When you look at today's sports coverage, it is clear that boxing is hastily becoming a forgotten sport. As painful as it is to admit, I'm not surprised.
A majority of the lower weight classes are boring even to the boxing aficionado, and when I can't go to sleep at night, I just turn on the heavyweight matches.
Questions of who was going to be the next best WBC title contender have been replaced by who Jon "Bones" Johns was going to fight next. Yes, UFC conversations have taken boxing's place, and there is not a thing I can do about it.
Over the past decade, it became clear that Floyd Mayweather, Jr. may be boxing's only hope. As a Haitian-American, I was holding onto the hope that welterweight and fellow Haitian Andre Berto may be the sport's saving grace instead.
Unfortunately, Berto doesn't have the same market appeal as Mayweather. Mayweather has talked the talked, gone undefeated, and drawn the crowds for those main event fights. The blue-collared Berto only lost one fight and is too charitable for a fan base that values charisma.
Mayweather is a boxing genius. His defensive skills are unmatched in his division, his accuracy is top-notch, and frankly, he has the skill set to be one of the best boxers of all-time.
But why is he so insecure?
After his controversial knockout against Victor Ortiz nearly two months ago, Mayweather got into an argument with 80-year-old HBO announcer Larry Merchant. He accused Merchant of being unfair to him even though the announcer was just doing his job and pressing him about the two cheap shots that won him the fight.
Even more recently, "Money" Mayweather got into an on-air argument with a Shade 45 (a Sirius Radio station) talk show host. DJ Rude Jude, the host, questioned Mayweather on why he was ducking Manny Pacquiao, the world's best pound-for-pound boxer.
Then suddenly, the WBC champion got completely defensive. He immediately played the race card as a pathetic means to escape the interrogation.
"The black man always gets it the hardest way," Mayweather said.
Since when was this about race? Some of the most celebrated fighters of all time are African-American. Mayweather was just using the race card as a fragile curtain to hide his insecurities.
Frankly, his undefeated record is the only thing Mayweather has to hold on to. Mayweather is unfortunately a defensive mastermind; there are barely any defensive fights that are entertaining. Also, his arrogant persona makes fans see "Money," and not Mayweather the boxing champion.
Mayweather is so insecure because he knows the only way he can cement his place in boxing history is to face someone who can dent the one thing he prizes the most. Pacquiao may be the greatest boxer in the world, and nothing more would damage the WBC champ's ego than losing to a fighter with such skill.
That fact is steadily becoming known to the boxing faithful and the casual sports fan. Unfortunately, Mayweather and Pacquiao meeting up is the only thing fans want to see. Mayweather's image will only continue to falter as long as he refuses the potentially historic match, and it will negatively impact boxing, as he is the current face of the sport.
Boxing is an art, and there's much to appreciate in Mayweather's domination of the sweet sciences. But in the end, Mayweather is only gaining money, while boxing continues to lie in its comatose state.
Email: brian.josephs@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
