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Thursday, September 9, 2010

Fans losing interest in Pacquiao vs. Mayweather after Floyd's racist diatribe?

written by:  Scott Heritage
Published at: EXAMINER


As far back as two years ago the biggest question in boxing  was rapidly becoming whether Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, as the two best pound for pound fighters in the world, would ever meet in the ring. Even to the point that demand for the fight seemed to be as big as ever more recently after two failed attempts to put it together had come and gone.

Many predicted that the fight could not only break the all time pay per view record held by Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya, but give the entire sport a much needed shot in the arm, and prove that there was still a big market out there for boxing despite the distinct lack of truly popular fighters right now.

Initially there seemed to be blame on both sides for the negotiations not leading to anything, but more recently that perception has shifted. Fans of either fighter will still insist that the other is to blame for nothing happening, but the casual fans previously not favoring either are now tending to point to Mayweather as the cause of at least the latest breakdown between the two sides. And for his part, Floyd freely admits that he is taking time off and isn't thinking about fighting at the moment.

More damaging than that though was the now infamous Ustream rant in which Mayweather let loose his customary torrent of abuse and insults at his rival, but this time crossed the line into racial slurs on several occasions.

The hastily put together and rather disingenuous looking apology a few days later didn't seem to do him any favors either, in fact if anything this only further hurt his public image, especially amongst those he insulted in the first video.

The rant also certainly turned many fans off to the idea of the fight between him and Pacquiao ever happening. So much so in fact that by comparison Pacquiao's upcoming fight against Antonio Margarito, heavily criticized only weeks ago, is now rapidly gaining acceptance.

At this stage even if Margarito turns out to be past his best, and even if Pacquiao blows him out of the water in only a few rounds, at it will now be seen as an impressive feat by most. Perhaps partly because it wasn't until the pair were pictured side by side on their recent press tour that fans got a true sense of the size difference that Pacquiao would have to overcome in capturing his 8th world title.

Also the reason why Pacquiao and Mayweather were so talked about is because they were rivals, both in their respective primes and both as big as they were ever going to be. Now though with Pacquiao fighting twice as often and the list of viable opponents for Mayweather rapidly shrinking, their rivalry has become less intriguing and in many ways less competitive.

There is a sense that Pacquiao is the only one of the two fighting for his legacy, and that through his inactivity Mayweather will eventually become less relevant, regardless of how good he might be or whether in actual fact he would beat Pacquiao if the two ever fought.

It's not so much that people don't want to see the fight anymore, but that they now don't see it as essential for both fighters.

Strangely enough, the most revealing part of  Mayweather's recent self inflicted public relations nightmare was the portion of the video where he said that he would indeed be taking on Pacquiao in the future. Suggesting that terms between the two were more or less agreed upon during the last set of negotiations. Whether he meant this or if anything will come of it is less certain, but given the issues separating the two in the past not many fans will be hoping for too much.

Should Pacquiao pursue a fight with Mayweather and potentially waste his time looking to prove himself as the best fighter of the era, or should be freeze Mayweather out altogether and concentrate on building his legacy against opponents more easily dealt with at the negotiation table?


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from the EXAMINER

Pacquiao focuses on Margarito, not Mayweather rant

written by : STEPHEN HAWKINS
for the : Associated Press


ARLINGTON, Texas — Boxing champion Manny Pacquiao dismissed a derogatory online video posted by Floyd Mayweather Jr., calling it an "uneducated message" and choosing to instead focus on his upcoming fight with Antonio Margarito.

In the widely circulated video, Mayweather goes on an expletive-filled and sometimes racist rant against Pacquiao, the newly elected Congressman from the Philippines who faces Margarito on Nov. 13 at Cowboys Stadium near Dallas.

Mayweather said during the video, which appeared this week, that he's on vacation "for about a year" and would easily defeat Pacquiao after that.

"I just heard about that, but I didn't see the video," Pacquiao said Friday, at the final stop of a three-city tour to promote his fight. "But it's an uneducated message."

Mayweather, at times interacting with fans by phone on the video, claims Pacquiao "can't speak no English" and has "never seen a contract he didn't like." There are also suggestions that the Filipino sensation has used performance-enhancing drugs, assertions raised previously by the Mayweather camp that resulted in a defamation lawsuit that is still pending.

"It's a really cheap low blow, but again, consider where it came from," said Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's trainer. "We tried to fight him. He said no. He doesn't want to fight."

Roach said he hadn't seen the Mayweather video.

Mayweather's chief adviser, Leonard Ellerbe, did not return messages left by The Associated Press. His publicist, Kelly Swanson, said in an e-mail that she had seen the video but had not been in touch with Mayweather or Ellerbe and couldn't comment.

