Ellerbe: I told ya’ll Cruz was a very tough opponent for Tank
The Mayweather Promotions executive shares some candid thoughts on what could be next for his star fighter.
Ellerbe on if they’ll seek out a fight with George Kambosos Jr next
“If it makes sense we gonna fight the biggest fights that are out there, and he’s just coming off tonight and we’ll sit down and we’ll have a conversation in the coming days on what’s next. And we don’t have to chase no fighter. When you come to these arenas — they come! They come to see the most exciting fighter in the entire sport. And they come for a reason, ‘cause Tank gives them exciting performances. Nobody had heard of Cruz before. We knew who he was and, again, he proved me wrong right — I’ve been telling you guys all along that he was very, very tough.”
On his film study and process for scouting opponents for Tank
“I probably watch more film than — I know more than any of the promoters ‘cause they rely on their matchmakers. But I probably watch as much film as the trainers do. It’s because as a promoter I just like to know what’s going on and feel comfortable. Because, again, I’ve been around the sport so long that I understand a lot more than most. I can honestly say that.
“I be in the gym too. Ya’ll just don’t see it, the cameras. I hit the bag and the speed bag and jump (rope), I do all that stuff myself too. Stay sharp and know what’s going on.”
On if he thinks he could take on another promoter like Eddie Hearn
“I’ll knock that motherfucker cold out. Period! And I wish he would...man, come on, don’t get me started. I’m telling you, ya’ll be asking questions, ya’ll gonna get that boy fucked up. I’m telling you, I don’t play them type of games. See they might do that over there, I don’t play them type of games.
“He’s a good promoter, I give him credit, he’s a good promoter. He thinks he’s a lot better than what he actually is, and to be honest, it’s like he don’t know what the fuck he doing. Like for example, since ya’ll gonna go there, it’s like their event they had last night (Haney-Diaz) — has nothing to do with Devin ‘cause Devin and Bill are doing a very good job, especially with what they’re working with — but again, it’s like they’re fighting on a platform that nobody fuckin’ watches for starters. That’s one of the reason why it’s taken time to build his profile because people don’t even know who he is like that, other than the die hard fans.
“For an example, as a promoter you plan a fight, and I think they might’ve change the date, but you bring a fight to Las Vegas in a bigger venue than you had the last time and you sold half the house the last time you was in Vegas — in a smaller venue. But you move to a bigger venue — I know why, because they couldn’t get no other venue — and guess why? Because they got the top comedy show that’s going with one of the best comics in the entire world...as a culture Martin Lawrence is dope!
“They plan a fight the same damn day, in the same damn time as Martin Lawrence is — does that make any sense?...Devin’s core audience, all the people that I knew was going to the comedy show ‘cause they’ve been waiting to see Martin Lawrence for a while...But (Hearn) don’t know that ‘cause he don’t know what the fuck he’s doing. So he puts the kid at a disadvantage and I just feel bad for him but I don’t worry about that. Ya’ll asked me the question, that’s why I’m answering the question.
“(Hearn) thinks he’s better than what he is because it’s the arrogance...he comes over here and just thinks ‘I’m gonna take over America’ and you don’t even know what the fuck you doing! And that’s been proven, that’s why the whole DAZN thing has flopped and who’s at the head of that?
“I don’t want to play them games of going back and forth with it because if he say something to me it’s gonna be a little different. Ya’ll gonna see a different kind of side of me so I just want to keep it moving and don’t even ask me no questions about that man because somebody gonna fuck around and get hurt, I’m telling you. And I mean that.”