Mayweather's apology video rings shallow -- Las Vegas Review-Journal

By ED GRANEY, Las Vegas Review-Journal

It didn't sound any better a few days later. It didn't play any less disgusting on YouTube. It wasn't any less racist, any less hateful, any less ignorant.

As for the apology Floyd Mayweather Jr. subsequently released via another video, well, there are kiddie pools all around Summerlin that aren't as shallow.

There is a quote about racism that says it is man's greatest threat, for it includes a maximum of hatred for a minimum of reason. It would make sense in this case.

Mayweather's words rarely offer much logic, and his insatiable need for attention finally has reached the ultimate pathetic level, even for him.

Has there ever been a better fighter who is this insecure?

You can't spin the nearly 10-minute video clip Mayweather produced in demeaning Manny Pacquiao any way other than a racist attack of ridiculously callous proportions, although I am sure once all those who spend their lives enabling Mayweather resurface, they will do their best to explain away his repulsive rant.

That's what they do for him -- his advisers, those who pen his press releases, those whose main duties seem to be nothing more than hanging out at mansions and feeding the fighter's massive ego.

He pays and they pander.

They make excuses and he writes their checks.

So how to combat a video in which Mayweather, in no particular order, refers to Pacquiao as a yellow chump, as a whore, as a midget, as a homosexual, as someone who he will beat in the ring and then have him cook a sushi roll and rice, as someone he will cook with dogs and cats, as someone who uses performance-enhancing drugs, as "Poochiao."

If you're Pacquiao, it's easy.

Never, ever, not for a second, think again about fighting him.

Money. It's all Mayweather cares about. It's his nickname, for heaven's sake. It's how he parades through most interviews, bragging about how much he has and how much he spends and how much he bets.

It's not the same with Pacquiao. He gives much of his money away. The guy could one day be president of the Philippines. Money will never be an issue for him. He doesn't need to fight to have enough of it for several lifetimes.

The best response out of this entire sick episode would be for Pacquiao to not allow Mayweather to earn one cent off him, much less $40 million.

The best response from Mayweather's sponsors would be to immediately cut ties with him, for companies like Reebok and AT&T to prove they don't condone such racist rants.

If this is the kind of Mayweather brand such companies promote, it's time for millions to re-think their tastes in shoes and long-distance carriers.

The best response by the Nevada State Athletic Commission would be to call an immediate hearing and make Mayweather explain his actions or threaten to suspend his license.

I'm not holding my breath on that.

"I saw the video and to me, it was nothing that has any concern in a professional capacity," Keith Kizer, executive director of the commission, said Friday in response to a reporter's question about Mayweather's diatribe. "As a good official, I have respect for the First Amendment. You don't violate the law by expressing your constitutional rights. I'll leave it to the fans to determine whether it was appropriate trash talk."

Trash talk? Is Kizer serious?

This went so far beyond trash talk, you can't see it. It's a privilege -- or at least should be considered one -- to be licensed to fight in this state.

Would it be freedom of speech for a licensed boxer to scream "Fire!" in a crowded theater and have some poor elderly woman drop dead of a heart attack? Would the commission be OK with that?

What, because it's boxing, racial outbursts are nothing more than another way to sell tickets and promote a fight, that there is nothing that constitutes being a detriment to the good of the sport?

Sadly, that's likely the majority opinion.

It's also shameful, even for boxing.

The lack of outrage over Mayweather's rant is just so disturbing. Where are Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton now? Where are those you know would be front and center posturing for every camera had it been Pacquiao racially slamming Mayweather?

Mayweather didn't even apologize directly to Pacquiao, but rather, "to everybody because everybody felt it was a racist comment that came from me. I don't have a racist bone in my body, you know."

No, we don't know. The video says otherwise, no matter how the enablers eventually spin it and look foolish doing so.

Odds suggest the fight everyone wants to see still will happen one day, because this is what boxing always has done, sold its soul and any shred of common decency for the next mega-event and pay-per-view bonanza.

Manny Pacquiao could stop that. He could tell Floyd Mayweather to take his racially disturbing video and try to make $40 million against someone else.

It's probably a pipe dream, but we can always hold out hope.

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ed Graney can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618.

Source: lvrj.com

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is biggest jerk in sports -- Orlando Sentinel

By George Diaz, Orlando 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.

