Mayweather haters suffer double vision
I have felt for some time that many who follow Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s boxing career as it enters its final stages suffer from diplopia, the simultaneous perception of two images of a single object.
You know, double vision.
That his immense popularity at the box office and through pay-per-view receipts is born directly from two factions.
Those who love him. Those who, well, don’t.
That the latter group, endlessly passionate in its desire to see Mayweather’s perfect record be stained with defeat, has displaced vision.
Their eyes are fooling them.
They are seeing what isn’t there.
It happened the first time Mayweather defeated Marcos Maidana in a welterweight title fight in May, and there is a great chance it could happen again in tonight’s rematch at the MGM Grand Garden.
It’s a condition — owning such an intense hunger to see Mayweather lose, you convince yourself fights are closer than they actually are — that might even influence judges.
One (Michael Pernick) scored the fight in May a draw, implausible on an evening when it was difficult for most to find four rounds Maidana won. In September 2013, C.J. Ross scored Mayweather-Canelo Alvarez a draw, a decision so preposterous and wrong about a fight Mayweather dominated that it led to Ross stepping down from her position with the Nevada Athletic Commission.
“You all tell me what it is,” Mayweather said this week. “Just tune in and watch the fight. I will do what I do best. Win. I’ve been here before. I know what it takes. I’m coming to make a statement. Not for the world. For myself. It comes down to two fighters. Skills. Smarts. Adjustments. It’s just a job. Good press. Bad press. Good stories. Bad stories. Just write about me. I’m something to talk about. Write about me.”
A truth: The majority opinion is that this second fight against Maidana won’t be close, that Mayweather is far too smart and talented a champion to be drawn back into the ropes as often as he was the first time, that his fanatical quest to one day retire undefeated will overpower any thoughts of putting himself in harm’s way much at all tonight.
If it becomes a boxing match, you would have the equivalent of Oregon football vs. Northern Colorado, or the team that only beat Northern Colorado 13-12 last week.
Which could make for a boring evening and yet another victory by decision for Mayweather.
Fights are hyped different ways, and it became apparent this week — no matter how much both sides tried (unsuccessfully) to convince anyone the public is clamoring for this rematch — that it was going to take more than the matchup to stir interest.
So other storylines emerged, from Mayweather suggesting he might retire after his six-fight contract with Showtime concludes in 2015, to his thoughts on Ray Rice being cut by the Baltimore Ravens following the release of a tape that showed the NFL running back knocking out his now-wife.
Stories about fighters and retirement are almost as interesting as changing your cat’s litter box. Mayweather already retired once, and if you don’t believe he has eyes on opening the new MGM arena in 2016 with his 50th professional fight, you also think Alvarez defeated him.
It’s also crazy to believe anyone would ask or want to know Mayweather’s thoughts on domestic violence, considering he has had several such charges levied against him and served jail time in 2012 for attacking the mother of three of his children. I’d rather ask Paris Hilton her views on world hunger, given she’s far more credible in that sense than Mayweather pontificating on the dangers of domestic violence.
But that’s what this week became, culminating with Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions, ridiculously chastising the media at Wednesday’s news conference for being negative toward his fighter and claiming quotes had been taken out of context.
Memo to Ellerbe: Such silly charges and long-winded remarks are never welcomed or taken seriously from those holding the recording devices that include your fighter’s words.
Question: How does one take “I think there’s a lot worse things that go on in other people’s households, also. It’s just not caught on video. That’s safe to say. I wish Ray Rice nothing but the best” out of context?
I listened intently to Ellerbe until he started saying laughable things such as “Money doesn’t motivate (Mayweather)” in one sentence, then mentioning the fighter’s “20,000-square-foot mansion” in the next.
Because how can money motivate someone whose nickname is Money and whose large group of enablers/Yes Men walk around wearing gear plastered with the logo T(he)M(oney)T(eam)?
(Enter eyes rolling here).
I then chose to stop my recording device from doing something crazy like taking Ellerbe out of context (lol) and work on something far more worthwhile, like setting my NFL fantasy lineup for the week, accepting the fact that the close fight everyone wants us to believe will occur tonight probably won’t be close at all.
Mayweather is still too good, too smart, too intent on getting to 47-0 and moving on to his next $30 million payday.
He’s not losing to Marcos Maidana.
No matter what those with double-vision might see.
Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ed Graney can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday on “Gridlock,” ESPN 1100 and 98.9 FM. Follow him on Twitter: @edgraney.