Floyd Mayweather Jr. has reportedly advised Adrien Broner to stay in the Junior Welterweight division and make a comeback fight in the undercard of his May 3 event, the Grand Rapids native said during an interview on Fight Hype.

Mayweather, whose opponent remains unknown for his Cinco de Mayo match, defended his "little brother" from criticism after the 24-year-old boxer absorbed the first defeat of his career at the hands of Argentine brawler Marcos Maidana two weeks ago.

The pound-for-pound champion believed the criticism being hurled towards Broner is unfair, stressing he commended his little bro for emulating his fighting style (the shoulder roll defense - though not perfected) along with his lavish lifestyle.

"Everybody is giving Adrien Broner a hard time and that's not right," Mayweather told Ben Thompson of Fight Hype. "I'm not here to talk bad about him. Everybody says 'Oh he wants to be like Floyd Mayweather.' You know what? I commend him.

"If I was trying to get into basketball and I see a guy who comes from the same background I come from, and he's living the same type of lifestyle that I want to live, and doing the same types of things I want to do, absolutely I'm going to try and follow in his footsteps," he added.

Please Stay at Jr. Welterweight Lil Bro

Knowing the welterweight division will be tougher for Broner, Mayweather advised him to fight in the 140-pound division where the disparity in height and power would not be too disadvantageous for him.

Broner had asked organizers for an immediate rematch with Maidana, but Mayweather believed he should avoid fighting again the brawny Argentine slugger.

"I think what would be a good move for him is this," Mayweather said. "On May 3rd fight on my undercard. You know, fight a solid guy at 140, get back on track, get your career in order."

Money May also criticized his father, Floyd Sr., and uncle Roger for making negative comments about Broner's latest performance inside the ring, believing the two have no right to pan a fighter they are not training. 

"I love my dad. I love my uncle Roger, but they need to be more positive. If my dad or Roger is not training a fighter, I don't feel it's right for them to talk negative about a trainer if they're not training the fighter," Mayweather said.