Fans have been calling for Mayweather to fight Pacquiao, but negotiations have repeatedly broken down for what could have been the richest fight in boxing history.

When a deal wasn't reached in January, Pacquiao instead fought Joshua Clottey, defeating him in March at Cowboys Stadium. When negotiations broke down again this summer, Pacquiao turned his attention to Margarito, whom he'll fight for a vacant junior middleweight title.

It is unclear when the Mayweather video was made, but it appeared online this week when Pacquiao and Margarito were in the midst of their promotional tour. After stops in Beverly Hills and New York, the media tour wrapped up Friday at Cowboys Stadium — in an end zone plaza instead of on the field, which was being prepared for a college football game.

When asked about the possibility of a Mayweather bout Friday, Pacquiao responded: "I'm not looking for that fight. I'm satisfied with what I've done in boxing already."

Pacquiao said he's only planning a couple of more fights before retiring, though he gave no indication of who the opponents might be. The seven-division champion said earlier this week that he would still face Mayweather if he accepted the fight.

Todd duBoef of promoter Top Rank said he had heard about the Mayweather video but "probably" didn't have any interest in seeing it. Mayweather used to be a Top Rank fighter.

DuBoef also said he doesn't want to hear Mayweather asking to fight Pacquiao, especially after his team denied that the second round of negotiations even took place this summer.

"It's sad," duBoef said. "You hope that people are a little more mature than things like that. ... We've tried this twice (to make the fight). We tried it twice and you denied there were negotiations. Enough of that."

DuBoef said that Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs) was ready to fight and not interested in waiting any longer on a bout with Mayweather, who is 41-0 after a unanimous decision in May over Shane Mosley. Mayweather took that fight after the Pacquiao deal fell through.

That was Mosley's first fight since beating Margarito in January 2009, and the last time that Margarito fought in the United States. He was suspended for one year because a plaster-like substance was found in Margarito's hand wraps before his bout against Mosley in Los Angeles.

Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs) was denied an application to fight in California and had another application tabled in Nevada before the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation last week approved his application. That cleared the way for another high-profile boxing match at Cowboys Stadium, the $1.2 billion showplace built by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

When Texas licensing executive director William Kuntz spoke Friday, he said Jones paved the way for major boxing events in Texas. While he didn't address Margarito's license issue, duBoef applauded the decision by Texas regulators.

"They did a terrific job. They did research, they didn't rush to judgment," duBoef said. "They didn't listen to hype, they didn't listen to hyperbole."

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Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Mayweather’s Racist Rant on Manny Pacquiao is Overlooked by the Media

Written by: Charlie Knoxville
For the Website: NOW BOXING

Anytime a big name athlete or celebrity goes on some type of tirade using homophobic, racial and stereotypical insults, that celebrity immediately gets thrust into the spotlight and gets criticized on all the news channels (examples: Mel Gibson, John Rocker, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Don Imus). I for one think media has gotten overly PC (Politically Correct), but they also let certain types of racism slide, like racism toward Asians.

It seems boxing is such a niche or irrelevant sport in the United States that rants by the second highest paid athlete in the world, Floyd Mayweather Jr.,  somehow are overlooked by the mainstream media. It seems that Floyd using racial slurs and homophobic insults such as “F@ggot,” “Yellow Chump,” and other unsavory remarks isn’t as bad as Don Imus saying “Nappy Headed Hoes.”

If an NFL, MLB, or NBA star released a racist rant like Floyd Mayweather did on his Ustream, that athlete would be under fire by the media and press. Mayweather doesn’t even know the difference between Japanese and Filipino cuisine, he said he would have Manny (“Poo-chiao” as he refers to Pacquiao in the video) make him sushi after he beats him up and feed him cats and dogs, basically to Floyd all Asians are alike.

Manny Pacquiao already has a lawsuit against the Mayweather family for accusing him of taking steroids without any proof and defaming his good name. The Mayweather family are so cocky that they continue to get away with anything they want because they think they are untouchable. Floyd Mayweather Jr. continues to brag about how much money he makes and how he is better than Sugar Ray Robinson and Ali because he has no losses, and they have multiple losses, but those legends are considered great because they fought the best, you cannot call yourself the best without fighting the best.

Floyd wants to be loved, he is envious of the adoration the American public has for Manny Pacquiao and it comes off in the way he talks about the Filipino boxing icon.

Floyd Mayweather, once said, If he was white, he’d be the biggest athlete in America, he plays the race card a lot and believes Americans don’t love him because he is a rich, opinionated Black man and that’s something America cannot handle.

No, Floyd, the truth is people don’t like you because of how unlikeable your character is, it has nothing to do with the color of your skin. You are a hypocrite, who plays the race card and wallows in self pity. If you want to be treated with respect treat others with respect.

