All business: Promoter 50 Cent 'passionate' about boxing

• 50 Cent believes boxing's demographic skews too old, and wants to change it
• His top fighter, Yuriorkis Gamboa, will fight on the Pacquiao-Marquez undercard
• He says his split with Floyd Mayweather was about more than just money.

Hip hop artist and rap star 50 Cent says boxing's demographic skews too old, and he believes he's the right person to help it grow young again.

Meet 50 Cent, boxing promoter.

The rap mogul, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, will get a chance to put a lot more than pocket change on the line next week as he descends on Las Vegas with his fledgling company, SMS Promotions, and his exciting young boxer, undefeated Yuriorkis Gamboa, who will fight on the undercard of the Dec. 8 Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez pay-per-view card at the MGM Grand.

50 Cent wants people to know that while he will continue to move forward with his music career — he has a new album soon to be released — he is not in the boxing business as a lark.

"I'm passionate about (boxing)," he told USA TODAY Sports on Thursday, prior to his media day with Gamboa at the Fortune Gym in Hollywood. "I want to make exciting fights. I want to be part of the history of boxing, not just play around a little bit, and then jump out."

People expected him to jump out, he believes, following his very public falling out with longtime friend and short-time business partner Floyd Mayweather Jr., in a Twitter war of words several weeks ago.

The two traded online blows after Mayweather's ultimately declined to ante up his share of their original partnered promotional company, TMT (The Money Team). 50 Cent said they knew they had to pay big bucks to Top Rank Promotions for the rights to Gamboa — $1.2 million to be exact. Mayweather backed out.

But 50 Cent moved ahead with his own company, SMS Promotions, and signed three fighters — Gamboa, Andre Dirrell and Billy Dibs. He said they will soon announce the signing of two more fighters. And he became licensed to promote in New Jersey and Nevada, two key boxing states.

"A lot of people expected me to pull out immediately after Floyd decided not to," said Fifty, who survived being shot and struck with nine bullets. "Fighters didn't come to TMT (now SMS) Promotions feeling secure about Floyd's business acumen.

"They respect Floyd as an actual fighter and where he's at in his career, but they're excited about my knowledge and brand extension opportunities, because they're aware that (former heavyweight champion) George Foreman made more money selling a grill than boxing."

Efforts to reach for Floyd for comment were unsuccessful.

Rapper respects Top Rank

50 Cent acknowledged ups and downs since his arrival in the boxing business. Some have been receptive to the idea of a hip hop star as promoter, he says.

"They understand how it can bring new life into the sport," he says. "But some were intimidated by it. I had people immediately make me their enemy."

Fifty said Top Rank Promotions, with whom he is working on the Pacquiao-Marquez card, has welcomed him.

"Particularly (Top Rank chairman) Bob Arum," the rapper said. "He's the 800-pound gorilla. He's one of the guys . . . that's why he's so successful. Top Rank has been one of the companies that's willing to support fighters and actually invest in them. That's why your top fighters today have Top Rank in common, whether it's Floyd Mayweather Jr., Manny Pacquiao, (Miguel) Cotto, (Timothy) Bradley, they all went through Top Rank."

Communicating with people such as Top Rank President Todd duBoef has helped 50 Cent get his bearings.

"He's a smart guy. These guys pay really close attention to what's going on, and I just like to see what their thoughts are moving forward," he said.

The music mogul, who is considering moving his base of operations from New York to Las Vegas, said there are similarities between the music and boxing industries. One is that there's lots of young talent in both areas that often does not have more experienced people around to help them make good decisions early on.

"What's really cool though, is hip hop culture is a youthful-driven art form, and the connection with youth is a demographic that needs to be brought into boxing," he said. "Like the UFC — their demographic is that 56% of the fans watching are 15-34 years old.

"Boxing's demo is 30 and up. At a boxing match you look in those first rows and all you see are suits and really nice dresses. Boxing is more traditional, but they need to bring youth into it, and get them involved. And they will be when they see people in it with connections to other platforms.

"I think I can completely bring youthfulness into it."

Expand the brand

50 Cent mentions undefeated super middleweight champion Andre Ward, who was a former Olympic teammate and remains a friend of his fighter, Dirrell. Ward's manager is James Prince, known in the hip hop world as J Prince, the CEO of Rap-a-Lot Records in Houston.

"When that fight is made, there's going to be excitement from areas and people who don't usually tune in to it," 50 Cent said, "because they're going to feel it's 50 Cent vs. J Prince. Not just Ward vs. Dirrell."

He hopes such a fight can be made as soon as possible. It had been tossed around for a few years before Dirrell suffered an injury in the Super Six World Boxing Classic that kept him out of the ring for nearly two years.

"Andre Ward may want to wait a little while, though," Fifty said. "Nobody is in a hurry to lose. You got to make the real tough matchups in order to make the sport exciting."

As for Mayweather, 50 Cent said the investment dispute caused a rift. But he says what damaged the relationship had nothing to do with money.

"Floyd is like a brother to me. I'm an only child, and we have a relationship, we're close," he said, "but I'm upset with him more because when his son broke his arm, he didn't call me or text me and let me know exactly what was going on. (It was) more about that than actually deciding not to be partners."

Fifty doesn't like what he perceives to be negligence among the people around Mayweather, who made $85 million in his last two fights for a little more than one hour in the ring. They're intelligent, he believes, but are not providing the 35-year-old fighter with the basic necessities.

"For a fighter of his caliber, there are certain basic things that are put into place when you're in that kind of financial situation," Fifty said. "Like — and this is really basic — an accountant."

Fifty, now 37, has trained as a boxer and at one time entertained the notion of fighting on a Mayweather undercard. But those days, he says, are long gone.

"I'd box Floyd in a celebrity boxing match," he says.

And, like everything else about the rapper, promoter and entrepreneur, he was serious.