Watching Outside the Lines this morning got me thinking about the fight this weekend in ways not at all pertaining to fighting itself. Next week Floyd Mayweather is going to battle with Manny Pacquiao. As Manny said in his famous commercial, ‘He’s going to fight me?!‘ The show, coupled with this excellent article about the lionization of Mayweather speaks to the fact that we back boxers based on who they are as individuals often as much as who they are in the ring.
People hate Mayweather. In truth, they often love to hate him because he embodies all of the principles seen as fundamentally wrong. Mayweather has been convicted of domestic assault five times. He spends money like it doesn’t matter at all. He is brash and arrogant and surrounds himself with an entourage that includes 50 Cent, Triple H, and Justin Bieber. First off, anyone who gives Bieber street creed isn’t great. However, the big black mark is his assaults on women.
Lets consider Mayweather for a moment: This is a violent man. He is a boxer. He is someone who we pay extraordinary amounts of money to see him hit people. There is a mentality attached to that which lends itself to violence outside of the ring. Mayweather has served time in jail for domestic violence. He has done the time for the crime. Now what many wish to see is Mayweather’s livelihood stripped from him for the crime he committed. I think this goes too far and misses what people really want from him. See, Floyd Mayweather has not apologized for his reprehensible actions against women, often falling back to the adage ‘Only God can judge me’. Well the people feel as if they are representative of that invisible force and have judged and found him guilty, basically as a human.
In the end, this fight is going to exist on multiple levels. There is no question about Pacquiaio’s status as a national hero and no question about Mayweather’s role as a villain. On that level we know who the public likely wants to win. On the pure boxing level, the outcome is still in question.
Some Thoughts:
- 1816 brought us Charlotte Bronte. Say what you will about Jane Eyre, it has stood the test of time.