"LOSING THE FANS' RESPECT"
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 04 May 2010
Anybody who believes that pro boxing is a sport and not a business run by deceitful men dressed in fancy suits most of the time, mouthing self-serving lines and changing tune in a hurry, are in a world of make believe.
HBO, whose Mark Taffet continued to heap praises on pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao and has, together with his bosses suddenly discovered that Floyd Mayweather Jr could also rake in the money, has changed his tune or at the very least the lyrics.
Oscar De La Hoya whose golden boy image has corroded like some cheap alloy in recent years now states publicly that not only is Mayweather the best fighter on the planet but perhaps the best of all-time blithely ignoring such monumental fighters as Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard who were ringside guests and of course the great Sugar Ray Robinson even as he totally ignored ?Fighter of the Decade? and pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao.
This is the same De La Hoya who said publicly in an interview with Viva Sports reporter Romy Sager in Chicago before his clash with Pacquiao that his showdown with Pacquiao was personal because Manny signed up with Top Rank promoter Bob Arum when De La Hoya thought he had him for Golden Boy. De La Hoya promised to knock him out and get revenge. Pacquiao never said a single derogatory word but in the ring sent a clear message to De La Hoya by pulverizing him in seven rounds and forcing him to quit seated on his stool, a forlorn and battered figure in December 2009.
This was the same fighter that Mayweather almost lost to, escaping with a split decision in May 2008. But rather than exult in his victory like a Mayweather would, Pacquiao embraced Oscar and told him ?you are still my idol.? Now that?s a fighter and a gentleman, so unlike the Mayweathers whose filthy mouths and wild, unsubstantiated accusations have degraded the sport of boxing.
While doing the coverage on The Filipino Channel of ABS-CBN Global alongside Atty. Ed Tolentino, we were shocked at the foul-mouthed Roger Mayweather and Mayweather?s Jr?s adviser Leonard Ellerbe whose every sentence was laced with the F word. They even derided Mosley using the same gutter language. To those watching it demonstrated a callous disregard for fight fans watching on television and the kids that Floyd so pompously says he wants to help.
Well, he can start right in his own backyard by zipping the foul-mouthed uncle Roger and Ellerbe who is a smart dresser in his fancy suits but whose mouth reflects someone who grew up in the gutter. At least Pacquiao came from among the ranks of the poor in a comparatively poor country but his behavior has been rich in humility and class and proves, once again, that you don?t have to be rich to be classy. Its all in the breeding.
How a network like HBO Sports and even the Nevada State Athletic Commission and whatever regulatory body they have in the US allows such verbal filth is beyond us. It certainly wouldn?t be tolerated by any self-respecting society.
But then it seems, as long as there is money to be made, to hell with decency and ethics. If the in-between rounds language was shocking, the HBO 24/7 series was a disgrace. It was nowhere near the riveting, classy productions prior to Pacquiao?s fights with Erik Morales, Ricky Hatton, De La Hoya and Miguel Cotto.
We watched the first two episodes where Floyd Mayweather, as cocky as hell, let off his loose lip with the F word and the MF epithet time and time again. This was something that HBO shot and could very well have cautioned Mayweather or edited out. Obviously, they wanted to cater to the baser instincts of individuals and allowed it to go, probably hoping that it would further generate PPV numbers in the cheapest way possible.
If HBO believes that Mayweather Jr was exercising his freedom of speech just like De La Hoya and Swiss banker Richard Schaefer believe their accusations about Manny being on performance enhancing drugs was an opinion, then the fundamental basis that with freedom comes responsibility has been severely eroded and the demand that serious accusations which damage the reputation of an individual must be backed up by hard evidence has been conveniently set aside.
Golden Boy Promotions, the Mayweathers and their handlers may have made a lot of money in the Mayweather-Mosley fight but one thing for sure they lost the respect of millions on television which, in the final analysis, is what should count.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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