50 Cent Likes Showtime Deal For Mayweather, Says He Wanted To Help Prepare Floyd For Life After Boxing

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    Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson will officially promote his first main event on ESPN 2’s Friday Night Fights program this Friday when his fighter, IBF Featherweight Champion Billy Dib takes on the Mexican Russian Evgeny Gradovich. On top of the main event spot for his fighter, 50 will also be performing for those in attendance at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods in Connecticut. It’s that and more, Jackson said he wants to bring to the game of boxing in a video interview with ThaBoxingVoice.com

    “The actual event should be the main event. There should be 70 minutes of entertainment over 36 minutes of the main event. How many times have you been in an arena where it’s empty before the main event while plenty of fights are going on? I think me doing what I do, brings a different element that brings people early to enjoy festivity,” Jackson told ThaBoxingVoice.com.

    Jackson also believes boxing could learn a thing or two from the WWE and the UFC. “Maybe some theatrics from the WWF (now formally known as the WWE) and the UFC, like the Ultimate Fighter Challenges where you’re more invested in the fighters from the beginning. Right now we build the fighters fight by fight. The people that have the personality become the stars like the Floyd Mayweather.”

    Mayweather, the biggest draw in the sport of boxing recently signed a mega deal with Showtime that is set for 30 months for up to 6 fights and the rumor out there is that if Mayweather fulfils the 6 fights, it could be worth well over 200 million dollars. Jackson is skeptical about the amount of times Mayweather will fight.

    “I think it’s a good deal for him. They need to keep exciting enough opponents for him where he does a million views, and then it makes sense. If he starts to fight guys that don’t, then it doesn’t.  I doubt he fights 6 times in 30 months,” explained Jackson.

    Jackson and Mayweather seemed to be best of friends on all the 24/7 episodes on HBO but had a recent falling out during and after Mayweather’s jail stint. Jackson, however still feels that Floyd is a part of his family. “He’s like my brother, If you ever had an argument with your brother then you know what I go through,” stated Jackson.

    The fallout revolved around Jackson and Mayweather starting a promotions company called TMT Promotions and a possible move for Mayweather away from super advisor Al Haymon and Golden Boy Promotions who have helped promote Mayweather’s in his run of successful pay-per-views. Jackson feels he was just trying to show Mayweather a life after boxing.

    “I’m around boxing and when I was around Floyd and got excited about it because it was something he was passionate about it. Even when you have a lot of money, you know we both do. If you don’t have income away from boxing when you’re not boxing what can you expect? I was just trying to develop what would happen for him following boxing. I heard him speaking out loud that he only has 2 or 3 fights left.”

    Before the interview ended, Jackson posed a question to the media. “What allows you to go down in history, should it be the top fighter that fights the top fighters of his time or is it the guy that maneuvers? I’m just trying to figure it out,” explained Jackson.

    Someone from the media responded by saying Mayweather fought top fighters in his early days and lighter weights insinuating that Jackson was describing Mayweather. To that Jackson responded, “I’m not specifically talking about Floyd but you must have indentified him  with the ducky and dodging.” Jackson then left smiling.