50 Cent discusses, Arum, Mayweather, Gamboa-Broner

Rapper-turned-promoter 50 Cent envisions a clash between former featherweight titleholder Yuriorkis Gamboa and lightweight sensation Adrien Broner, and says he's the man who can make Mayweather-Pacquiao happen.

LAS VEGAS -- RingTV.com spoke to rapper-turned-promoter, 50 Cent (aka Curtis Jackson) during Wednesday's open workout for unbeaten former featherweight titleholder Yuriorkis Gamboa in the lobby of the MGM Grand, site of Saturday night's fourth bout between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez.

Gamboa (21-0, 16 knockouts) was bought out of the remainder of his contract with Top Rank by Jackson in June, allowing the Cuban Olympic gold medalist to fight under TMT ("The Money Team") Promotions with Jackson and Floyd Mayweather Jr.

But Jackson said Mayweather "decided to do things differently" upon being released from the Clark County Detention Center on Aug. 3, so Jackson moved forward with his own company, SMS Promotions, and was approved for a promoter's license last month by the Nevada State Athletic Commission by a 5-0 vote.

Having previously obtained a license in New York, Jackson told the NSAC that he "had already invested $1.5 million in acquiring fighters" such as Gamboa and "would like to move forward."

So Gamboa will meet southpaw Filipino Michael Farenas (34-3-4, 26 KOs) on the Pacquiao-Marquez IV undercard, with his ringwalk being led by a singing and rapping Jackson.

Top Rank CEO Bob Arum said Jackson began their association by working with Top Rank President Todd duBoef, having landed Gamboa in the ring for the first time since he decisioned current WBC featherweight beltholder Daniel Ponce de Leon in September of last year.

Gamboa has pulled out of a scheduled Top Rank-promoted lightweight bout in April with Brandon Rios, who instead won a controversial split-decision over replacement Richard Abril.

Claiming that his move cost the company $1 million, Top Rank filed a lawsuit with the U.S. District Court in Las Vegas for breach of contract against Gamboa.

Gamboa later filed for dismissal of the suit through attorney Sekou Gary, contended that Gamboa's contract with co-promoter Arena Box was not valid, and, by extension, neither was the one with Top Rank.

Now represented by attorney Leon Margules, Jackson addressed his journey, touted a potential fight between Gamboa and two-time titlewinner and current WBC lightweight beltholder Adrien Broner and his promotional debut with RingTV.com amid a small cluster of media members while standing in a constructed boxing ring in the MGM Grand lobby.

Click here for a video of the interview with 50 Cent

Curtis Jackson on the process of delivering Gamboa to the Pacquiao-Marquez card:

"It's excitement to me. I went through the process of negotiating the release with Top Rank, and then, the most exciting fight closing the year was Manny and Marquez. So I had to go back to work with Top Rank.

"So that's why you do things, and you consider people, and you have to be respectful. Business is just business. So if you conduct yourself appropriately, then you can come back around and you can even work together."

 

On the potential for a Gamboa-Adrien Broner fight:

"I want to put [Gamboa] in the exciting fights, and he wants the same. He has the talent level that makes him not so wishy-washy. Some fighters duck and dodge people, and not Gamboa.

"The difficult part is actually matching up people who will actually show up when it's time to actually do it. There is a lot of talent out there that is close to his weight.

"You've Broner out there, now that's a fight to watch. Adrien Broner and Gamboa would be a fight to watch. I think that's exciting. It could turn into the new Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao.

"If they stay away from each other long enough, it could be one of those fights that is anticipated as much as that fight is."

 

On how soon he would return Gamboa to the ring after Farenas:

"February or March. We could come right back around and work."

 

On his relationship with Arum:

"February or March. We could come right back around and work."

 

 

On his relationship with Arum:

"I have a pretty good relationship with him. He understands my intentions, and he knows what I want to do for the actual sport. I want to bring attention to youth culture.

"There is a whole genre of the Hip Hop music industry that can be relatively active with that same audience. I'd like to attract them to the actual sport.

"As far as the UFC is concerned, 56 percent of their demographic is from 15-to-34, and boxing is 30 and up, so we should actually be getting the youth involved in it."

 

On the entertainment aspect:

"Well, you're back to Adrien Broner. You see, it's the show away from the show that makes him exciting. See when you talk like he talks, and then, you start backing it up, it's like he did in his last fight where he really went to work.

"So you start backing it up, then you've got to respect it. It is what is is. There's a language gap. But if they could hear some of the things that Gamboa is saying..."

 

On Gamboa's expressed desire to fight Mayweather:

"Well, he was upset. He was upset at Floyd's choices not to actually  invest after he helped him into this actual situation. The initial conversations with Gamboa were between Floyd and Gamboa.

"I came in at the tail in while Floyd was actually going to jail, because if he's going to go to jail, what's going to provide the actual finances to actually make the release?

"So, you know, I actually took care of it while he was gone, and it turned into something that we're doing between me and Gamboa, and it's like Floyd kind of left him out there.

"Then, he calls and he doesn't want the cut man to work with him. He won't let Rafael [Garcia] work with him."

 

On Pacquiao-Marquez:

"I think that it's exciting, man. The fourth one. But this has got to be the last one, dammit. It's the fourth one, but we want to see it. There is so much speculation as to who won those other fights.

"And with Manny coming off that [Tim] Bradley decision loss, you don't want to leave it to the judges. We're going to see them in action this time, you know what I'm saying? Like, in this one, I predict that it doesn't go 12 rounds."

 

On his ring walk:

"I'm not going to share one thing about it. Not one thing. As far as entertainment's concerned, we know we're going to bring that energy that everybody is excited about."

"When it comes time to put on a show, we'll put on a show, and we're going to add some new things to it."
 

On whether or not he can make Mayweather-Pacquiao happen:

"Yeah, I am. It's going to be tough, but I'm going to get it done."

 

Photos by Chris Farina, Top Rank

Lem Satterfield can be reached at lemuel.satterfield@gmail.com