Mad, bad or just misunderstood. Few people know the real Floyd Mayweather Jr,
few people want to anyway. Cocky, self-assured, but capable of being a real
charmer, Mayweather defies expectations. Could it be that there will be two
nice guys in the ring when he defends his WBC welterweight title against
Ricky Hatton here at the MGM Grand on Saturday night? That just does not
seem right.
“He doesn’t play the bad guy, he is the bad guy,” Oscar De La Hoya said before
his defeat by Mayweather in May, after being taunted most of the way round
the United States on a multi-city media tour. Damned by his upbringing,
damned by his press cuttings, Mayweather says that people have to take him
as he is, but he resembles a man who wants to be loved. The cartoon villain
just needs a hug.
“I put my family in a hell of a position, I fought my way from the bottom to
the top,” the five-weight world champion said. “I’ve seen everything. I
don’t think Ricky Hatton’s ever seen his father shot, I don’t think Ricky
Hatton’s mother’s ever been on drugs, I don’t think his dad’s been to
prison. I come from a neighbourhood where people dying is normal. To come
from that life and fight my way to the top, I think that’s one hell of an
accomplishment.”
In 24/7, the television series going behind the scenes in the build-up
to the superbout, Mayweather tries to show his softer side, but when he
appears nice, some accuse him of putting on a show. Having proved himself
the world’s No 1 pound-for-pound boxer, being judged against Hatton as a
person does not sit easily with him. He has always been happy to play the
bad guy in his career until now, but the boos seem to be growing wearisome.
“Are you judging me by what you see on TV, or what you hear through hearsay,
or do you really want to get a chance to see the real Floyd Mayweather?” he
said. “They didn’t talk about the 600 families I fed on Thanksgiving, or the
toy drive I’m having for the families that are less fortunate - they don’t
talk about that, do they?
“Sometimes people portray you the way they want to - the pen and the mouth are
strong weapons. I know who I am as a person. If I can afford ten cars, then
I’ll buy ten cars. Just because I’m fighting a guy who may have one car,
does that mean I’m saying I’m better than him? No, not at all. I live my
life the way I live it and he lives his life the way he wants to live it.
“If he wants to buy one car, that’s up to him. If he wants to drink beer and
throw darts, that’s his life - my life’s a little bit different. Just
because we live our lives two different ways, that doesn’t mean one is
better than the other. I feel that everybody is equal and I live my life the
way I live my life.”
Having put the case for the defence, Mayweather, 30, turned his attack on
Hatton, who he says has been doing the trash talking. “In the US, guys who
talk trash on camera, we call camera thugs - he’s a camera thug,” Mayweather
said. “I say it in your face, I don’t say it behind your back. When he was
over in the US and we did a tour, he didn’t say nothing. When we went to
England [London], he didn’t say nothing.
“Finally, when he gets to Manchester, he gets comfortable, he wants to say
something. He’s going to come out and fight his heart out, but I’ve been in
this game a long time. He’s got a weakness and, come night of the fight, I’m
going to show you his weakness. He’s going to be easy to hit. We know he’s
going to swell and cut. I’ve been here so many times, so many champions.
Every fighter that I possibly face, they all say the same thing: ‘We’re
gonna apply pressure, we’re gonna apply pressure.’ Apply pressure, that’s
what I like.
“If you all call hitting and holding exciting, I guess he’s exciting. He
hasn’t put the time and dedication into the sport of boxing that I have. Fighters
are going to respect me and if I feel they don’t respect me, I’ll beat the
respect out of them.”
Success in the ring has brought wealth and celebrity to Mayweather, but he
yearns to be viewed as more than a boxer. He also wants international
appeal. “I respect the UK fans, you’re all diehard, fight fans. You are
going to root for Ricky Hatton even when Ricky Hatton gets his ass beat,
you’re still going to love him - I wish we had fans like that,” Mayweather
said. “Since I always wanted to fight in the UK, but never did, I said let’s
bring him over here and we’ll do it one more time. The UK fans come here to
get part of the Floyd Mayweather experience. He never had this many fans
here before, so it’s part of the Mayweather experience.
“You must analyse certain things. If the US soccer team was to play the
Brazilian soccer team, of course I would want the US to win, but what do I
think? I think Brazil will win. We’re in the same situation here. You all
want him to win, you are all going to cheer and want to go out after the
fight and drink Guinness beer and have a ball. You are still going to be
able to do that, but he’s just going to come up short. That’s how the ball
is rolled, how the game is played.”
Saturday could be the end of an illustrious career. Having retired twice,
there would be little surprise if Mayweather decided to call time for good.
“The future holds a long vacation,” he said. “I just want to take a vacation
and spend a lot of time with my kids, a lot of time helping kids and
families that are less fortunate and give back to my community. That’s what
I always do.”
That is the cartoon villain - your friendly, neighbourhood Pretty Boy.