Mayweather's rant: a show of complete ignorance

Boxing Beatdown 2.0: Floyd Mayweather’s Big Mouth
written by: Demetrus Stokes
for the website: HITTHEROPES

Everyone who follows boxing on a regular basis knows that fighters often talk a lot of trash.  They rant and rave about how they are the best the sport has to offer and often times have to prove that in the ring to their naysayers.

Floyd Mayweather has preached that he is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world and the greatest fighter of all time.  He’ll tell that to anyone who listens.

Let’s face it he’s 41-0 so it’s hard to argue with his proclamation.

What’s not hard to argue is that though fans are clamoring for it, though it would be the biggest money producing fight in history Mayweather (for some reason) won’t fight Manny Pacquiao.

Negotiations have fallen through twice and Pacquiao has decided to move on to fight Antonio Margarito November 13th in Dallas.  Many boxing fans and insiders don’t approve of Margarito as an opponent but Manny had to do what he had to do.

On the brink of the promotional tour for Pacquiao vs. Margarito, Floyd Mayweather took it upon himself to shine the spotlight on him via UStream video.  What he did was give boxing a black eye.

In the 10 minute plus video he berates Pacquiao calling him among other things a “midget”, “poochiao” and claiming that after he beats Pacquiao he will make him “make me a sushi roll and cook me some rice”.  Also in the video he continues to accuse Pacquiao of using performance enhancing drugs or “power pellets” as Mayweather calls them and makes comparisons to the money that each of them have made in fights and endorsements.

Pacquiao’s camp has responded to the video by saying that it (the video) speaks for itself.

The video is a show of complete ignorance and disrespect on Mayweather’s behalf.  It’s really hard to cross the line in boxing.  Mayweather crossed the line.

Put the shoe on the other foot, had Pacquiao come out with a video and said after he beats Mayweather he would make him cook some chicken and make some kool-aid, Mayweather’s camp would be in an uproar.  The NAACP, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson would be knocking on Pacquiao’s door demanding an apology. The point I’m making is there is no room for this kind of behavior in boxing.  There’s no room for this kind of behavior anywhere!

Mayweather has since apologized saying that he was just “having fun” but the only people laughing or having a good time is Mayweather and the “yes men” in his camp.  Furthermore, is it really an apology if you never address the man you insulted?  Mayweather never names Pacquaio in his apology only saying that he apologizes to “everybody”.  I guess that includes Pacquiao?

Mayweather thinks he’s better.  That’s fine.  He thinks he can’t be beat.  That’s ok too. Hey, even the trash talk is ok but some things are better left unsaid.  What Floyd Mayweather has done in the ring is remarkable.  He truly is one of the best fighters of our time and maybe the best fighter of this era.

It’s his behavior outside the ring that leaves a lot to be desired.
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Source:  HIT THE ROPES
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Floyd Mayweather Jr. is biggest jerk in sports

A commentary by: GEORGE DIAZ
For the website : SPORTS SENTINEL

It's official now.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the biggest jerk in professional sports.

I know it's a crowded field, with Ben Roethlisberger still capable of crashing a happy hour or any number of self-absorbed clowns sending out their latest Twitter updates, right King James?

But that's all minor league stuff compared to the complete body of work by Mr. Mayweather.

The recent profanity-laced, homophobic rant against Manny Pacquiao is documented proof that this guy is a clown with no class.

If he were under any legitimate jurisdiction, he would have been suspended. But alas, this is pro boxing, a sport that been's screaming "regulation" since the first hair-raising shenanigan by Don King, not to mention a cast of other characters who manipulate matchups and rankings for their protective interests.

Speaking of, Mayweather seems to want no part of Pacquiao.

I can understand why.

Pac Man would very likely beat him, destroying Mayweather's myth that he is, "pound-for-pound, the best fighter in the world.

Mayweather seems to have zero interest in fighting Pacquiao, even though it would be the most lucrative fight in the sport's history. Each fighter stands to make between $25 million and $40 million. Each.

Sure, who would be interested in that?

Instead, Mayweather has spent his time crafting a vile, insulting rap.

"As soon as we come off vacation, we're going to cook that little yellow chump," Mayweather said. "So they ain't gotta worry about me fighting the midget. Once I stomp the midget, I'll make that little (deleted) make me a sushi roll and cook me some rice."

Nice.

Mayweather has since "apologized." ]

The backlash has been vicious, since the video post also coincided with tragic circumstances involving Bob Arum, Pacquiao's promoter. The body of Arum's son John, an environmental lawyer, was found on a mountainside in Washington, The death is believed to be from a hiking accident.

