Floyd Mayweather Jr. takes center stage at media day for his May 5 bout in Vegas
Taylor Bern
Mayweather said his preparation for Miguel Cotto has led him to stretching for the first time in his pro career
Floyd Mayweather Jr., who, if you believe him, hasn’t stretched
before lifting, running or training for the entirety of his 16-year
professional career, is now doing Bikram yoga.
As the featured attraction of the circus that descended Tuesday on
Mayweather Boxing Gym just southwest of the Strip, Mayweather (42-0)
performed his media duties with a smile and went several rounds with the
packs of reporters there to preview his May 5 fight against Miguel
Cotto (37-2) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Before going through a workout, the topics covered the gamut, from
his impending incarceration and potential fight with Manny Pacquiao (no
news on that front) to the Cotto fight itself. That includes
Mayweather’s new yoga training, something he said he’s been interested
in for the last five years but only recently started doing. “I think I can push myself and perform a lot better with yoga,” Mayweather said.
The decision could have at least something to do with finding a way
to battle age. Mayweather, 35, said he’s never pulled a muscle in all of
his non-stretching years, a claim that doesn’t pass the smell test.
Bikram yoga is performed in a room heated to about 105 degrees, which
allows for deep muscle relaxation. Mayweather said he even has his yoga
trainers occasionally come to his house to work on more stretching.
All of that, he believes, is going to help give him the advantage
over 31-year-old Cotto, a bigger fighter that Mayweather said he sees as
being undefeated.
