an old school New York kid I grew up listening to LL Cool J, Jay-Z, Biggie, Run D.M.C., KRS-One. I would watch all of that on BET. My all-time favorite artist has to be LL Cool J.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Access Granted: Chad Dawson</title>
		<link>http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/access-granted-chad-dawson/</link>
		<comments>http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/access-granted-chad-dawson/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 08 May 2009 15:46:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Marcus Vanderberg</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Access Granted]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chad Dawson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HBO]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/?p=1281</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Rising star Chad Dawson will look to prove that his first victory over veteran Antonio Tarver wasn&#8217;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 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1286" title="692470_dawson_0871" src="http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/692470_dawson_0871.jpg" alt="692470_dawson_0871" width="333" height="500" /></p>
<p>Rising star Chad Dawson will look to prove that his first victory over veteran Antonio Tarver wasn&#8217;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.</p>
<p><em>On how training is going for his fight against Antonio Tarver:</em></p>
<p>Training is going excellent. It’s the last 2-3 days before the fight. Just winding down and staying in shape, mentally and physically.</p>
<p><em>On his thoughts about fighting on HBO for the first time:</em></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>On the influence his father plays in the ring:</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><em>On his thoughts about fighting Bernard Hopkins:</em></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><em>On Tavoris Cloud, his WBC mandatory opponent:</em></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><em>On what he listens to before a fight:</em></p>
<p>I listen to everything. 50 Cent, Rick Ross, Jadakiss, I like to keep my iPod on, I have over 4,000 songs.</p>
<p><em>On the comparison between rap feuds and pre-fight hype between boxers:</em></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>Photo Credit: HBO</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>750</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Access Granted: Paul Williams</title>
		<link>http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/access-granted-paul-williams/</link>
		<comments>http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/access-granted-paul-williams/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 10 Apr 2009 15:02:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Marcus Vanderberg</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Access Granted]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Boxing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Paul Williams]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/?p=1160</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
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 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1161" title="williams" src="http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/williams.jpg" alt="williams" width="450" height="187" /></em></p>
<p>Boxing gets back into full swing this weekend as Paul Williams <a href="http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/access-granted-winky-wright/" target="_blank">takes on Winky Wright</a> this Saturday live on HBO at 10:00PM EST/7:00PST.</p>
<p>BET.com spoke to both fighters about this weekend’s middleweight showdown at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><em>On how training is going:</em></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><em>On being labeled as one of boxing&#8217;s most avoided boxers:</em></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><em>On what challenges Winky Wright will present in the ring:</em></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><em>On being able to expose the fact Winky Wright hasn&#8217;t fought in 21-months:</em></p>
<p>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 &#8230; 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&#8230;</p>
<p><em>On James Kirkland calling him out:</em></p>
<p>I responded to him&#8230;.  He should    get his title back and come meet me in the ring.  He’s nobody and has    always been.</p>
<p><em>On Antonio Margarito getting caught with illegally wrapping his hands (Kirkland defeated Margarito in 2007):</em></p>
<p>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&#8230;  They all seemed the same.   Hard.</p>
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		<title>Access Granted: Winky Wright</title>
		<link>http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/access-granted-winky-wright/</link>
		<comments>http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/access-granted-winky-wright/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:11:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Marcus Vanderberg</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Access Granted]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HBO Boxing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Winky Wright]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/?p=1151</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
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&#8217;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 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1152" title="Winky Wright aka Ronald Wright at press conference to promote his 170-pound boxing match against Bernard Hopkins at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, Calif. on Tuesday, May 22, 2007. Hopkins and Wright will fight in a pay-per-view match at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on July 21." src="http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/winkywrig_kirby_14488933_400.jpg" alt="Winky Wright aka Ronald Wright at press conference to promote his 170-pound boxing match against Bernard Hopkins at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, Calif. on Tuesday, May 22, 2007. Hopkins and Wright will fight in a pay-per-view match at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on July 21." width="400" height="288" /></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>BET.com spoke to both fighters about this weekend&#8217;s middleweight showdown at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas.</p>
<p>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:</p>
<p><em>On how training is going:</em></p>
<p>Training has been going great &#8230; you know &#8230; just been working hard. Now I&#8217;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&#8217;t used to it anymore. I got back into it though and now it&#8217;s been going really good.</p>
