Who Is Mayweather Jr Fighting?

By Amílcar Barnett: On September 19, Floyd Mayweather Jr., 32, (39-0) will enter the MGM Grand in Las Vegas Nevada to take on his next opponent and this past Tuesday, along with Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, hosted a conference call. Alongside him were Team Mayweather, which includes trainer Roger Mayweather and his advisor Leonard Ellerbe in.

Those who participated in the conference call may have walked away from the discussion thinking that Mayweather Jr’s next opponent is Manny Pacquiao or perhaps that they had just attended a post fight press conference held to discuss past fights with Ricky Hatton. More than anything, journalists would be justified in believing that they had not participated in a conference call to discuss an actual boxing match, but that they had just heard the latest reincarnation of Robin Leach, this time with a German accent, promoting the 2009 version of Lifestyle’s of the Rich and Famous, first episode Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather. Schaefer, who took the lead in the conference call, was eager to announce that.

“Money Mayweather’s return is one of the top stories of 2009, as recently shown in an online poll. He is the number one active fighter of all time on the Pay-Per-View list with an average of 900,000 buys per Pay-Per-View. He is the number one all time Pay-Per-View star per fight and by generating 3.1 million buys in 1-year, or an equivalent of almost a quarter-billion dollars in one year, he is the all time number one athlete, and I’m saying athlete, of any sport in generating revenues per year. This is fact. This is not fiction. This is Money Mayweather who is joining us today from his 22-thousand foot big boy mansion in Las Vegas as we have all seen on the last HBO 24/7”

It is baffling why a contest between two of the best athletes in the world needs to be promoted as if it were an infomercial for a get rich quick schemes with one of those “millionaires”, the kind that tell you they are millionaires, sitting on a yacht or in a swimming pool telling us how they got rich using their secret techniques to sell properties or used cars. Why is it that Mayweather’s riches are promoted more than his talents and his mansion more than his accomplishments in the ring? For those of you who are interested in what will happen in the ring, Mayweather’s next fight is not against Manny Pacquiao, nor is it against Oscar De La Hoya, or Ricky Hatton. In fact, it is a fight that pits Mayweather, a fighter that before his December 2007 retirement, was regarded by many boxing observers to be the best pound for pound fighter in the world against Mexico City’s Juan Manuel Marquez, 36 (50-4-1).

Marquez, a lightweight and former champion at 126 and 130 pounds, who is moving up to the welterweight division for this fight was scarcely mentioned throughout the conference call. Mayweather, who was speaking from his home, spent more time discussing De La Hoya, Hatton, Pacquiao and even the UFC and its president Dana White than he did his training, his tactics or his views on his opponent going into a fight that pits two pound for pound bests against each other. The conference call seemed more about Golden Boy needing to prove that Mayweather is an actual star in the sport than about the actual contest that is about to take place.

I always thought that the job of Boxing Promoters is to promote fights. From the beginning. The Grand Rapids native and Las Vegas resident took questions on subjects ranging from a recent Las Vegas shooting that allegedly involved his Rolls Royce and assault charges involving his uncle to questions about future fights and past fights to his status as a pay-per-view draw. To his credit, Mayweather wanted to stick to discussing boxing and did state that fact.

“The majority of the calls [from] people [that] do interviews, the only thing they want to know about is negative things,” said Mayweather Jr. “They don’t ever ask me about the positive things, how many different families I’ve fed, how many different schools I’ve gave back to. The only things they want to know are things that are just negative and all we want to focus on are just positive things. “

As for the fight itself, Mayweather insists that he is ready and has recuperated well from his rib injury.

“”On September 19, I’m always ready mentally as well as physically,” insisted Mayweather Jr. “I always prepare in the best way.”

If only the promoters of the fight would do the same.

September 4, 2009

Source: http://www.secondsout.com/usa-boxing-news?ccs=229&cs=102474