“That’s just part of sports and entertainment: if they’re talking about you, that’s a good and a bad thing.”
Unsurprisingly, Mayweather’s antics split the African-American community. On one hand he is viewed as challenging notions of black inferiority through his ‘money is power’ creed; on the other he is viewed as perpetuating a brand of black masculinity that leads to the demonisation of the wider black community., external
What complicates the issue further is that Mayweather is the only American boxer of any colour operating in the mainstream, meaning he is out on a limb. Super-middleweight king Andre Ward, conqueror of Britain’s Carl Froch, shares some of Mayweather’s ringcraft but none of his talent for self-promotion.
This surely explains why so many American boxing fans, and many more around the globe, are willing to overlook his many weaknesses – because they recognise Mayweather as the sport’s only crossover star. And perhaps its last.
Could it also be because a section of the American people, circa 2013, are so in thrall to the accumulation of money, conspicuous consumption and the arrogance and brashness that accompanies it that it is able to overlook racism, homophobia and the hitting of women?
Maybe it has ever been thus – or at least since the 1980s, as the mountains of money generated by the anti-heroic Mike Tyson attest to. And it wasn’t only citizens of the US that made the so-called ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’ rich.
“Each to their own, I can’t really judge Floyd,” said De la Hoya. “He has been selling the fights, attracting the fans and generating the money. He has his own style and it’s seen him become master both inside and outside the ring.”
“You won’t see another Floyd Mayweather,” says Ellerbe. “He’s the best to ever do it, in terms of his accomplishments, his talent, the revenue he’s brought to the sport. A lot more people will appreciate him when his career is over.”
If it is boxing at its purist you are after, tune in to watch Floyd Mayweather fight Saul Alvarez on Saturday. Just don’t expect much purity beyond the ropes.