By Ryan Songalia
There are no doubts - and foolish ones, if any - as to Floyd Mayweather's claim to being the man in boxing. Forget beating De La Hoya, although that in itself was a grand achievement. Mayweather won his first world championship after only one year as a pro in 1998, and the man still wears his crown without a mark on his ledger. Say what you want, but that's pretty impressive.
Now he's finally where he wants to be. Much later than he hoped to arrive, Mayweather is finally a marketable figure who commands the public's attention unlike any other person in boxing. He is the new Golden Boy. Or so one might think.
It would be a stretch of sorts to say that Mayweather has been an innocent martyr of the media's sadism. Floyd has been his own worst enemy out of the ring, making bad decisions that have adversely affected his career and potential business ventures. From the night club brawls to baby mama drama, the general public does not want to invest in a villain, it wants Superman.
"It might hurt his image," says author Thomas Hauser of Mayweather's out-of-the-ring exploits, "but I don't think it hurts his pay-per-view buys. [Mike] Tyson had some issues in the criminal court system and it didn't hurt his marketability."
"I'll tell you one thing," states Boxing Confidential Editor Mike Marley, "no one's accused him of dog-fighting like the charges Michael Vick is facing. He pretends to be a thug and a rap music hard-guy, but it's all an act. I don't see what all the negativity is about with Floyd Mayweather Jr."
Truth is, when Floyd is composed, he has that golden appeal that could make him a media darling. He has the smile, the charisma, he is an articulate young man. Floyd is, for the most part, wonderful with the media. But he doesn't embrace his likeable personality, opting instead to relate to the urban market and alienating Madison Avenue.
While Marley doesn't feel Wheaties will be knocking on his door anytime soon, he does believe a market exists for the pseudo-thug Mayweather. "Being a younger, edgy guy, maybe he'll get some products geared towards younger, edgier people. On the other hand, when a guy makes 20 million for a fight, does he really give a flying you-know-what if Nike give him some endorsements?"
Outside of Oscar De La Hoya's milk mustache posters and Ray Leonard and son sipping Sprites, when else have you seen Corporate America give a damn about boxing? At the end of the day, boxing is about two men punching each other in the face and abdomen. It's not like he'd be handing a trophy to Hillary Duff at the Kid's Choice Awards otherwise.
Floyd's uncle, former contender and trainer Jeff Mayweather, says that Floyd has been a detriment to himself with his gangsta image. "He got caught up in that hip hop bullsh*t. Floyd went down the wrong path and buying into this image of cars and jewelry and making himself look like a fool. He's acting like he's n*gga rich. As an athlete that made 40 million dollars already, why would he have to project that image at all?"
"Pretty Boy's" autobiography will probably read like a Horatio Alger novel. "I looked up to drug dealers because that's where I came from," says Floyd Junior. "My father was a drug dealer, my mother was on drugs. It was never a cake walk for me."
"He never had one bad day," says Jeff Mayweather. "I don't give a f*ck about his father selling drugs. His father was providing for him. He never had his son out selling drugs. His mother was a crackhead, but she never did sh*t for him anyway. When he talks about that, those are just images. While his parents were out messing up, his Grandmother was raising him. That's who was taking care of him."
Most of Floyd's image stems from his open defiance of convention and standards, the standoffish look-at-me-now attitude that suggests a desire to be seen as a great entity his way. Jeff Mayweather claims that the persona of Floyd is merely a false representation of who he is as a person.
"How could you be a thug when you haven't done nothing your whole life?" Jeff Mayweather asked of his nephew rhetorically. "You never were in the hood, you never did nothing but box your whole life. You never had to struggle, you weren't starving. That whole story about him wanting for things is bullsh*t. At some point in his life he decided that this is the image he wanted to project because it's a facade."
The youngest uncle of Floyd claims that he hasn't spoken to his nephew in 8 years. "We don't have anything to talk about. What are we gonna talk about, 50 Cent? Snoop Dogg?"
"You want to be like 50 Cent? Go get shot nine times."
Nonetheless, Floyd's incredible talent does continue to enthrall and fascinate young fans, who are the most impressionable among observers. Like Muhammad Ali, Ray Leonard, and Roy Jones before him, he is the fighter that kids at the local boxing gyms strive to emulate.
But 12-year-olds don't buy tickets. The crowd that buys tickets to boxing fights are influenced by the media. That's where Floyd Junior's negative image most reveals itself as a detriment. "It's his personality," says Jeff Mayweather. "That's why Floyd's not accepted. The way he lives his life."
Shortly before the De La Hoya fight, Floyd Junior briefly opened his camp to his father Floyd Sr. to replace the then-incarcerated Roger Mayweather. The conflict was that Floyd Senior was the trainer of "The Golden Boy", which in turn led to the severing of Floyd Senior's primary source of income.
