For fans of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, HBO is working on a documentary about the rival between these two basketball legends.

The HBO project will trace the competition between the two superstars from their days at Michigan State and Indiana State all the way through their intense battles in the NBA Finals.

Sorry LeBron and Kobe, but those two have nothing on Bird and Magic during the prime in the ’80s.

We might never see a rivalry of this intensity that started in college ever again, and hopefully this project will illustrate how talented both players were.

Who did you think was better: Larry or Magic?

Playa Hater is live in Las Vegas for the Floyd Mayweather-Juan Manuel Marquez fight on Saturday night at the MGM Grand.

Check back all day on Saturday for updates from Vegas including a surprise announcement from Oscar De La Hoya.

Can we say comeback?

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10:55AM PST - The buzz before the Oscar De La Hoya press conference is the $600,000 Floyd Mayweather will have to cough up after hitting the scales at 146 pounds on Friday.

The contract weight was 144 pounds – - Marquez weighed in at 142 pounds.

It shouldn’t be a big surprise that Mayweather had a problem making weight considering his 21-month layoff from the ring.

11:17AM PST - So much for that Oscar comeback. De La Hoya announced this morning that his promotion company, Golden Boy, has signed Jorge “El Nino de Oro” Linares. “El Nino de Oro” is “Golden Boy” in Spanish. Linares is 27-0 and is the WBA Super Featherweight Champion.

De La Hoya threw in at the end of the presser that he’s never fighting against except for a rematch with Shaquille O’Neal.

Anti-climatic to say the least.

11:57AM PST – Bernard Hopkins, who I have interviewed on multiple occasions for Playa Hater, is literally going to church in the press room with a group of reporters.

Hopkins had some words of advice for Floyd Mayweather and his act on HBO’s 24/7.

In the third episode, as a response to Juan Manuel Marquez drinking his own urine, Mayweather comes out of the bathroom with a bottle of liquid and says “This is that silverback gorilla piss.”

That led to this response by Hopkins:

“I’m no silverback gorilla. I don’t play with words. To some, they look at it as good TV. My mom always said ‘Bernard, there are people that laugh with you and there are people that laugh at you.’ My opinion is they’re laughing at you, dawg. That’s not good TV.  I would never call myself a silverback gorilla. I know what white people use that for. A silverback gorilla is a powerful gorilla. You’re a ni**a with money and you’re crazy. A silverback gorilla is a ruler. He’s dominant. When you say this is silverback gorilla piss, dawg, you think that’s culture? It’s not. But the mentality … I’m not beating him up … I’m just saying is to him, he just don’t know. He’s blinded by the luxuries of what makes you a man. Dawg, what I have earned in my career, I have earned hard. But my 17,600 square acres house in Delaware doesn’t make me. That’s not my God. I’m glad to have it, yes. I don’t worship it. I don’t worship my car, my watch, and these clothes. When you get caught up in that type of mentality, it’s very hard to reprogram that back.”

Preach!

1:41PM PST – Triple H from the WWE will lead Floyd Mayweather down to the ring tonight. Mayweather has a great relationship with the WWE and Triple H was the man responsible for training the boxer when he stepped into the ring at Wrestlemania 24 against The Big Show. He shares his thoughts on Mayweather and gives his prediction for the fight tonight:

On how he got involved with Saturday’s fight:

Floyd has been a big supporter of the WWE. He has wrestled events for us at Wrestlemania, he’s hosted the show and I helped train Floyd when he wrestled for us and we became friends. He asked me to come here and walk him to the ring and come to the weigh-in and support him. I’m a big fan of his and I look forward to seeing the best pound-for-pound fighter back on top.

On how Mayweather did as a WWE wrestler:

Floyd was unbelievable. I walked into it having never met Floyd and not knowing him. He was wrestling The Big Show, who is 7-feet, 500 pounds. That’s a daunting task and looking aside from what we do, a 500-pound guy can just lean on you the wrong way and hurt you. Floyd was game for everything and the one thing you can’t question is his dedication and his determination to do something. No matter what I showed him, he was hell bent on learning how to do it right. It was a great experience and I really enjoyed working with him.

