Floyd’s in a no-win situation, really, outside of the money factor (and Floyd recently said it’s not about the money any more). Almost 34, his skills and confidence are fading fast, he is ignored or deplored by most of the sporting public, and he absolutely is going to get knocked out by Manny Pacquiao, the
younger, faster, stronger, more beloved and humble man who is everything Floyd wishes he could be.
It was interesting to hear an honest Mayweather fan raise this issue. Luther’s comment made me remember hearing many boxer and tennis player say how important the positive support of the crowd was, that it was the reason they won a certain fight or match. So I replied to Luther:
“Interesting point Luther. Floyd should sign the Pacquiao deal, get knocked out like he knows it’s inevitable and just learn from it. Get touched by the greatness of Pac and learn from it. Like Foreman learned from getting knocked out by Ali. And ultimately became a better man from it. This is Floyd’s only hope, he needs to be humbled and humiliated. Experience rock bottom. His current ugly act will never endear him to the public.”
Luther responded. “Good comparison Scoop! That’s your journalistic creativity coming out, we will never agree on the outcome of this fight but after Ali vs Foreman, it was actually Philadelphia native Jimmy Young who sealed the deal for Foreman and sent him into retirement the first time around.”
Another excellent point from Luther. I re-watched Young vs. Foreman about a year ago for the first time since seeing it on ABC in 1977, and was enthralled seeing how the huge, vocal Puerto Rican stadium embraced Young in this fight, while totally rejecting Foreman who was acting like a bully jerk, fouling Young repeatedly. At first the crowd was neutral but after seeing Foreman act like a goon, they got behind Young booed and jeered Foreman relentlessly. And it actually seemed to break Foreman’s spirit as the fight proceeded. The entire Roberto Clemente Stadium helped the underdog Young who got off to a slow start and then energized and willed him to victory. It was an incredible fight to see the audience be such an important factor.
I strongly believe it was the rowdy Puerto Rican crowd support for Young and AGAINST George which was the key factor in this fight. In his heart, Foreman had to feel ashamed again (like in Zaire) for being so hated by the crowd and that was the last straw that broke him and his career. He left boxing and found religion and completely changed his life and later, public image.
Make no mistake about it: Crowd support can be so crucially important sometimes – and it can even make the difference between victory or defeat.
Mayweather knows when he faces Pacquiao he will get treated worse than what Foreman got in Zaire and Puerto Rico. He just can’t win. I remember Floyd even said last year, “It’s a no-win situation.” The only hope is to just accept his fate and let it happen. The public is never wrong. Floyd certainly deserves all the scorn he gets.
The only hope for Floyd is to accept it and learn from it and try to better himself and become a better man. After Floyd takes his beating from Pacquiao, the people will forgive him, just like they forgave Foreman and later embraced him. Humanity always forgives.
But Floyd Mayweather has to admit to himself, the way he has behaved for the last decade – the false drug accusations against Pacquiao, the materialism, the whoring himself for money, gambling, the bad examples he’s shown in public, the immaturity – this must be changed.
George Foreman learned a lot from Muhammad Ali and how to become a great person.
Likewise, Floyd Mayweather will learn a lot from Manny Pacquiao and how to finally become a great person instead of just a great boxer.
Scoop Malinowski is the author of “Heavyweight Armageddon: The Tyson-Lewis Championship Battle.” He created two web sites: www.thebiofile.com and www.tennis-prose.com
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