As a boxing scribe I am thankful for Floyd Mayweather. Despite a lack of formal education and his love and hate relationship with media, thirty four year old super star has never short changed us with material to write about.
“I am just happy because I am in the position to say what I want to say,” alleged Mayweather during his recent interview with Fight Hype:” I am only speaking on how I really feel.”
Mayweather who recently reclaimed number one pound for pound ranking on ESPN poll, has been able to use conventional media, such as TV, radio and print to his benefit.
“You guys made me relevant,” Floyd said earlier this year in Los Angeles addressing the media.
How does he do it? Earlier this month, he came out on television and made an announcement that he would be ready to fight on May 5th next year. What did this accomplish? This announcement created a public outcry for much anticipated showdown between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. In fact it forced the hand of camp Pacquiao, especially promoter Bob Arum who called this nonsense, to get to work on the fight. Mayweather did the same thing earlier using the media to create enough noise to force Manny Pacquiao to take random drug test as a condition of their contest. In short Floyd Mayweather uses the media to create a public opinion. Think about it. When the issue with random drug testing originally came up, team Pacquiao basically said that Mayweather was nobody to make new rules and new demands. With time and media and fans involvement Pacquiao has agreed to Floyd’s demands. Recent reports by ESPN and ABC indicate that Pacquiao Mayweather mega fight is very close to being done, thanks to Floyd Mayweather using the media.
Internet made our world a lot more accessible. Boxing has become an internet sport, at least as far as pugilistic news are concerned. Even the king of boxing news, Ring magazine accepted the change of time and began an online publication to complement the printed monthly publication, but more than that, to be able to compete with other online news publications.
With an internet exploding in recent years, here come social media networks such as face book and twitter which provide boxing fans with a forum and ability to keep up with other fans and boxers. Undefeated American fighter, Floyd Mayweather understands the importance of using social media as well. His you tube videos are all over the internet. He is by far is the king of the Twitter with following approaching two million fans And I had my chest puffed up when a friend told me that I have almost eleven thousand followers. No one in the boxing world even comes close to Floyd Mayweather. Consider that Golden Boy, Oscar De La Hoya only has 136 thousand followers. Many Pacquiao has 300 thousand followers and Amir Khan has 350 thousand followers.
Going on Twitter I discovered Floyd’s latest interview where he talks about his affair with boxing.
“I don’t know nothing else but boxing, “said Mayweather, a king of social media: ”My whole life I eat I sleep and shit and drink boxing. That’s all I did and I loved the sport. I loved it so much I did. I am saying I loved it because I used to love it. I don’t love it like I used to because it’s tweaked now. It’s tainted; it’s not real like it used to be. With a Pacquiao fight I am feeling like Ali did with George Foreman and it’s so crazy, one minute they say this and that, but when I win they are going to be praising me. I am telling you now I am the best that ever did it with or without Pacquiao fight. May 5th is the day. If you want it you can get it. He said that he agreed to take the blood and urine. No problem let’s get it. . Like I said before I am extraordinaire . I make every fighter look ordinary.”
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Contact Igor Frank at axident@pacbell.net or follow me on Face book or follow me (Fightmonger) on Twitter
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