Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is a great fighter. Anyone who saw his dominate performance against Miguel Cotto over the weekend can tell you that. Mayweather is an eight-time champion, a multi-millionaire and will go down as one of the best fighters to ever step into the ring. He has it all.
So why do so many people hate him?
I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that he is so good. People are always ready to see the great ones fall. Unfortunately, Mayweather is unbeaten in his pro career. As he likes to say, “43 have tried, 43 have failed.”
Maybe it’s his attitude. When someone knows they are the best at what they do and start to act like it, the fans start to think they are arrogant and dismissive of everyone else. Think about the perception of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. They are arguably the two best players in the world right now and every single thing they do is scrutinized to death.
It’s the same with Floyd Mayweather. Only the biggest criticism he gets is for what he hasn’t done, namely, fight Manny Pacquiao. That’s the fight everyone wants to see and Mayweather is denying the fans that.
There is also his impending jail sentence. On June 1st Mayweather will start serving an 87 day sentence for domestic violence.
Which brings up the real question. Is Floyd Mayweather someone you would want as a role model for your kids? I know pro athletes and celebrities shouldn’t be considered as role models but to a large number of kids, they are.
There is no question that Mayweather’s dedication and work ethic are admirable qualities. After all, how many of us work as hard at our job as he does at his? I’m just not sure those two qualities are enough to override the perceived “negatives” of the rest of his character.
For a lot of people the domestic violence charge was the last straw. After that episode, they turned against him. I fully believe that everyone should be given a second chance but domestic violence is a hard thing to overlook.
Having his freedom taken away might change Mayweather’s attitude. It may make him a little more humble and he may have a different outlook on his life when he gets out. Let’s hope that whatever changes he goes through are for the best.
Some things won’t change; he’s still going to be a champion, he’s still going to be rich and he’s still going to be on top of the world.
Israel is a sports blogger, contributor to GlobalGrind.com and owner of SportsBrosWorld.com