<p><em>On any challenges losing weight during his 21-month layoff: </em></p>
<p>No, I mean not really. At first it was tough getting back into training hard &#8230; but it&#8217;s going well now. I&#8217;m back in shape where I need to be but it wasn&#8217;t too hard.</p>
<p><em>On if he has any concerns about such an extended layoff from the ring:</em></p>
<p>I&#8217;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&#8217;ll be back into the groove and I&#8217;ll be good after that. My opponent might think that it&#8217;s an advantage that I haven&#8217;t fought for a while, but just because I haven&#8217;t been fighting doesn&#8217;t mean I can&#8217;t fight.</p>
<p><em>On what more he wants to accomplish in the ring:</em></p>
<p>I want to win more fights. I want to fight the best and I want to beat the best. That&#8217;s what I&#8217;ve tried to do so far and that&#8217;s what I want to keep doing. Hopefully after this one I&#8217;ll have a big fight at the end of the year and then after that, we&#8217;ll just go from there.</p>
<p><em>On if his heart is more committed to outside ventures than boxing:</em></p>
<p>I am dealing with my outside ventures. I mean, I&#8217;ve got to get prepared for when boxing is over. You never know how much longer you&#8217;ve got. But that doesn&#8217;t mean I&#8217;m not ready to fight or I don&#8217;t want to fight. I still look forward to getting into the ring and showing everyone what I&#8217;ve got on April 11.</p>
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		<title>Access Granted: Hockey Is For Everyone</title>
		<link>http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/access-granted-hockey-is-for-everyone/</link>
		<comments>http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/access-granted-hockey-is-for-everyone/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2009 00:39:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Marcus Vanderberg</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Access Granted]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Anthony Stewart]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chris Stewart]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kevin Weekes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NHL]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/access-granted-hockey-is-for-everyone/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
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 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8459463" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/nhl3.jpg" alt="NHL Trio" /></a></p>
<p>Quick: Name one NHL player not named Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin.</p>
<p>Better yet, name a Black NHL player.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.”</p>
<p>But of the four sports, you won’t find a more exciting sport to watch in person than hockey.</p>
<p>If you weren’t able to name Kevin Weekes, Anthony &amp; Chris Stewart or nearly the other dozen or so Black players in the league, don’t feel bad.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><em>On how they got involved in hockey: </em></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8470618" target="_blank">Anthony Stewart</a>, Florida Panthers: </strong></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8473485" target="_blank">Chris Stewart</a>, Colorado Avalanche: </strong></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8459463" target="_blank">Kevin Weekes</a>, New Jersey Devils: </strong></p>
<p>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.<span id="more-1095"></span></p>
<p><em>On the impact of hockey in Canada:</em></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8459463" target="_blank">Kevin Weekes</a>, New Jersey Devils: </strong></p>
<p>A majority of us that grew up playing minor hockey in Canada but Toronto specifically. A majority of the Black players in the league are Caribbean so we are of West Indian/Black descent. Due to the fact that we were born and or raised in Canada, hockey is pretty much the be-all end-all in terms of sports.  That’s both a good thing and a bad thing. Hockey is the main sport but we have seen in the last few years other athletes coming from Canada and playing in other sports such s Steve Nash and Jamaal Magloire in the NBA and Justin Morneau in baseball. For the main part, athletics in Canada revolves around hockey. The minor hockey culture in Canada is very prominent in the sports scene. It’s a family affair and it’s something your accustomed to at 5-6 years-old.</p>
<p><em>On the other sports they were involved in besides hockey: </em></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8470618" target="_blank">Anthony Stewart</a>, Florida Panthers:  </strong></p>
<p>My brother and I both played soccer growing up in the summer. As I got older, I began playing football in high school. At the time, I was a little bigger and it was the thing to do in high school. All my buddies were playing football but it was such a short season that it wasn’t year-round like hockey. Hockey was where my heart was.</p>
<p><em>On who they followed growing up: </em></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8470618" target="_blank">Anthony Stewart</a>, Florida Panthers:   </strong></p>
<p>When I was younger, I looked up to a guy like Doug Gilmour of Toronto but as I got older, I would say more towards a Jarome Iginla. I try to model my game after him and he’s a great competitor on the ice. He’s been very successful in the game the last 5-6 years.</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8473485" target="_blank">Chris Stewart</a>, Colorado Avalanche:  </strong></p>
<p>I was a big Mario Lemieux fan. Mats Sundin also &#8211; - a big centerman type with pretty polished hands and a smooth skater. I wear the #13 after him and he’s a class act on and off the ice so he’s an inspiration for sure.</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8459463" target="_blank">Kevin Weekes</a>, New Jersey Devils: </strong></p>
<p>I’m a goalie freak for obvious reasons but for me, there were a lot of guys. Probably most significant if I had to pick one was Grant Fuhr. For the career he had and he’s a hall of famer and one of the best of all time.  As a goalie, I identified with him a lot. He paved the way for me to be here in this position today. Pokey Reddick played a little bit at that time and then Freddie Brathwaite got to play. Those guys have created a path to where I am today.</p>
<p><em>On the bond between Black NHL players:</em></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8459463" target="_blank">Kevin Weekes</a>, New Jersey Devils:  </strong></p>
<p>In New Jersey, there is three of us; Bryce Salvador, Johnny Oduya and myself. Having two other brothers on the team makes a big difference. I think that shows how far our sport has come in terms of its evolution. It says a lot about the direction we are going in. In the bigger picture, a lot of us have a lot of common history. A lot us know each other and a majority of us are from the Toronto area. A couple of guys are from Western Canada and Johnny Oduya is from Sweeden. Our parents are typically from the West Indies and a lot of us know each other from home.</p>
