by Charles Jay
Of course, the recent HBO telecast of “Floyd Mayweather: Speaking Out” is meant to provoke. And why not? They know that it’s easy to push the public’s buttons. So Mayweather was given the air time to explain that when he makes certain remarks about New York Knicks player Jeremy Lin that were considered to be disparaging, many NBA players sent messages to him indicating that they wish they could have done the same, we get a revelation or two.
Of course, the idea of Mayweather drawing any analogy whatsoever between his jail sentence for assault and that of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. is kind of ridiculous, as is the notion that going to jail should be perceived by the public as “an obstacle that’s put in my way.” Mayweather violated someone’s rights. He’s going to jail. He could have done more time. It’s nobody’s fault but his own.
It’s rather insulting to the audience that he would brag about being rich enough to buy one car for Monday, one car for Tuesday, etc.. and then at the same time suggest that he was innocent of the charges that landed him in jail but had “no choice but to take the plea.” If you are not guilty, and you have the cash to hire a battery of lawyers, fight the case. That’s rather elementary, and it’s what anyone else would do in the same situation.
“Can’t nothing break me. If I’m locked up, I’m still going to make sure my mother’s got the finer things in life, and my sisters. I take care of my whole family.” Is he kidding? What’s he’s going away for? Three months?
Yeah, he’s going to “try and stay positive.” Well, the payday (for fighting Miguel Cotto) helps.
A lot of people make allowances for Mayweather because he appeared to have a highly dysfunctional childhood, and that’s understandable. His father was there – sometimes – and certainly was the most powerful influence on Junior’s boxing life, and he did feel the hurt as his father was in prison during the period of time Mayweather was making his Olympic run.
But he acknowledges at the same time that his father was only there for purposes of his development as a boxer. So while he was done a favor on one front he lacked guidance in other ways, which is why it is admirable, if true, that Mayweather Jr. is attentive enough toward his own children that he attends their own extra-curricular events and doesn’t push them toward one thing or another.
To demonstrate his “power,” Mayweather would be happy to arrange for President Obama to walk him into the ring carrying a belt way above his head in the event he fights Manny Pacquiao. Of course, since it’s not likely he’ll ever fight Pacquiao, he doesn’t have to worry much about fulfilling that guarantee. Then again, Obama might just be a former president by that time. “He’s got swag,” says Mayweather, which one guesses is his way of saying that the President has swagger.
Obama has swag as well, if we’re interpreting the English language correctly, because the White House has these key chains and coffee mugs and hats and stuff like that, and people are undoubtedly happy to receive those.
Mayweather wants more, however, and he thinks he can get it. He believes he can “absolutely” make it happen. He believes he can get a President, who may still be in office at the time, to lead a convicted felon into the ring in a boxing match.
Was alcohol being served during that interview?
Then again, maybe I wouldn’t put it past him.
Obama, that is.
