KELLY SWANSON, the expert publicist who represents Floyd Mayweather, has illustrated the sheer scale of her manโs May 2 mega-fight with Manny Pacquiao. After telling the March 12 issue of Boxing News magazine the fight had come โat just the right timeโ, countering the critics and killjoys lamenting that the fight did not take place closer to the prime of the two combatants, she outlined just how big an attraction the showdown is, even two months before fight night.
โWeโre planning the press conference in Los Angeles for this Wednesday and the requests weโre receiving from the media โ not just the regular boxing media but international news organisations and outlets, network news and morning shows here โ I think weโre seeing something phenomenal,โ Swanson told us, exclusively. โItโs just amazing. I got an email yesterday from the Goodyear Blimp and they want to do a flyover of the press conference and itโs not even outside! I told them and they said, โOh no, we can still do it.โ”
The relationship between Mayweather and Swanson has come a long way. The pair will celebrate 10 years together around the time of the Pacquiao fight, Kelly coming on board the team in the build-up to Floydโs scintillating 2005 win over Arturo Gatti. Her humility precludes her from claiming much credit for Mayweatherโs rapid rise, but she concedes her skills may have helped a little.
โWhen we began working together, he was just starting to move the needle,โ she recalled. โThat Gatti fight was huge for him and from there his career really took off. It was perfect timing to help him build the publicity foundation, an image foundation, so as he was getting more popular and continuing to show his strength in the ring, he had the machine behind him to catapult his career to another level.โ
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