"It was a tough decision to make," says Jeff of his brother Floyd Senior, "but the only decision he should've made was to put himself out of the situation. His son hasn't done anything for him, except for treat him with no respect. His son used him to get under De La Hoya's skin. I think that worked out, but he also collapsed his father's livelihood in the process."
The Floyd Mayweathers' have long had a strained relationship, which became irreparable when, at age 15, the young Floyd Junior parted ways with his father, who was on his way to prison for selling drugs. For five years Floyd Junior was his own man, an independence he had never previously enjoyed.
"Once he got that feeling, "says Jeff, "he never wanted to be back in that situation. It's a sad situation that can never be fixed, unless little Floyd becomes a man."
"It was like a Joe Jackson situation, where he created this monstrous machine, but he wasn't able to teach him how to be a man. Don't get me wrong, Floyd Senior accomplished making his son into a great fighter. Joe Jackson was successful in making Michael Jackson into probably the greatest entertainer ever. But look at him as a person. Just like Floyd is a great fighter, but look at him as a person. Sometimes that's the price that you pay when you focus on only one thing."
HBO's 24/7 show profiled the contrast between De La Hoya and Mayweather. Oscar, as usual, was depicted as the good guy. Floyd was cast as the villain. Jeff Mayweather feels that Floyd missed out on an opportunity to alter public perception of himself.
"Floyd's not even intelligent enough to realize how he's being portrayed. He could've shown people that he was an alright guy. Sadly, he doesn't realize he's being made a fool of on national TV. It's an embarrassment to me and my last name."
Mike Marley offers another perspective. He feels that the Floyd Mayweathers' made 24/7 and the fight a financial success.
"The show would've been as boring as Hopkins-Wright if it wasn't for Floyd Junior. All of that flash, high-roller big willy stuff, that made the show interesting. It was the soap opera of boxing. With Oscar, you had to put on the snooze alarm. All of that gentleman stuff, wake me up when he's done!"
While Jeff Mayweather lambastes Floyd Junior as a person, he equally praises his worth as a fighter.
"As far as ability, Floyd is the best fighter on the planet. No one even comes close. He will have to go down as a great fighter. As far as securing the legacy that he wants, no he won't, if he stays retired (after Hatton)."
Floyd's constant battle for respect hit a snag when, before the Carlos Baldomir fight, he claimed to be the superior of "Sugar" Ray Robinson, the generally-accepted pick for greatest boxer of all time.
"He was out of line when he said that," Marley says. "We all made fun of it from the TV, but it's better than Mr. Humble Pie with the 'I do my talking in the ring' lines. He likes to provoke and stimulate. I don't think he believes half of what he says about himself. You're not always gonna like what he says, but you have to admit he's never dull."
Jeff Mayweather draws parallels between Robinson and Junior, stating, "If you take Floyd fighting Arturo Gatti in black and white, you're looking at [Ray Robinson-Jake Lamotta VI.]"
When asked whether he felt Mayweather was in the class of Robinson and Ray Leonard, Marley responded, "Absolutely. It's not only that he's the best fighter in the world, he's so dominant. This kid has such great athletic skills, he's almost unbeatable."
Hauser analyzes, "Floyd Mayweather is a very good fighter, but he still hasn't had that signature fight to prove that he is a legendary great. He would be competitive with most fighters in his weight class in any generation. But being competitive with someone doesn't mean you could beat them. As a fighter, I don't think Floyd belongs in that category. Certainly he hasn't proven it yet."
Consensus though is that there are only three fights that Mayweather has remaining to consider; Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, and Shane Mosley. Floyd would be favored over all three of them, but the possibility for disaster looms over those affairs. Fighting any of them would not only bring big money, they would help cement his legacy as a great.
"I would love to see Mayweather fight Miguel Cotto," says Hauser. Maybe Floyd would outbox Cotto over twelve rounds or maybe Cotto would wear him down. I don't think we're going to see Floyd Mayweather get in the ring with Miguel Cotto any time soon. Floyd Mayweather fighting Ricky Hatton isn't going to prove anything. Floyd is bigger than Ricky, he's too fast for him. That's just a money fight. A fight against Shane Mosley would be interesting, although I think Shane is too slow for Mayweather right now. When [Floyd] fought Oscar, he was seeking the most marketable opponent possible. If he wants to win the hearts of hardcore boxing fans, he should seek out the toughest opponents in his weight class."
Now the subject of magazine covers and television cameos, Floyd Mayweather Junior, like him or not, is the new face of boxing. How well he represents the sport is a subject of heated debate, but he's young, energetic, vibrant, and colorful. In a sport that is what it is, what more can you ask for?