On if he thinks Mayweather would wrestle full-time after retiring from boxing:

I don’t know about full-time. Floyd is used to getting paid $20 million for one fight. He would be hard pressed to go on the road for 200 days a year. I think Floyd would love to be a part of what we do in some way. Floyd’s an entertainer. You can say he’s an athlete and he’s a sports guy all you want, but at the end of the day, sports is entertainment. People pay money to be entertained by a game or a sporting event. Floyd knows how to entertain them. That’s why all these people pay money to see his fights.

On his prediction for the fight:

I think Floyd is going to take it. It will be a very good fight and Marquez will press him but at the end of the night, Floyd will come out victorious. I believe TKO.

6:10PM PST - The first PPV fight of the contest is underway between Orlando Cruz and Cornelius Lock for the vacant NABO Featherweight Title. The scene outside the MGM Grand Garden Arena is crazy – - thanks in part to a pool party hosted by Diddy at Wet Republic that was letting out.

6:27PM PST – Cornelius Lock delivered a nasty right uppercut and knocked out Orlando Cruz at 2:08 in the 5th round to win the NABO Featherweight Title.

“It was a good shot from Cornelius and I congratulate him,” said the battered Cruz. “But all it was is a good shot.”

Lock, who improved to 19-5-1, said “I felt good but I felt tight. I felt like he wasn’t on my level. I was catching him with the left and I was thinking I was throwing the hook wrong so I shorten it up a bit. i caught him and I ended it.”

6:32PM PST - Floyd Mayweather’s arrival  to the MGM Grand Garden Arena was show on the monitors inside the arena, sparking a mixed reaction with the late arriving crowd.  Juan Manuel Marquez’s arrival generated a much louder response.

6:39PM PST - In what could be the most excited fight of the night, Michael Katsidis is taking on Vicente Escobedo for the vacant WBO Interim Lightweight Title. If you haven’t seen the Australian Katsidis fight before, you’re in for a treat.

6:51PM PST – Before Round 4 of the Katsidis-Escobedo fight, Triple H along with wife Stephnaie McMahon came out from the back to take in the action before he leads Mayweather to the ring later this evening. Triple H tried to hit the fans at the weigh-in on Friday with the “Are You Ready” routine and the boxing fans didn’t get it. I almost felt bad for him – he felt so out of place.

7:00PM PST - Katsidis is making me looking bad after I said this fight would have fireworks. Feel free to shout out “You lie” if you wish.

7:14PM PST – Katsidis is rolling along in this fight with Escobedo as we enter the 10th round. Not many people were expecting this to go to the distance – - I don’t know what Howard Lederman’s unofficial scorecard is but my guess is it’s lopsided in Katsidis favor.

7:29PM PST – Katsidis wins by split decision and is the new WBO Interim Lightweight champion. The judges ringside had it the following: 116-112, Escobedo (Clearly, he’s blind), 115-113 Katsidis, 118-110 Katsidis.

“I’m ecstatic, said Katsidis, who improved to 26-2. “I’m back. It’s an amazing thing for a fighter to get off the ground and win a title again. I’m a fighter that gives it his all and I needed to give it my all to win. If I can get off the ground and win a title, anyone can.”

7:34PM PST – The second most popular fighter on the evening, Rocky Juarez, is making his way to the ring. The first match between Juarez and Chris John was a classic. John enters the match an undefeated 42-0. Sidenote, I got the evil eye from security about taking photos from press row – - so much for that.

7:53PM PST – John is having little trouble with Juarez so far through four rounds. He’s 42-0 for a reason and he’s showing why.

