By Alexz Yzerman
The Mayweather family has built quite a reputation as not only fighters, but as some of the best trainers in the world. Roger and Flyd Sr. have been known for years, mostly for their work with Floyd Mayweather Jr. The third brother, Jeff, himself an accomplished trainer has taken a different path from his brothers.
Although he still works with some great boxers, Jeff has also begun to work with fighters from other combat sports as well. He has famously been working with MMA fighters Roy Nelson, King Mo and Ryan Martinez among others.
Now, he has added a kickboxer to his impressive stable of talented athletes. Amer Abdallah, an undefeated World Kickboxing Association U.S. light heavyweight champion, has started to work with Jeff Mayweather as part of his preparation for his upcoming fight in Lockport, N.Y.
Abdallah and Mayweather getting in some work
The pair have been together for a few weeks now, and the bond can be easily seen by those present at the Mayweather Boxing Club. Abdallah, when asked, said working with Jeff Mayweather has been a great fit.
“He’s very innovative in his training, and obviously very experienced. The thing with Jeff is he understands the mixed martial arts of it, he understands the martial art of it. With kickboxing, that’s the closest you are going to get to a boxing trainer, so that’s why I chose Jeff,” Abdallah said.
While he may be one of the best kickboxers around, Abdallah is under no illusions that his sport has a long way to go if it wants to make a dent with the United States fans. Boxing and MMA may get the most attention, but it’s his sport that offers the most excitement, he claims. It just needs a governing body to properly regulate and market it.
“Kickboxing is the most exciting stand up fighting that you can do,” Abdallah said. “You’ve got four limbs. You’ve got your arms, and you’ve got your legs. When you put that in an arena where you’ve got skilled guys fighting, there’s nothing like it.”
Time will tell if the American public will once again embrace the sport in the numbers that the athletes may deserve considering their talents, but for fans who want to check it out, this WKA June 8th card is as good of a place as any to tune in. Abdallah will be looking to improve to 14-0 and put himself in line to claim a world title. Lace Up Promotions is putting on the show that will be held in Lockport, NY.
http://youtu.be/sZuQpEQc0JM
