People have come and gone by the wayside in the career of Floyd Mayweather Jr. But there's been one constant who has rode shotgun with Mayweather ever since the unbeaten fighter turned pro after winning the bronze medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics: Leonard Ellerbe.
The 53-year-old has been Mayweather's advisor, conditioning coach and is currently the CEO of Mayweather Promotions, which include the likes of former two-division champion Badou Jack, WBA super featherweight champion Gervonta Davis and Juan Heraldez.
Ellerbe is in Brooklyn this weekend to watch Heraldez take on former IBF super featherweight champion Argenis Mendez on the main card highlighted by Deontay Wilder defending the WBC heavyweight title against Dominic Breazeale.
Ellerbe spoke with Sporting News about what the future holds for Heraldez, previews Wilder-Breazeale and gives his thoughts on whether Wilder, unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury will meet in a round-robin style tournament.
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(Editor's note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.)
Sporting News: You were giving a lot of praise to Julian Williams’ upset win last Saturday over Jarrett Hurd to become the unified junior middleweight champion. What was it that you liked so much about his performance?
Leonard Ellerbe: No one gave Julian a chance to win because, to be honest, a lot of people don’t know a lot about boxing. Julian Williams, in my opinion, is one of the best fighters in the world and has been for quite some time. He got caught with a big shot in the Charlo fight. You could see what kind of heart he had and how he got up. To me, he’s one of the best technically and is a complete fighter. The outcome of the Hurd fight didn’t surprise me one bit. I’ve been very high on him for several years.
SN: Can you draw a parallel from what we saw last Saturday to the WBC heavyweight championship fight this Saturday between Deontay Wilder and Dominic Breazeale because like with Williams, not many are giving Breazeale too much of a chance to win?
LE: The parallels are different in this particular fight because you have two big heavyweights. With the Hurd-Williams fight, both of those guys fought at 154 pounds. But it’s a little different when it comes to the heavyweights. Anybody over 200 pounds can end it in any given moment with one shot and get you out of there. Deontay is an exceptional puncher. He and (Gervonta) "Tank" Davis are the two biggest punchers, in my opinion. Deontay is on a mission. I think he won’t be denied. In my opinion, he’s the best heavyweight in the world. Right now, I think he beats guys in the same manner, and that’s by knockout, whether that’s Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua. He has a very unorthodox style, but he’s getting better and better. You see it in each passing fight and gaining more confidence in his skill set. He made some outstanding adjustments in the Fury fight. Even though there’s a lot of bad blood heading into this fight, I think he will show what he learned from the Fury fight. I think he will be a little more patient and be able to see things a little better.
The thing with Breazeale is that he’s working with Virgil Hunter, which was a great move on his part. Virgil is one of the best coaches in the sport and has been for quite some time. He’s a teacher. When it comes to this generation of boxers, there aren’t many teachers out there. And Virgil is one of those guys. I think the difference in the fight will be Deontay’s power. Breazeale’s been in clashes with the likes of Joshua. But Deontay has a different kind of power. We call it a one-hitter quitter that will get you out of there at any given moment. I think because there’s so much bad blood heading into this fight that I think he’s looking for a big knockout. I believe that is what’s going to happen.
SN: Some people agree with you that Deontay is the best heavyweight in the world. But there fans and media who also feel that distinction goes to Anthony Joshua or Tyson Fury. What puts Deontay Wilder above them?
LE: Because he has the equalizer. When it comes to Joshua, he still is finding his way. He does some things well, but not everything great. It’s not a criticism because I think he’s a great fighter, but I think Deontay Wilder is better.
SN: Since the Luis Ortiz fight, Wilder has started to gain much more traction with people in the United States. What has changed from the unknown Olympian from the state of Alabama to who he is right now?
