The mega-fight of the decade is fast approaching on May 1st between five-time World Champion Sugar Shane Mosley and the undefeated six-time world championship holder Floyd Mayweather Jr.

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Mayweather Jr. has done much in his short retirement away from the ring by forging a new relationship with his father, Floyd Sr. (pictured above left); focusing on his four children and renewing his vigor for boxing, showing no signs of ring rust in his incredible win over Juan Manuel Marquez last September.

Both Shane and Floyd have fathers that have molded them into the men and fighters they are today. Floyd Sr. and brothers Jeff and Roger were champion fighters in their own right, before training Floyd Jr.

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Floyd Sr. lost to the legendary Sugar Ray Leonard right before his knee was practically blown off by a 20-gauge shotgun at the hands of Floyd Jr.'s uncle as his then-1-year-old son sat in his arms. Though he fought again almost a year after the tragedy, his career would never be the same. But he used that energy to train his youngest son who as a toddler was already punching at doorknobs-the only thing he could reach.

His father is credited with teaching him the defensive skills that have made him a champion.

And like father, like son, they are both flamboyant personalities that have re-invigorated the energy of a sport that had lost some of its glory since the days of Hagler vs. Hearns, the Sugars: Sugar Ray Leonard and Robinson and Muhammad Ali.

Here, Mayweather Sr. talks to Aol. Black Voices about the tragedies and triumphs, he and his son's relationship and how his son will terrorize Shane come May 1st.

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Floyd Mayweather Sr.: I would like to see him, if he wants to, to do maybe one or two more fights. There's no need for more, he's made himself a ton of money. The older you get, the more the body gets softer. You ain't got what you had, the speed, the leg movement, you don't see as good, life changes daily. Of course, I can say enough is enough, as a father, but he's grown, I can have my opinions about it, but whether he follows it is another story.

What advantage does Floyd have , something that you've contributed to his boxing skills since he was little, that will enable him to emerge victorious in this fight?

Pretty much everything he's doing. I believe that my son will win. Floyd is a good listener.

What about your own career as a boxer, do you think you could have taken it all the way?

It wasn't in the cards for me to be world champion. I was a hell of a fighter, my son got a lot of it from me, the behind the shoulders, the shoulder roll, and other shots and things. I got shot with a 20-gauge shotgun in 1978 or 1979. They were talking about amputating my leg. I still came back to be the No.1 contender in the world after I got shot, I was right up under the champion. It just wasn't in the cards for me, all the skills my friends had I had the same or better. I didn't make it, but I trained him to where he did the job. Nobody can take anything from me with my son. Me being a champion wasn't in the cards, but me being a trainer, it was meant for me to be a champion in another way.
I got shot with little Floyd in my hands. Lil' Floyd's mother's brother shot me, his uncle. He cocked the shotgun and threw it right in my face. He told his sister to get the baby. He pointed the gun down to my leg, and I just turned, if he had hit me in the front he would have blew my whole leg off, it practically did get blown off. I tried to run in the other room, but he hit me and I went down. Floyd was 1 years old at the time. When I fell down, I put little Floyd to the side I grabbed my leg. The pain was a vicious, unbearable type of pain. But believe it or not I was still having words with him and not no pleasant words either. I don't want to say anything bad about him 'cause he passed, last year, I think from a heart attack.

What was the recovery process for you like?

I stayed in the hospital for three months. I had five surgeries and the biggest thing was to make a comeback. I came back and fought before a year was up. I was running and limping bad, but people didn't even know I have a little limp. I can still run as fast and hard as anyone else. It's been over 32 years since I was shot, I've run in two marathons after I got shot. It was like 15 and half miles. Half the world can't run that far with good legs. It happened and the Lord blessed me to have my legs. I got my leg damn near blew off. You could have put a fist through my leg, you could put one through one side and both of them through the other side. I'm blessed every day I wake up.

Do you have any regrets or is there anything you would have done differently if you could do it over?

Of course, there are a lot of things I would have done differently, but it's that path that was taken that's the path you gotta stay on. I'm a happy man, I got eight grandkids, and I love them. It's a beautiful thing. I think my grandbaby that lives in the house with me, she's keeping me living. My grandbaby wants to do everything with me. That's the love we have.

You and Floyd didn't talk for nine years, so how difficult was that for you personally?

My son is like me in a lot of ways, a lot of things I did. I'm a strong type of person and my son is the same way, but we all got feelings, we can talk what we want, but at the end of the day, we all got feelings. Many a days, I cried. I really never told nobody that but you. I guess I can tell the whole world. We all cry somewhere; a lot of people cry secretly. It was like a hurt where like somebody dies, the kid is no longer talking to you, your own kid. It's sad. It's even worse when you raise your son up to be what he is. I did everything I could for my son, I went to prison for my son, not just for him, I also did it for myself 'cause I was doing wrong, but it was also to help my son get through boxing. In the end, he made it. There's a lot of stuff still yet to be talked about. Time is promised to nobody, we just take it a day at a time. I feel like I was the best father I could be. And it showed.

How did you get back together?

I think my son gave me a call, I don't remember exactly what happened, wherever it happened, it was a pleasurable thing.

At, what point did you know Floyd Jr. was going to be a professional boxer?

You couldn't believe Lil' Floyd when you seen him, when he was 3 or 4 years old, he would beat on the knobs on the door, on the doorknob, throwing upper cuts. I told people a long time ago, I said he's gonna be No. 1 in the world and everything came to light.

What do you do outside of boxing?

I am a very accomplished visual artist. I can't really do that no more, I stopped painting because I have a lung disease, sarcoidosis, now going on nine years. I take it a day at a time. Whether you know it, you're taking it a day at a time. No different from you. We're here today and gone tomorrow. Nine years I've had this. I am very fortunate and blessed by the man above to be here today, just taking it one day at a time.

How does it affect you physically? Are you not able to do things you were able to do before?

Whoa,whoa, hold up. Let me explain something to you, my body's built like Atlas, ain't nothing weak about me, just cause I got sarcoidosis, ain't nobody running up on me like that. I'm 57 years old, and I got a six pack, and I got nice arms chest, everything.

[Laughs] I know, I saw you on 24/7.
[Laughs] Alright, then.

What round is it gonna be for Floyd to win?

Let me just read you what I wrote: I'm Floyd Mayweather Sr., I want to let everyone know right here on HBO, that this fight will not go past 11, and you heard that from me first on 24/7.

Watch the Mayweather family here:


You can also watch Mayweather and Shane face up here: