Floyd Mayweather: Most Racially Divisive Fighter in Boxing? By Martin Wade Conservatives who lack depth or real political answers, you know the grown men who cried after the election would call this the "Age of Obama." The end of civilization! the free market and American ingenuity they scream; when they really mean the end of a certain societal "order." Watching Republicans scramble for an identity; a face, a rival to stem the tide of this great evil is sheer comedy to me. As a burgeoning fight historian I can only compare it to the endless campaign to find a man to defeat the great evil of the Heavyweight Division, Jack Johnson. In many ways "Papa Jack" will always loom large within the pathos of boxing, for wherever you have a black champion who flirts with disdain the same themes emerge. Whenever we look back and ask "was that us?" The answer is always yes, and in more nuanced ways it can be that way again. The same themes resurfaced when a young man from Louisville had the gall to tell the world he was The Greatest. The same "themes" that hover over any young rich black man when he makes it very clear that he really doesn't give a damn how he is being perceived by the larger population. A man of this ilk, no matter how misguided he may be, will always be consumed with more difficulty. He is bitter to the taste and sentiments of those who move the needle. He is hard to get behind and most fans will take the liberty to attack him in ways disproportionate to the usual dialogue we see in sports. Floyd Mayweather Jr. Is such a man. Recently ESPN featured a young Allan Iverson in its groundbreaking documentary series "30 for 30."Â What I found interesting is Allan Iverson was the analogy I used to write about Floyd Mayweather in my first Boxing article back in 2003. Back then I drew comparisons on the way the two athletes went about dominating their arenas, Iverson's crossover stylistically a cousin to the precision of the Mayweather pull-check right hand counters. Little did I know back then that they were akin in ways that resonate deep within all Americans- they reduce us to ethnic polarization and base attacks on one another. No one can be as defensive as the young black male who feels disenfranchised, and marginalized -and sports Is a hotbed for a young brotha's with insecurities laid bare. The same braggadocio and bluster you hear from Floyd resonates from the same place that reduces him and Iverson to tears when covering rough emotional terrain. What burns people who despise them is that they compensate for such pain in garish displays of materialism, hip hop imagery, and prodigious athletic talent. The idea that such fundamentally flawed young men can aspire to such greatness and achieve it is even more difficult to reconcile. White citizens of Iverson's hometown of Hampton, Virginia, remain divided on what "should" have been his fate. There is no bitterness like that of the majority when they feel insulted by a gifted minority, when a black male sprouts wings and flies beyond their consignment for him. Even if that brotha is a tall, Harvard educated man with all of the markings of greatness. The Writing was on the Wall long ago Bob Arum is the greatest promoter in boxing hands down, the Larry Brown to the Phil Jackson (approach) of Golden Boy. This genius of Jewish descent was in the fight game as far back as 1964 and when he spoke of Floyd's potential we listened. He is singularly responsible for the force of nature and marketing that is Oscar De La Hoya and even had his hand in the Sugar Ray Leonard Narrative. As 1996 brought us a wispy Iverson, it also brought the boxing world Floyd Mayweather jr., a Tiger Woods like savant from the fighting Mayweathers of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Arum was convinced that Mayweather, a kid with a great smile and Leonard like instincts, was to be marketed and promoted in the same mold- but it was not to be. As the 1980's brought us racially transcendent figures like Michael, Oprah and Cosby the 90's proved that African-Americans could prosper as anti- heroes. Soon a relatively tiny shooting guard would transform MJ's megawatt NBA into a league of cornrows and tattoos. Hard core rappers harkened back to the conflict of Jack Johnson, the rage and determination to be the 'ni#%a" that "did it, and got away wid" - to not allow whites to determine the terms by which affluence is achieved. Mayweather proved resistant to pre-packaging just as hip hop started to emphasize "keeping it real" even if it was often real ignorant or tasteless. The bottom line was mainstream culture being flooded by an increasingly hard to reach, fatherless brand of young black male-combative to a fault and ready to accuse any form of criticism as racist or just plain old "hating." Sitting between Leonard and De La Hoya that day on a planned intervention by Arum, Floyd Mayweather Jr. made up his mind that he would become the gifted antagonist - The Ni#%a you love to Hate. Within 5 years of this "interaction" with the two most popular fighters of the last 25 years, Floyd called a proposed 6-fight 12.5 million dollar offer from HBO "Slave Wages." And as chat boards exploded with racist rebuttals no one even ventured to query the overhead involved in running a major training camp and just who would pay for the expenses- before Uncle Sam takes his cut. What we did not see is that Floyd Mayweather with no PPV track record wanted "more" and if he had to pay his way out of his Top Rank contract, (turning down 8 million to fight Antonio Margarito) so be it. Already established as a flamboyant, yet prickly personality, Floyd started his PPV journey by playing the villain, going into Arturo Gatti's Atlantic City and undressing the beloved fighter. Gatti, an Italian who brought blood and guts reminiscent of a bygone era was mocked as "Rocky" in front of the largely white east coast delegation. Mayweather took glee in downgrading the white fighter as inferior and only reliable for the purpose of taking punishment. That he executed his taunts and boast to the letter in the ring only worsened matters-the dye was caste. This talented black athlete would patron champions with large fan bases, then (by force of personality) divorce them from the promotional discourse claiming the PPV buys as his own. R.I.P. Arturo Gatti Pay Per View King? Or Foil? Jack Johnson had no use for black fighters, Ray Robinson had no need for Charley Burley nor did Larry Holmes pass on the opportunity to endure indignity for the "luck of the Irish." Mayweather's claim to being the king of PPV is only subjectively true, but he just may be the king of stirring up ethnic rivalry. His uncle/trainer Roger made a name for himself in the 80's as the "Mexican Assassin" and it wasn't purely based on in ring performance. The 1980's saw a wave of Latin fighters rising to prominence as men like Julio Caesar Chavez became deity in his homeland. With that rise the Mexican boxing fan became an economic force in the sport thus creating fertile ground for the arrival of an Oscar De La Hoya. As consumers and athletes African-Americans became more diversified during this time, Boxing and Baseball became the causalities of our varied choices. The 90's produced as many cant miss Hall of Famers in the lower weights than previous generations but none of them (including Floyd) could generate the kind of Fort Knox appeal of Ray Leonard. Floyd Mayweather jr. entered this climate with just as much talent as Leonard but if he was going to attract "buys" he needed to stoke the fires of not just audiences but cultures. &
Whether he's insulting De La Hoya in front of Mexicans in LA, or wearing a Manchester United jersey in Great Britain, Floyd Mayweather knows how to tweak the button we all claim isn't there. He even knows that within black radio and in the company of black sports journalist he can play the role of unappreciated genius. Even Brian Kenney of ESPN, the well respected Irish talking head is unwittingly playing part of the racial passion play cultivated by arguably (since Ali) the shrewdest self promoter in boxing history. Kenney is Cossell, uncompromising- staying in Floyd's chest trying to humble him for the sake of the "fan" who most likely hates him for other reasons. Now rich and in control of his career, Floyd will flippantly tell Kenney he knows "nothing about boxing" and smile for visceral affect. It is this behavior, the way Floyd reminds you that "we do have this problem" that makes him compelling. Many of my friends who yelled at my TV about HBO's critical "framing" of black fighters found Floyd's accusation of racism by the network long overdue-and I would bet my white homies would accuse him of playing the "race card." Combine this with his commendable work ethic and refusal to put himself in losing propositions and the backlash has taken on a derangement that can only be found in the demonization of NFL wide receivers by a mostly white sports media. For those of you who have friends of other hues who feel comfortable enough to talk to you about race; the first question they tend to ask is, "Why do most black guys act like that?" My answer is usually fear, ignorance, poverty and a general feeling that they are not a part of the social fabric. Don't forget that the black father who teaches intangibles is extinct but the one who pulls out wads of undocumented cash is becoming commonplace in our community. This answer may not jibe with someone racially wired for hate, someone looking to take aim at a loudmouth black guy who just keeps on winning. When a racist who believes all black men are simple minded braggarts bewitched by money sees Floyd Mayweather -he sees red meat. When Mexicanos and Filipinos see a humble black fighter like Shane Mosley fighting a guy like Floyd, they adopt him. Much like conservative whites adopted Joe Frazier (in '71) and John F. Kennedy implored Patterson to defeat Sonny Liston in 1962. The Internet, Frontier of the Coward The internet is an interesting animal; it creates so many positive facets of our lives simply by allowing us to make informed choices. In our sport it is vital because Boxing is no longer operating in the mainstream; like most of you my day consists of trolling no less than ten boxing websites. It also empowers a hybrid journalist (to which I am) who combines "some" writing talent with the guts (or ignorance) to make explicit commentary about fighters. You can be better than you really are online, braver, better looking. Hell, you can even sound like you know what you're talking about. For those who have strong ideas about ethnic identity what better place to express those views than in the anonymous internet. Floyd Mayweather is the target of whites, Mexicans and Filipinos and trust me these "keyboard warriors" aren't discussing whether he ducked anyone at 135lbs. The climate out there is poisonous with the vilest racist dialogue, all because a black fighter of excellence is not Tim Tebow. Even Floyd himself prophetically said boxing is not a gentleman's game but he is the only non-gentleman being called a monkey. Floyd and company do nothing to engender themselves to such fan bases-because they know the one thing none of us will admit; racial hatred drives up the gate and the buys. I once had a young drug dealer tell me that Floyd is better than Leonard because he gets his purses in cash; so floored by the chasm I couldn't even respond. Yet, I understand this is the kind of sentiment that allows racist to stereotype us - and Floyd blindly initiates the fire. Floyd Mayweather may be unaware of how culturally careless he is (per brotha Nazim) but he knows this is the kind of behavior that pisses other (cultures) off. It was no accident that he banned the Filipino media from talking to him for the build-up to this fight. Floyd's logic is "street rules" of decorum (AKA disrespect) supersede any societal rules or media standards of conduct. He knows that he is not under the scrutiny of a race united, in his mind the struggle is over- once you get some money. Yet, when you see some of the names he is called and some of the ways he is depicted in graphic designs... You realize the struggle is ongoing, and never ending.
I read this shite a few days ago. The most disturbing line of this "article" was............ ".....As a burgeoning fight historian" That....is worrying.
It seems interesting that the only 3 guys on this board who can stand Floyd (REED, Sly, Big Dawg) are black dudes. So there may be something to the notion that Floyd's a racially divisive character.
Well you's certainly don't stick up for him with the same zeal as Sly, REED & Big Dawg! Lets just say they're the 3 biggest fans. Though BOSS has joined the gang, too this week.
I'd call him more educationally divisive. I have yet to meet an intelligent person who finds him anything other than an annoying buffoon.
Well, according to the article,.. Floyd is a calculated, highly intelligent, capitalism/business genius who should be celebrated by black people, (despite the endorsement of 'lefty' Barrack Obama in the beginning :: wtf)...and Floyd is powered on the general 'truth' that, you all whites, hispanics and phillipino's are nothing but racists, and is correct to insult and exploit anything he pleases to spite y'all racist inhibitions, and since the author has lumped all other races together, he's lumped Floyd's antics with that of the entire black race too, he's iconic, illustriously black, asserting the black way, just you motherfuckers try to opress him!. I think we get a good insight, into the empathy of this author, and his own characteristics, and that's just about it, he likes what he see's with Floyd, and vicariously expresses himself.
Floyd is a white mans shill. HBO is a white organisation. Floyd is a Tom. Mosley is Liston to Floyds, well, Floyd.
Fraud is 1000 no's, 2 ok's, and 2 yes's .. in 8 years. I really need him to beat Mosely tomorra,.. the drug testing is more important than the backtwisting at this point.
I don't like or hate Mayweather...but i want to see him knock the fuck out....and soon....but i really don't hate him. I think he is good for boxing, but is has a lot of bitch in him....maybe he proves me wrong tonight...but i doubt it...he will fight like a bitch...
Only the publicity bipassing him to the sport, is good, which may persuade a broader audience to take a look at the game, but he, and his style, and his revolting, contradictory, personality, is not good for boxing unless a decadent Jerry Springer kind've audience is your thing, conquistador.
White people invented basically everything. Black people invented traffic lights and 24/7. As for the traffic lights...I thought they already had enough reasons to get stopped whilst driving. You see, I am more racially divisive than Floyd Mayweather. Now Obama better get his ass down to the Gulf States and sort out that mess he created with the drilling programme.
you are a smart fella so phonetap encourages you to rethink this notion. it's no so much a race thing, it's who you relate to. if floyd was african (say ghanaian or nigerian) and these guys were the same way, then you'd have a stronger case for it being racial. most people also tend to lean towards their countryman, oftentimes regardless of race. mexicans lean toward mexican fighters, puerto ricans towards puerto rican fighters, italians lean towards italian fighters, fillipinos will lean towards fillipino fighters thus is annoys the hell out of phonetap when people automatically think it's purely racial when african-americans or black west indians lean towards it's fighters. bottom line, everyone needs to think through their comments more carefully.
If his name was Martin WADA,.. instead of Wade,.. :cheer: I'd give the article two thumbs up, regardless of the content.
Oh yeah, agree 100%. The word 'race' was used lazily, I was really thinking 'african american' (or in slys case a black dude who lives in north america). It's 100% cultural, with skin colour just tending to demarcate the cultures. And as touchy as this subject is, especially in America, I'll just back right away from it....::
rickety rik, snippety snip,.. so what is your stance on this senseful shimozal,.. you one of dem blue bonnetted crabs who march across the sand line of "only if the commission" or what?.. Look,.. I know, how badly you want the little 'o.g loc' beaten down as do many, but would it really satisfy your thirst if he were clubbed with a bat or gutted with a knife?, ...wouldn't it make the EXPOSAL all the more sweet if the fight were even stevens?..
Floyd is as House a black man could be....but is not the first Black man in sports to use the system against other minorities, and members of his own minority.. It seems to be a recurring trend. Ali beat a black man and asked him "whats my name". Jack Johnson wouldn't give Wills a pay-day. Ray Leonard figured he would avoid Pryor, in both the Ammies and the Pro game. Then he didn't give Hearns a Re. for 10 years. Holmes became nigh-on poisonous towards the end of his reign, his little seance with Spinks was right bitter. I don't know where the author of that "piece" was coming from. Floyd is just the latest in a long line of black fighters to do other black fighters a disservice. There is no White Overlord who holds all the Aces and makes these guys play accordingly. They do it to themselves. Of course, it is not a "black thing" per se. Calzaghe, Froch, for instance, is a similar thing. And now Floyd is embarrassing Shane Mosley beyond what is necessary in order to inflict his own twisted sense of gamesmanship on Manny Pacquaio. Floyd is a turd. Period. There is nothing the little cunt won't do in order to twist things into a fashion which suits him. Well I got a message for Floyd. The IRS don't get tired. You can't make the IRS fight at 147. You can't drag the IRS up from 130 or 140. And it's going to take more than $600,000 per Lb to satisfy them. I don't understand the guy. Sit back, play along, and you will still get your money. Bashing Shane Mosley is not a pre-requisite to getting paid. Calling him an old man is not needed. Mocking the towel...is Zab Judah territory. What he did to Mosley was totally unnecessary, done as it was to serve an ulterior motive. But Floyd is not totally divisive. I find myself listening to Nazim Richardson when he says that Shane Mosley is a generally decent sort who just happens to be a good fighter. I find myself appreciating a rule breaker more than I do a man who claims to be fighting for greater enforcement of the rules, namely Mayweather.
Good post that Irishman. I guess she's about priorities,..for years before I'd been screaming the shoulder roll is illegal and should be penalised, and by boxing's own rules for all to see, it is. But better drug reform, is more important a quality than Fraud's backtwisting, duck below belt level, palm, elbow,.. his entire career and his existance for that matter, therefore, I now have found a reason for Fraud to live,..I know people will be pissed off if he never loses a fight,.. but I see it as the drug testing clause never losing momentum and forcing influence,.....an influence however,.. that I bet the fucking commission and promoters will taint if ever adopted.
Hes a terrific fighter, I just find hm annoying and I dont like that he hits women Its definitely not a racial thing on my part
I think it speaks to the state of our society, that a guy like Floyd can be as disrespectful and arrogant as he is, and when people reasonably dislike him for his actions, that it's chalked up to his being black. I think that's fairly insulting not only to the person who doesn't care for Floyd's antics (obviously), but also to the person lobbing that insult. I mean, here you have someone who quite clearly WANTS to be disliked. He, long ago, decided to embrace the bad guy role, because he wanted to attract not just the people who liked him, but also the people who want to see him lose, figuring that he'll have everyone paying to see him win or lose. And that's fine. It's a smart plan. However he then gets upset when he doesn't get the respect that he feels he deserves. He seems upset that he doesn't get inundated with endorsements, and people don't love him like they seem to love Oscar and Manny. I remember an interview he did where he blamed racism on people not liking him. And that's just something that nailed perfectly why I don't like him. It has nothing to do with his skills or abilities, because let's be honest, there's no way you can fault the man for his God given skills. You can maybe wish he was a bit more offensive minded, but you can't rip his abilities. I can't stand him because I don't like arrogant disrespectful people. I didn't like it when Ali did it (although I wasn't around then) and I don't care for it now. However while Ali got away with that and we all seem to love him for it, Floyd doesn't get the same reaction. And that's in part because of his fighting style. If you wanna be the bad guy and have everyone hate you, and if you're going to talk shit in the 24/7's and talk about how "I'm gonna beat that ass" and talk about knocking dudes out, and then you jump in and start your defensive shit, then you're not gonna get the respect. Ali got that respect, because he'd talk enormous amounts of shit, but he'd back it up by knocking dudes out. Floyd doesn't knock people out like that. I firmly believe if he was a KO artist and was mixing it up and throwing down with people like a Diego Corralles, Arturo Gatti or Mickey Ward or whatever, he'd be a lot more appreciated. He'd still be called a dick for his attitudes, but it wouldn't anything like it is now, I don't think. Just my thoughts.