LE: He’s finally figured it out. He’s got an exceptional team, and he’s making the transition because now he’s much more confident and now starting to become that mainstream guy. He’s been very close to blowing this thing wide open because when it comes to heavyweights, they have always been the most noticeable guys because they’re the bigger guys and the public is drawn towards them. Heavyweights can get you out of there with one shot. When you come and watch a heavyweight fight, people are looking for the knockout. And Deontay has been able to deliver. His confidence is at an all-time high right now. The public here in the United States is starting to gravitate towards him because when they look at his fights, they say he’s going to knock the other guy out.
Another thing too is that he’s thinking like a businessman. I applaud him for that. He’s taking his entire career and putting it in his own hands. He bet on himself. We know someone else who has done that (chuckles) named Floyd Mayweather. I’m not comparing the two, but it’s the mindset. I think the risk that he’s taking, I applaud that because he’s not relying on anybody else but himself. He’s going in there and getting it done. I have nothing but respect for that all day. He’s looking to take his brand to an entirely different level. He’s working extremely hard at all of this to be able to crossover into that mainstream world. He’s seen the Floyd Mayweather blueprint. It’s not going to work for everybody, but he’s in a great position to execute.
SN: You have been a big part of Mayweather’s career and making the megafights with Manny Pacquiao, Conor McGregor, and Miguel Cotto. A lot of people want to see Fury, Joshua and Wilder have a round-robin tournament after they get through these next fights here in the next month and see who the best is. Do you feel they are going to fight and in the case of Wilder-Fury, fight again?
LE: I think it will eventually happen. We all know what happened. Let’s call it what it is. We had Wilder-Fury II just about dialed up, and Bob Arum came in and disrupted the whole thing and f---ed it all up by design. I’m not mad because I don’t have anything to do with it and promoting any of the guys. But it’s typical Bob. I think those fights will get made. All roads lead to Deontay Wilder. They really do.
Joshua has done a tremendous job capturing a massive audience in the U.K. They are diehard fans. To be a superstar, you have to come over to America. Lennox Lewis is an excellent example of that. Joshua is an exceptional fighter, but I think by design they (Joshua’s team) has taken their time and wanting him to get better. They’re flaws in his game, and I’m not saying that to be disrespectful in any way. They wanted him to take some fights and get him to be better, and he’s doing that. When those two fight, it will be a knockdown, drag down brawl. I think Deontay Wilder knocks him out like he will do to Fury in the rematch.
SN: Is Joshua-Wilder the biggest fight in boxing?
LE: Yes, it is because Floyd Mayweather isn’t fighting (laughs). He put the heavyweights on the shelf when he became the highest grossing athlete in all of sports with everything he accomplished over the years. Floyd and Manny Pacquiao have been the two most prominent names in boxing for the last decade and a half and being involved in the biggest fight in the history of the sport with Floyd controlling the entire landscape. Deontay is looking to be that new guy. He has all the tools necessary to become the guy and the face of the sport. Canelo by his exceptional run he’s been on is the face of boxing right now. But Deontay is approaching that because he’s a heavyweight and the sport for many years relied on Floyd and Manny and another guy who I won’t mention because I hate saying his name, as the mainstream attractions. It’s going to Deontay awhile, but he’s getting on that right track.
SN: Let’s focus on someone in your stable at Mayweather Promotions who is fighting on the main card this Saturday, Juan Heraldez. How good is he going to be?
LE: This is going to be the coming out for Juan Heraldez. He’s been telling me that he’s wanted this opportunity for a long time. Everything is about timing. Now is his time. I think he will come out on Saturday night and make a significant statement to all the other 140-pound fighters out there that he has arrived. He’s a young man who is quickly becoming a major attraction. When I say that, his mindset and everything he’s working on, this is his opportunity. He’s in with a very tough guy in Argenis Mendez, who is coming off a tough fight against Anthony Peterson. This is the right fight to make at the right time. I think if you are looking for something exceptional on Saturday, look no further than Juan Heraldez. After this fight, he wants all the smoke at 140 pounds. I think he’s ready to face (WBO champion) Maurice Hooker and (WBC champ) Jose Ramirez today. He told me he isn’t looking at them, as he wants the guy everyone says is the boogeyman in the division Regis Prograis. I love that confidence in a young fighter.