8:08PM PST – Diddy just arrived to take his seat ringside. This guy … I bet if you were to ask him a boxing question, he wouldn’t know the first thing about the sport. Mayweather brings out the stars, that’s for sure.

8:24PM PST – We are in the 12th and final round of John-Juarez, which means Mayweather-Marquez is right around the corner. Juarez ended the fight with a great final minute – - was it enough to win him the fight?

8:28PM PST – The chorus of boos should tell you that Juarez lost the fight, 114-113, 119-109, 117-111. John remains undefeated at 43-0 and retains his WBA Featherweight Title. “It was a very tough fight and in the last round I was hurt,” said John. “I kept on fighting for my idol Arturo Gatti and that’s what kept me going.”

8:38PM PST - Tyrese sang the National Anthem. ‘Nuff said.

8:41PM PST – Marquez is making his way to the ring behind a huge response from the crowd. This is your class match between a face and a heel. Take a guess on who the heel is.

8:46PM PST – Mayweather came to the ring with no music. No flare. No drama. Just a 6-foot-5, 250 pound wrestler behind him.

8:51PM PST – Outside of a flurry of punches by Marquez, a slow start to Round 1. Both fighters were playing it timid the first two minutes of the round but Marquez had enough to win the round.

8:56PM PST – Mayweather delivered a nasty left hook to Marquez, knocking him down to the mat. He managed to escape Round 2 but I’m not sure how much longer this fight will go if he’s walking into punches like that.

9:00PM PST – Solid round for both fighters but Mayweather landed enough punches to win the round. Marquez appears to finally be waking up and countering with Floyd.

9:04PM PST - Mayweather got hit with Marquez’s best punch of the night and just smiled. That might sum up the direction of this fight so far. On to Round 5.

9:09PM PST – Good Round 5. Both fighters landed some decent shots and Marquez has some blood coming from his nose. I give the round to Mayweather – barely.

9:12PM PST - I take back my prediction about this fight going the distance. Mayweather is out for blood.

9:17PM PST - Marquez showed signs of life when he had Mayweather on the ropes but Floyd is just too quick for the Mexican fighter. For every Marquez punch, Floyd has two to counter.

9:21PM PST - Mayweather finished the rounds on the ropes again, giving Marquez the momentum to close out Round 8. This might be his strategy but if he’s not careful, he might find himself in a hole he can’t get out of .

9:25PM PST - Mayweather had a nasty combination to close out Round 9. Marquez has heart, that’s for sure. he’s going to need a KO to have any chance of winning at this point.

9:29PM PST – Floyd turned into “Money,” his cocky alter ego at the end of Round 10 with a little showboating after the bell. The two fighters got tangled up as the bell rang. Nothing dirty – just boxing.

9:36PM PST – The fight went the distance. Marquez has heart but there’s no way he wins this fight.

9:38PM PST – He’s baaaaaack. 118-109, 120-107, 119-108. Mayweather wins easily.

9:49PM PST – The post-fight antics between Mayweather and Shane Mosley were better than the fight. Only problem is the folks on press row really couldn’t hear what was being said in the ring. Seems like HBO is trying to generate some hype for a future PPV.

In the third and final part of BET.com’s interview with Floyd Mayweather, the undefeated boxer explains his maturity during his two-year layoff and the relationship with his father, Floyd Sr. Mayweather takes on Juan Manuel Marquez on Saturday, Sept. 19 live on pay-per-view.

Playa Hater will be reporting live from Las Vegas starting on Friday leading up to the Mayweather-Marquez fight.

On if HBO’s 24/7 has helped with his image:

Yes, I have expressed that and I think that’s why you saw a part of that in the first episode. I think you will see more of that in the episodes to come. We are just trying to be positive and give back and do the right thing.

On how his music career is going:

Everything is coming along great. I have a lot of things in the fire right now and we are working on a number of things. We are looking to take it to the next level.

On who his musical influences are:

Don’t have one.