Source: mobile.orlandosentinel.com

Is Pacquiao selling out by accepting Margarito fight? -- 8CountNews

By Brad Cooney, 8CountNews.com

According to some boxing scribes out there Manny Pacquiao is selling out and is bad for boxing for accepting the fight with Antonio Margarito. I have gone on the record before and said that it was my belief that Margarito should be banned for life. I stick by that belief to this day, however the boxing commission in Texas has given the man a license to fight, so he legally is allowed. We all know that for whatever reason Floyd Mayweather Jr decided to duck out on his chance to fight Manny, so Arum and team Pacquiao moved forward.

Margarito was granted permission to fight in Texas, so Arum made the moves and the fight is set for November 13th, in Dallas. Of course Manny would have preferred to have fought Floyd, but since that's not happening he accepted Margarito. This decision has not gone over too well with a few scribes out there and even has gotten the attention of a few remote unheard of writers as well.

Pacquiao has a lot of support out there so naturally many have come to his side, especially when he is attacked by Mayweather, and anti Pacquiao boxing writers. One in particular website called out Manny and said that Pacquiao and promoter Bob Arum are both sinning by going through with this fight against Margarito. I find it pretty comical that the writer uses the word "sin" and the name "Manny Pacquiao" in the same sentence when they have pictures of pornography models wearing their shirts on the front page. The same writer/site owner and editor call those writers that support Pacquiao "Groupies and Fan Boy journalists" in just about every article that they publish.

Pacquiao is not stupid, and he is a businessman. This is a sport yes, but it's also a business and if it makes sense for Pacquiao to take this fight against Margarito, then so be it. Those who sit on their fat backsides and criticize Pacquiao for taking this fight are all hypocrites in their own right. It's amazing to me that a guy like Pacquiao, a good man, a guy that's done nothing wrong to nobody has to deal with all of this anger and hate. He has been called a "midget" he has been accused of taking steroids, he has been called a "sinner" and that he is "bad for boxing for taking this fight" and the list just goes on and on.

I have said this before, but it's true. If you're going to take a shot at someone, take your shots at the Texas Athletic Commission. They are the ones that are responsible for this fight happening. Don't knock Pacquiao for taking the nice payday. Take your shots at Floyd Mayweather too, he's the other reason that this fight is happening. If Floyd would have manned up and accepted Pacquiao, nobody would be talking about Margarito.

Source: 8countnews.com

Mayweather's racist spray does sweet science no favours -- Sydney Morning Herald

By Jamie Pandaram, The Sydney Morning Herald

At best, the apology issued by Floyd Mayweather jnr for his racist tirade against rival Manny Pacquiao rings hollow.

Boxing fans understand that Mayweather relishes playing the bad guy in order to boost his pay-per-view sales but this latest, inexplicable rant goes beyond bad taste and acceptability. ''We're going to cook that little yellow chump,'' Mayweather said.

Really Floyd? A man who prides himself on verbal prowess sinks to the lowest denominator of attacking someone's race because he cannot think of any clever insults. What if Pacquiao had said of Mayweather: ''We're going to cook that little black chump?'' The Watts riots would have had nothing on the fallout. Mayweather didn't stop there, saying that after he defeats Pacquiao, he'll force him to ''make some sushi rolls and cook some rice'' and ''we're going to cook him with some cats and dogs'', an obvious reference to the fact Pacquiao started boxing as a youngster after his father ate his dog.

And he again speculated that Pacquiao is a drug cheat, despite the Filipino star agreeing to Mayweather's rigid blood-testing demands for their mooted bout, which has yet to be finalised but shapes to be the highest-grossing fight in history between the two best pugilists of the modern era.

''I'm gonna fight the Pacman when he gets off the power pellets,'' Mayweather said during an eight-minute video spray on the internet.

''We know Pacquiao made $6 million in his last fight and Floyd Mayweather made $65 million in his last fight. That mother f---ing Pacquiao, he can't speak no English.''

Pacquiao responded: ''I just heard about that, but I didn't see the video. But it's an uneducated message.''

Mayweather was back-pedalling yesterday, saying he was ''just having fun''.

''I do want to apologise for what happened the other night, everybody was saying they thought it was a racist comment that came from me. I don't have a racist bone in my body,'' Mayweather said.

''I love everybody. Some of my guys are Muslim, some of my guys are Jews, Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Mexicans, white, it doesn't matter, there's nothing but love in my heart.

"If anybody was affected by what I said the other day, I apologise as a man. Forgive me for what I said, I was just having fun, I didn't really mean it, nothing in a bad way.''

Source: smh.com.au