Ndou's nine rounds with Mayweather

AHEAD of tomorrow's superfight between Floyd Mayweather Jr and Saul Alvarez, Australia's Lovemore Ndou tells of the time he sparred Mayweather.

Lovemore Ndou

LOVEMORE Ndou says, when it comes to defining Floyd Mayweather, he always starts with their first sparring session six years ago.

"Yeah, we went nine rounds," the Sydney boxer recalls. "And I mean nine straight rounds -- no breaks, no bells, no water, nothing.

"I've been in this business a long time but I've never seen anyone spar that many rounds without a pause before."

The highest paid athlete anywhere on the planet -- his wristwatch alone worth $3 million -- Mayweather will look to take his unbeaten streak to 45 fights against Mexican superstar Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez in Las Vegas this Sunday.

With both the WBC and WBA junior welterweight titles in the line, it is shaping as the biggest Pay-Per-View event in boxing history.

And why not? Between them, the pair have fought 87 times. Lost none. With Ndou the only Australian to have shared a ring with both.

Working as Mayweather's main sparring partner before the flashy American fought Ricky Hatton in 2007, Ndou also fought Alvarez himself for a world title in 2010, losing via unanimous decision.

"And I think Floyd wins this weekend -- points decision," says the 42-year-old, now working as a lawyer in Sydney's west. "He has the skills, the speed and no one in boxing works harder.

Mayweather Alvarez

"As his main sparring partner, I was on call 24/7. There were times I'd be woken at 3am with someone saying 'get yourself to the gym, Floyd is ready to spar."

Which isn't to take anything away from Alvarez, the fighter who combines the two most deadly, if somewhat unlikely, traits found anywhere on the planet -- Mexican blood and red hair.

"Oh, he can fight," Lovemore continues. "But Canelo's built up his record fighting a lot of smaller guys like myself. I know they talk about his power but I didn't see it. Take nothing away from him though, he's a great fighter . . . just not good enough to beat Floyd."