On his relationship with his father:

Everything is great. It’s always a good thing anytime you can come to work and you can see your mother and father there. That’s a wonderful thing. What child wouldn’t want their parents around if they were successful? My dad is at the gym everyday working with me and supporting me. It means a great deal to me and I’m glad to have my father in my life. It’s truly a blessing.

On having a target on his back as an athlete:

As one of the top athletes in the world, I do feel as though I am a target. You look around and people a lot of time mix confidence with cockiness. I’m just  a normal guy that likes to go out and have fun entertaining people and doing my job. A lot of times people misunderstand that. As long as God loves me, my kids love me, my family loves me … that’s all that really matters. They talked about Jesus Christ and how he died for all of us. I’m older now and I’m more mature. I try to focus on the positive.

On his maturity:

During my time off, I got the chance to really, really get to know myself. I haven’t had a break and I have been boxing since 1987 and this is the first time I had a chance to take some time off. The real Floyd is the guy who likes to spend quality time with his family, his friends and just enjoy life.

On his match competing against UFC 103, also on pay-per-view:

I don’t worry about what they do. They have their audience and they have a different type of audience. They do what they do and we do what we do. I’m the biggest and the best in our sport. I’m the face of boxing. I’m the pay-per-view attraction and I think when it comes to a pay-per-view audience, the fans will have an option to watch me and Marquez fight.

Catching Up With … Floyd Mayweather: Part II

Catching Up With … Floyd Mayweather: Part I

PHOTO CREDIT: Gene Blevins – Hoganphotos/Golden Boy Promotions

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.

Must see television tonight is HBO’s “Mayweather/Marquez 24/7″ at 10:15 PM ET/PT.

My name is Floyd, my name is Money, Mayweather.

No offense to Ricky Hatton, Oscar De La Hoy, Manny Pacquiao or Juan Manuel Marquez but 24/7 was made for Floyd Mayweather.

Hence why he’s the face of 24/7, Mr. HBO himself.

He’s the most charismatic boxer in the sport and Mayweather is not afraid to be himself.

And frankly, he really doesn’t care what you think about him.

Anyone else watching tonight?

On the next HBO Boxing After Dark …

Chad Ochocinco vs. Andre Berto?

I wish but the NFL wide receiver has called out the undefeated fighter as only Ochocinco could do.

“I’m thinking I’ll knock him out for real. He doesn’t know me. People didn’t know I could kick and I go out there and kick it almost over the net. So I’ll get into the ring and knock out Berto and (people will say) ‘I didn’t know Chad could fight.’ Well I just told you.”

The 26-0 WBC welterweight champion didn’t let Chad’s comments phase him and responded with a KO of his own:

“I’m here to say that when his season is over, which should be before the playoffs start, I’ll give him the beating of his life and show him the difference between kicking footballs and getting your ass kicked. By the time I’m done with him, he’ll want to change his last name to No Mas!”

Minus the little clause in his contract that doesn’t allow Ochocinco to fight, let’s make this happen, HBO.

In the words of Ochocinco, “Chile, please,” Berto would knock the gold fronts out #85’s grill.

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

Serena Williams showed why she’s the #1 women’s tennis player in the world.

Williams defeated her sister Venus to win the Billie Jean King Cup at Madison Square Garden, 6-4, 6-3.

Blame it on the 10-inches of snow in New York City or the lackluster economy but the “World’s Most Famous Arena” lacked a certain buzz, even with the Williams sisters in the finals.

Along with taking home the cup, Serena took home a cool $400,000 on the evening.

Not bad for one night of action.

If the snow has you stuck inside this evening, HBO has the BNP Paribas Showdown for the Billie Jean King Cup tonight at 7:30PM EST/4:30PM PST.

Serena and Venus Williams along with Ana Ivanoic and Jelena Jankovic will compete against each other in a one-night-only single elimination event from Madison Square Garden in New York.

The draw sets-up a possible Venus-Serena showdown in the finals.

Who ya got?