For Those About To Fight: Floyd Mayweather, JR We Don’t Salute You
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By “Big” Bill Bradshaw
I’ve always been a fan of old movies. Modern day filmmakers pump millions into lame scripts and the result amounts to nothing more than a support act for the likes of a Jimmy Cagney classic or that Bogart/Bacall noir that turned our Saturday afternoons into an event. Old boxing movies depicted world weary fighters battling the odds in smoke filled halls while mob goons skulked in the shadows like leeches in suits. These undesirables were usually called ‘Lefty’ and they chewed on cigar butts while spouting lines like “Why I outta” as they raised a fist to threaten a dame. Nowadays, in the very real world of big time boxing, the corruption comes from the inside and the truth is far more sinister than anything that Lefty & Co could ever have imagined. It’s a sad state of affairs that absolute control of the sport lays firmly in the sweaty palms of such a select few but such is game we love.
Speaking of butts and threatening dames, I was surprised at the slant that some fight fans put on the Floyd Mayweather/Manny Pacquiao fiasco this week. Suggestions online that Floyd would be more comfortable fighting Pacquiao’s wife were slightly below the belt and the comments that Mayweather would be more inclined to sign contracts if Manny turned up to talks in a dress simply feed into a negative element. I saw a photo recently of Floyd surrounded by thong clad women who bent over as he checked out their wares and I didn’t detect a bruise on any of them so, perhaps, The Best Ever really has developed a healthy respect for the fairer sex.
Not so with some of his fans unfortunately. In response to my recent article on the proposed bout, a Mayweather fan told me to “leave the soap opera’s for the women” and another went as far as to claim that “All the greats beat their women”. I asked if one had to be a misogynist to be part of their club or could any asshole join. That was 3 days ago and I haven’t had a response so I suspect they’re still going through the dictionary in search of misogynist. I’d imagine they’re probably working through the H’s by now. There is no place in the debate for woman haters and no place in society for domestic abusers. I’m sure that even Floyd Mayweather and his anger management counsellor would agree with that. Another thing that Floyd, apparently, agrees with is the comment made by Alex Ariza that Mayweather will not be fighting Pacquiao in his next bout.
January 21st saw the premier of the Pacquiao documentary ‘Manny’ and Ariza took the opportunity to make the announcement that would break the hearts of fight fans the world over. “It’s not going to happen” he said “We’re fighting May 2nd but it’s not going to be Pacquiao. Hopefully eventually Bob Arum will blow away in the wind or whatever. As soon as we get rid of him, we can get it on”. Eloquently put. But even before the Floyd fanatics had a chance to say it was an imposter employed by Top Rank to scupper the fight, Floyd himself took to Twitter and thanked Ariza for putting the record straight. I think it’s time they oiled the joints on the Arum excuse as the hinges creak badly when they are pulling it from the party bag. Of course the Mayweather faithful jumped on the bandwagon and pointed the finger of blame at the Top Rank maestro without actually knowing why. It just seemed like a good idea I suppose and the alternatives were to kick Floyd to touch for being so blatantly afraid of the amiable Filipino or coming up with a shiny new excuse for their man’s unwillingness to take the fight the world wants to see. Even with the money TMT has, it would be difficult to employ a team creative enough to find a legitimate reason for the fight not to go ahead when Pacquiao has agreed to all of Floyd terms but Mayweather himself has not.
The fanatics will dispute this. They will say that nothing has been agreed and that Manny is merely lying to the public but it’s hard to dismiss his claims when Floyd doesn’t dispute the statements. In an interview this week, Mayweather said that Manny is nothing more than a chess piece and he has only agreed to what his management team have told him to agree to. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, hides behind its fans like a duck….then it’s a duck. It makes no difference why Pacquiao has agreed to the terms or on whose instruction, the fact remains that he has agreed and the worst that Floyd can do is question his motivations for doing so. The clock is ticking and time is running out. It’s all about the money as TBE would say and fights have to be arranged regardless of who has the balls to fight who. After a ridiculous amount of time has been granted to TMT to agree this bout, Top Rank is giving Floyd until the end of this month to sign contracts. An announcement was to be expected at Superbowl but the possibility of that being a confirmation of the mega bout are fading fast. So what happens next?
Should Floyd announce a May 2nd rematch with Miguel Cotto, as many expect, Pacquiao would then enter into negotiations with unbeaten WBA Light Welterweight champion Jessie Vargas and ultra dangerous Amir Khan who Floyd also refuses to engage with. Khan now joins that ever growing list of fighters who have spooked TBE. Either way, the fanatics will scoff at the competition for no other reason than to please their master. But, should Cotto be the way forward for Mayweather, the wider world of boxing will certainly lose the last shreds of respect that it may still harbour for the once great fighter and the legacy will be over ever before his contract is finished. That Floyd would be forgotten but not gone seems like a fitting epitaph for a man whose career is all about the litany of great fights that didn’t happen and not about the few that did.
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