"If I'm insane, it's the fame made a brother change
It wasn't nuthin like the game
It's just me against the world" - Tupac Shakur

It's been a long time.

A long time since Floyd Mayweather Jr. fought for the joy of the sport of boxing. A long time since he fought without pain tearing through his hands, and a long time since he flashed his million dollar smile for the world to see.

Life has gotten in the way of his joy, and he's got the scars to show it. Some of those cuts were of his making, while others are the result of the media's fascination with tearing down those it builds up.

But boxing won't wait for the WBC lightweight champion.

On October 5, Mayweather re-enters the ring with the only man to seriously test him as a professional, Jose Luis Castillo. It's a chance to silence an ever-growing legion of critics, but the 25-year-old doesn't care about pleasing his detractors anymore. He's here on business, and the Michigan native is not the young man he was a year ago.

"I don't go by what the media says," Mayweather told MaxBoxing from his training camp in Las Vegas. "They're always trying to be negative and going by things they don't know nothing about. But I'm not really worried about that. I'm going to be the same old Floyd and do what I've got to do."

What he has to do is erase the bad taste surrounding his April bout with Castillo, a bout many believed the Mexican won. Mayweather won a controversial decision, and only showed fleeting glimpses of his otherworldly talent.

"It was an easy fight actually," insists Mayweather. "Very easy."

Putting bravado aside, the former junior lightweight champion brought more than expectations into the ring for his first bout at 135 pounds. An injured shoulder, a domestic legal situation, and derogatory public comments made by his father, Floyd Sr., all accompanied Mayweather Jr. from the dressing room to the ring.

So it was far from an "easy" fight, even before the bell rang. But Mayweather persevered, fought on, and got the victory. And once again, he excelled in the middle of a chaotic storm, something he's become an expert at, but a situation that is ultimately unhealthy, in and out of the ring.

"People are just waiting for my downfall," said Mayweather. "They want to see me lose. Everybody at the top has lost at the top of their game. I'm not gonna lose. I'm gonna keep working hard, and doing what I've got to do."

The physical part should be easy, if he can keep healthy until the first bell rings. "I'm just going to be able to use two hands in this fight," he said of the rematch with Castillo. "I'm going to use the jab to set up my right hand a lot more. My left jab sets up everything, but my arm was hurting. I'm going to go out there, stay focused, listen to my uncle, and get the job done."

Easier said than done. When asked for the last time he fought a complete fight without pain, he hesitates. "Man, it's been a while."

Mayweather hesitates again before qualifying his statement, "But if you notice, I've been hurt in a majority of my fights and still came out victorious against top-notch opponents."

He's never been hurt by an opponent, and has rarely even been hit cleanly until the Castillo fight. The pain has been in his fragile hands, hands that have inflicted punishment and losses on all of his 28 opponents. And he's still among the top pound for pound fighters in the world. A healthy Mayweather is a scary thought for opponents - and he knows it.

"Believe me, a 100% Floyd Mayweather is gonna put on a show that people ain't ever seen before," he said.

****************** "Recollect your thoughts, don't get caught up in the mix
Cause the media is full of dirty tricks." - Tupac Shakur The theme around Floyd Mayweather's camp this time is positivity. He needs it. Almost always with a smile, Mayweather has seen that smile slowly fade into the background. And for a fighter whose stream of consciousness comments have made him a quotable favorite among the media, he has become tight-lipped and very aware of how much he chooses to reveal to strangers.

Like many young professional athletes, Mayweather has been burned. He's made himself accessible, and it's come back to bite him. Sometimes, what makes you a great story or a great quote also makes you a target. And Mayweather, a pro since the age of 18, and a champion since 21, has learned the cost of growing up in public.

"A lot of people judge you and don't even know you," said Mayweather. "I'm just here to live my life for my family and my kids."

"Pretty Boy" has also made his own problems, issues that get magnified when you are one of the top professional boxers in the world. And maybe he's learned his lessons, maybe he hasn't. A recent incident regarding one of his children's mothers, in which she alleged being run off the road by a vehicle owned by the champion (but in which he was only a passenger), doesn't bode well for his future. But only time will tell that tale.

One thing is evident, though, and that is Mayweather is not the same kid who joked and jived before a fight many figured that he would lose - to Diego Corrales. If there were any doubts about Mayweather's sklls, they were erased on that night, when the Las Vegan put on a dominating performance on par with the landmark nights turned in by some of boxing's greats. He was that good. And that special.

"I don't feel I'm special," said Mayweather. "Floyd Mayweather is a very good fighter, that's all."

A year ago, Mayweather would have waxed poetically about his skills, his place in history, and any number of topics relating to his special qualities. Not anymore.

"I'm not being modest," he said. "You just want me to say something I'm not going to say."

************************************* "Exposed foes with my hocus pocus flows they froze
Now suckers idolize my chosen blows
And mo' money means litigatin, mo' playa hatin" - Tupac Shakur

"The money is good, but there's no limit to what I'm worth. The sport is cool, but it's a job now. I already fought a hundred fights for free. Now as a professional, this is my reward." - Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Our reward is watching the artistry of Mayweather in the ring. From his footwork to his blinding handspeed, his defensive artistry and offensive explosions set him apart from his peers. Far apart. And as far as physical gifts go, the only fighter that may compare to Mayweather today is Roy Jones Jr., - with one key difference.

"Roy Jones and me are two different fighters," said Mayweather. "I'm fighting real opponents; I'm not fighting cabdrivers. I'm not saying he can't beat top-notch opponents, but I'm fighting the top-notch guys in my weight class. You can't compare the two. I think Roy Jones is one of the best; he's a helluva fighter, but it would be a lot more exciting if he had some competition."

Competition. Mayweather will have plenty in the form of Jose Luis Castillo, Paul Spadafora, and whomever he may run into in an expected jump to the junior welterweight division. He has the skills to beat any prospective opponents, but it's his flaws that make him even more compelling. Will his hands hold up, will he keep it together outside the ring, and can he survive against bigger and stronger opponents?

All 'Pretty Boy Floyd' wants is a W.

"My favorite part is winning," said Mayweather. "No matter how I win, as long as I come out victorious. It could be by one point, it could be by knockout, or it could be by a few points. Winning is everything to me."

It's not for sport anymore. Winning means money. And while most sportswriters want to hear athletes proclaim that they're doing it for the love of the game, the bottom line is that in a life and death sport like boxing, money means security. And getting hit in the head is a tough way to get that security.

"Boxing is just my job," said Mayweather. "I look at boxing as my job. I stay focused on winning - look good doing it, and if you don't look good, still get the win the best way you know how, under any circumstances."

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is still honest, even if he's not as gregarious as he used to be. A decisive win over Castillo will return some of the lost luster to his star, and maybe he'll even smile with the joy we're accustomed to.

But he doesn't owe us that.

He owes us what he gives during those 45 minutes within the ropes. For the most part, he hasn't disappointed. And Mayweather says as long as that stays the same, "It's cool."

It's what he owes himself and his children that may be less than black and white, and what will be more important than whatever he accomplishes in the ring.

That may be his biggest fight.