There are no doubts - and foolish ones, if any - as to Floyd Mayweather's claim to being the man in boxing. Forget beating De La Hoya, although that in itself was a grand achievement. Mayweather won his first world championship after only one year as a pro in 1998, and the man still wears his crown without a mark on his ledger. Say what you want, but that's pretty impressive.
Now he's finally where he wants to be. Much later than he hoped to arrive, Mayweather is finally a marketable figure who commands the public's attention unlike any other person in boxing. He is the new Golden Boy. Or so one might think.
It would be a stretch of sorts to say that Mayweather has been an innocent martyr of the media's sadism. Floyd has been his own worst enemy out of the ring, making bad decisions that have adversely affected his career and potential business ventures. From the night club brawls to baby mama drama, the general public does not want to invest in a villain, it wants Superman.
"It might hurt his image," says author Thomas Hauser of Mayweather's out-of-the-ring exploits, "but I don't think it hurts his pay-per-view buys. [Mike] Tyson had some issues in the criminal court system and it didn't hurt his marketability."
"I'll tell you one thing," states Boxing Confidential Editor Mike Marley, "no one's accused him of dog-fighting like the charges Michael Vick is facing. He pretends to be a thug and a rap music hard-guy, but it's all an act. I don't see what all the negativity is about with Floyd Mayweather Jr."
Truth is, when Floyd is composed, he has that golden appeal that could make him a media darling. He has the smile, the charisma, he is an articulate young man. Floyd is, for the most part, wonderful with the media. But he doesn't embrace his likeable personality, opting instead to relate to the urban market and alienating Madison Avenue.
While Marley doesn't feel Wheaties will be knocking on his door anytime soon, he does believe a market exists for the pseudo-thug Mayweather. "Being a younger, edgy guy, maybe he'll get some products geared towards younger, edgier people. On the other hand, when a guy makes 20 million for a fight, does he really give a flying you-know-what if Nike give him some endorsements?"
Outside of Oscar De La Hoya's milk mustache posters and Ray Leonard and son sipping Sprites, when else have you seen Corporate America give a damn about boxing? At the end of the day, boxing is about two men punching each other in the face and abdomen. It's not like he'd be handing a trophy to Hillary Duff at the Kid's Choice Awards otherwise.
Floyd's uncle, former contender and trainer Jeff Mayweather, says that Floyd has been a detriment to himself with his gangsta image. "He got caught up in that hip hop bullsh*t. Floyd went down the wrong path and buying into this image of cars and jewelry and making himself look like a fool. He's acting like he's n*gga rich. As an athlete that made 40 million dollars already, why would he have to project that image at all?"
"Pretty Boy's" autobiography will probably read like a Horatio Alger novel. "I looked up to drug dealers because that's where I came from," says Floyd Junior. "My father was a drug dealer, my mother was on drugs. It was never a cake walk for me."
"He never had one bad day," says Jeff Mayweather. "I don't give a f*ck about his father selling drugs. His father was providing for him. He never had his son out selling drugs. His mother was a crackhead, but she never did sh*t for him anyway. When he talks about that, those are just images. While his parents were out messing up, his Grandmother was raising him. That's who was taking care of him."
Most of Floyd's image stems from his open defiance of convention and standards, the standoffish look-at-me-now attitude that suggests a desire to be seen as a great entity his way. Jeff Mayweather claims that the persona of Floyd is merely a false representation of who he is as a person.
"How could you be a thug when you haven't done nothing your whole life?" Jeff Mayweather asked of his nephew rhetorically. "You never were in the hood, you never did nothing but box your whole life. You never had to struggle, you weren't starving. That whole story about him wanting for things is bullsh*t. At some point in his life he decided that this is the image he wanted to project because it's a facade."
The youngest uncle of Floyd claims that he hasn't spoken to his nephew in 8 years. "We don't have anything to talk about. What are we gonna talk about, 50 Cent? Snoop Dogg?"
"You want to be like 50 Cent? Go get shot nine times."
Nonetheless, Floyd's incredible talent does continue to enthrall and fascinate young fans, who are the most impressionable among observers. Like Muhammad Ali, Ray Leonard, and Roy Jones before him, he is the fighter that kids at the local boxing gyms strive to emulate.
But 12-year-olds don't buy tickets. The crowd that buys tickets to boxing fights are influenced by the media. That's where Floyd Junior's negative image most reveals itself as a detriment. "It's his personality," says Jeff Mayweather. "That's why Floyd's not accepted. The way he lives his life."
Shortly before the De La Hoya fight, Floyd Junior briefly opened his camp to his father Floyd Sr. to replace the then-incarcerated Roger Mayweather. The conflict was that Floyd Senior was the trainer of "The Golden Boy", which in turn led to the severing of Floyd Senior's primary source of income.