<p><em>On being brothers in the NHL:</em></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8470618" target="_blank">Anthony Stewart</a>, Florida Panthers:    </strong></p>
<p>We had the privilege of playing with each other. I was playing the role model to him and trying to show him what it was like since I had two years experience in the OHL. Seeing him succeed is the ultimate goal and I’m happy for hm. We haven’t played each other yet … that’s the ultimate goal just to see him on the ice with me and hopefully not knock heads too much.</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8473485" target="_blank">Chris Stewart</a>, Colorado Avalanche: </strong></p>
<p>A guy like my brother paved the way and I learned from his mistakes. I owe a whole lot to him and a guy like Weekes too, who went out of his way to look out for the up and coming players.</p>
<p><em>Check back later this week for Part II of our conversation with Kevin Weekes and the Stewart brothers. </em></p>
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		<title>Access Granted: Shane Mosley</title>
		<link>http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/access-granted-shane-mosley-2/</link>
		<comments>http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/access-granted-shane-mosley-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Jan 2009 20:35:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Marcus Vanderberg</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA["Sugar" Shane Mosley]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Access Granted]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HBO]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/access-granted-shane-mosley-2/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
&#8220;Sugar&#8221; 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: [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/12_6_08_del011408.jpg" alt="Shane Mosley" /></p>
<p>&#8220;Sugar&#8221; 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.</p>
<p><em>On how training for Antonio Margarito is going: </em></p>
<p>Training is going great. I have been working out and everything is going well.</p>
<p><em>On new trainer Nazim Richardson:</em></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><em>On the decision to let go his father, Jack Mosley:</em></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><em>On his opponent, Antonio Margarito: </em></p>
<p>Antonio is very consistent and he’s a workhorse. He throws a lot of punches and applies a lot of pressure.</p>
<p><em>On staying in boxing too long such as Roy Jones, Jr.: </em></p>
<p>No, I’m not worried at all. Every fighter is different. Look at Bernard Hopkins’ last fight. Everyone is different.</p>
<p><em>On President Barack Obama:</em></p>
<p>I think it’s a great accomplishment for the nation. I think we have come pretty far as a nation.</p>
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		<title>Access Granted: Roy Jones, Jr., Part II</title>
		<link>http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/access-granted-roy-jones-jr-part-ii/</link>
		<comments>http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/access-granted-roy-jones-jr-part-ii/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:48:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Marcus Vanderberg</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Access Granted]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Boxing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HBO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Roy Jones]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/access-granted-roy-jones-jr-part-ii/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
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 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em><img src="http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/jones.jpg" alt="Roy Jones Jr." /></em></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><em>On if Calzaghe is the most defining fight of his career:</em></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><em>On how much boxing Roy Jones Jr has left:</em></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><em>On the similarities between this fight and the Bernard Hopkins/Kelly Pavlik fight:</em></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><em>On his desire to continue rapping:</em></p>
<p>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!</p>
<p><em>On if there was any merit to the rumor of fighting UFC top fighter Anderson Silva: </em></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><em>Photo Credit: Will Hart </em></p>
<p><strong>More Roy Jones, Jr.:</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/access-granted-roy-jones-jr-part-i/" target="_blank">Access Granted: Roy Jones, Jr. Part I </a></p>
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		<slash:comments>87</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Access Granted: Roy Jones, Jr., Part I</title>
		<link>http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/access-granted-roy-jones-jr-part-i/</link>
		<comments>http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/access-granted-roy-jones-jr-part-i/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2008 20:11:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Marcus Vanderberg</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Access Granted]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HBO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jr.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Roy Jones]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/access-granted-roy-jones-jr-part-i/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
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&#8217;t count on a match with Bernard Hopkins anytime soon.
On who Roy [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/superpowhd0006734.jpg" alt="Roy Jones, Jr." /></p>
<p>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&#8217;t count on a match with Bernard Hopkins anytime soon.</p>
<p><em>On who Roy Jones, Jr. is: </em></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><em>On how training is going for Joe Calzaghe:</em></p>
<p>Training is going really, really good. I’m enjoying myself and having a great time.</p>
<p><em>On how the fight between the two fighters happened:</em></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><em>On the advantages of being his own boxing promoter:  </em></p>
<p>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.<em>On if he would fight Bernard Hopkins:</em></p>
<p>I leave it alone. I don’t even entertain it. I have a bigger prize on my hands anyways.</p>
<p><em>On who he expects to fight after Joe Calzaghe on Nov. 8: </em></p>
<p>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.</p>
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