I have no problem if an athlete wants to play mind games. Muhammad Ali became a legend at it. But this is just crass and pointless. It's also disingenuous, since it is Mayweather who has been running like Mr. Scaredy Pants avoiding Pac Man.

I truly hope they fight some day.

And that Pac Man eats his lunch, with a little sushi roll and rice on the side.

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THE SPORTS SENTINEL

Mayweather's racial rant on Pacquiao crosses the line

FROM THE BOXING EXPERTS BLOG:



Selling an image to promote fights is one thing. Backing up the immature "Money" persona by acting like a fool should get Floyd Mayweather in some hot water. Mayweather spoke with some fans and some haters on a recent UStream video and unloaded on Filipino boxer Manny Pacquaio.
Warning the (video - NSFW) is loaded with foul language.  
"I'm on vacation for about a year, about a year," Mayweather said. "As soon as we come off vacation, we're going to cook that little yellow chump. We ain't worried about that. So they ain't gotta worry about me fighting the midget. Once I kick the midget ass, I don't want you all to jump on my [expletive]. So you all better get on the bandwagon now. ... Once I stomp the midget, I'll make that mother[expletive] make me a sushi roll and cook me some rice."
Mayweather also talks about taking "Poochiao" to a teppanyaki restaurant and "cutting him up to cook with some cats and dogs."
Then "Money" gets on to his favorite topic, how much cash he makes for his fights and other endeavors.
"We know Pacquiao made $6 million in his last fight and Floyd Mayweather made $65 million in his last fight. Three losses, two draws. Ohhh, hell no, this is America baby. We built on winning. Step your game up, [expletive].  That mother[expletive] Pacquiao, he can't speak no English. He never seen a contract he didn't like. Mother[expletive] signed with two companies [Top Rank and Golden Boy]. Look it up. And then this mother[expletive] signed with Nike only got 70 Gs. How stupid can a mother[expletive] be? Reebok gave me a million dollars for three weeks. I wore Reebok [expletive] for a week for a million dollars."
The 5-foot-8 Mayweather also rips on the Pacquiao's size (5-6) and accuses him of using performance enhancing drugs.
"This mother[expletive]'s name is Emmanuel. He got a fake name, taking power pellets."
Mayweather closes by saying he'll fight Pacquiao when he gets off the "power pellets".
There is no commissioner of boxing and no state athletic commission is going to penalize Mayweather for this childish and hateful speech. Maybe Top Rank Promotions and Pacquiao should just pass on any future Mayweather fight and see if "Money" can find someone else to fight. Can you name an opponent beyond Pacquiao where Mayweather will get $25 million?

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SEE THE SOURCE HERE!

Floyd Mayweather's Racist Rant Against Manny Pacquiao

Here's the partial transcription of Floyd Mayweather's racist rant against the boxing champ Floyd Mayweather:

At this particular time I don’t know if I’m gonna fight again. As of right now, I truly believe I am gonna fight again, but as of right now I don’t have the urge to get up. But when I do got the urge to get up, believe me my UStream and my Twitter fans will be the first to know, and when we do come back, we will kick ‘Poochiao’ a**. So I’ll let the fans know. Don’t worry, we’ll kick ‘Poochiao’ a**. He’s gonna take the urine and blood test.

'Poochiao’ got three losses and two draws and been knocked out twice. So, like I said before, once I beat him it’s going to be a cakewalk and it’s on to the next.

We on vacation for about a year, then we gonna come right back and cook that lil young chump. So the fans aint gotta worry about me fighting the midget. Once I kick the midget a**, I don’t want yall to start jumping on my d*ck. So yall better get on the bandwagon right now. Because once I stomp the midget I’mma make that motherf** make me a sushi roll and cook me some rice. He better make me a shrimp tempura cut roll. You know how it is, we gonna cook that motherf** with some cats and dogs.

We know Pacquiao made $6 million in his last fight and Floyd Mayweather made $65 million in his last fight. Three losses, two draws. Ohhh, hell no, this is America baby. We built on winning. Step your game up, f**. That motherf** Pacquiao, he can’t speak no English. He never seen a contract he didn’t like. Motherf** signed with two companies [Top Rank and Golden Boy]. Look it up. And then this motherf** with Nike only got 70 Gs. How stupid can a motherf** be? Reebok gave me a million dollars for three weeks. I wore Reebok s**t for a week for a million dollars. This motherf**’s name is Emmanuel. He got a fake name, taking power pellets.
Source: WWW.ARKHILARIO.COM

You can also see the actual video:


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This action of Mayweather only proved and shows that he is really afraid to lose to Manny Pacquiao, he did everything he can to run away from Pacquiao. All issues he raised in the pasts were just his alibis just to runaway from Pacquiao. He is not a real "Pound for Pound", is a real COWARD!