"It was a tough decision to make," says Jeff of his brother Floyd Senior, "but the only decision he should've made was to put himself out of the situation. His son hasn't done anything for him, except for treat him with no respect. His son used him to get under De La Hoya's skin. I think that worked out, but he also collapsed his father's livelihood in the process."
The Floyd Mayweathers' have long had a strained relationship, which became irreparable when, at age 15, the young Floyd Junior parted ways with his father, who was on his way to prison for selling drugs. For five years Floyd Junior was his own man, an independence he had never previously enjoyed.
"Once he got that feeling, "says Jeff, "he never wanted to be back in that situation. It's a sad situation that can never be fixed, unless little Floyd becomes a man."
"It was like a Joe Jackson situation, where he created this monstrous machine, but he wasn't able to teach him how to be a man. Don't get me wrong, Floyd Senior accomplished making his son into a great fighter. Joe Jackson was successful in making Michael Jackson into probably the greatest entertainer ever. But look at him as a person. Just like Floyd is a great fighter, but look at him as a person. Sometimes that's the price that you pay when you focus on only one thing."
HBO's 24/7 show profiled the contrast between De La Hoya and Mayweather. Oscar, as usual, was depicted as the good guy. Floyd was cast as the villain. Jeff Mayweather feels that Floyd missed out on an opportunity to alter public perception of himself.
"Floyd's not even intelligent enough to realize how he's being portrayed. He could've shown people that he was an alright guy. Sadly, he doesn't realize he's being made a fool of on national TV. It's an embarrassment to me and my last name."
Mike Marley offers another perspective. He feels that the Floyd Mayweathers' made 24/7 and the fight a financial success.
"The show would've been as boring as Hopkins-Wright if it wasn't for Floyd Junior. All of that flash, high-roller big willy stuff, that made the show interesting. It was the soap opera of boxing. With Oscar, you had to put on the snooze alarm. All of that gentleman stuff, wake me up when he's done!"
While Jeff Mayweather lambastes Floyd Junior as a person, he equally praises his worth as a fighter.
"As far as ability, Floyd is the best fighter on the planet. No one even comes close. He will have to go down as a great fighter. As far as securing the legacy that he wants, no he won't, if he stays retired (after Hatton)."
Floyd's constant battle for respect hit a snag when, before the Carlos Baldomir fight, he claimed to be the superior of "Sugar" Ray Robinson, the generally-accepted pick for greatest boxer of all time.
"He was out of line when he said that," Marley says. "We all made fun of it from the TV, but it's better than Mr. Humble Pie with the 'I do my talking in the ring' lines. He likes to provoke and stimulate. I don't think he believes half of what he says about himself. You're not always gonna like what he says, but you have to admit he's never dull."
Jeff Mayweather draws parallels between Robinson and Junior, stating, "If you take Floyd fighting Arturo Gatti in black and white, you're looking at [Ray Robinson-Jake Lamotta VI.]"
When asked whether he felt Mayweather was in the class of Robinson and Ray Leonard, Marley responded, "Absolutely. It's not only that he's the best fighter in the world, he's so dominant. This kid has such great athletic skills, he's almost unbeatable."
Hauser analyzes, "Floyd Mayweather is a very good fighter, but he still hasn't had that signature fight to prove that he is a legendary great. He would be competitive with most fighters in his weight class in any generation. But being competitive with someone doesn't mean you could beat them. As a fighter, I don't think Floyd belongs in that category. Certainly he hasn't proven it yet."
Consensus though is that there are only three fights that Mayweather has remaining to consider; Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, and Shane Mosley. Floyd would be favored over all three of them, but the possibility for disaster looms over those affairs. Fighting any of them would not only bring big money, they would help cement his legacy as a great.
"I would love to see Mayweather fight Miguel Cotto," says Hauser. Maybe Floyd would outbox Cotto over twelve rounds or maybe Cotto would wear him down. I don't think we're going to see Floyd Mayweather get in the ring with Miguel Cotto any time soon. Floyd Mayweather fighting Ricky Hatton isn't going to prove anything. Floyd is bigger than Ricky, he's too fast for him. That's just a money fight. A fight against Shane Mosley would be interesting, although I think Shane is too slow for Mayweather right now. When [Floyd] fought Oscar, he was seeking the most marketable opponent possible. If he wants to win the hearts of hardcore boxing fans, he should seek out the toughest opponents in his weight class."
Now the subject of magazine covers and television cameos, Floyd Mayweather Junior, like him or not, is the new face of boxing. How well he represents the sport is a subject of heated debate, but he's young, energetic, vibrant, and colorful. In a sport that is what it is, what more can you ask for?
