Floyd Mayweather Jr. loses mind, calls Manny Steward an Uncle Tom

The closer it gets to fight night, the more Floyd Mayweather Jr. seems to get jumpy. Speaking with Kieran Mulvaney of ESPN.com, Mayweather had some observations on the American public being too negative, Emanuel Steward being an "Uncle Tom," and for the hundredth time, why race is a big deal in his career.

"If you're rich, you're a rich n-----," he said. "If you're poor, you're a poor n----. If you're smart, you're a smart n-----. At the end of the day, they still look at me as a n-----."

And let's move on.

"This country needs to be more positive," he said. "We're already at war. We're in a recession, we're at war and we continue to be negative. The fans in the UK showed me more love than in my own country. That's crazy ... Sometimes I'll sit back, I'll be in my theater sometimes, and I'll think: 'Imagine if I was the same fighter that I am, and I was the same person that I am, and I was from another country. Can you just imagine how big I'd be?'

We are in a recession, with people struggling, but let's be positive: For just $49.99, you can sit back in your home (if you have satellite or digital cable or something) and order the Floyd Mayweather fight. It's like, jeez, does it get any better than that? Loosen up, people. Maybe if you had a home theater to relax in, you'd get it.

"One thing you never hear. You never hear anything negative about Oscar De La Hoya," he said. "Anything he do negative, it gets swept under the rug."

Yeah, well, agreed. Point: Floyd.

He continued by complaining about two of HBO's broadcasters, who will be calling Saturday's fight.

"Larry Merchant don't know nothing about boxing," Mayweather said. "What's that other guy's name [at HBO]? [Emanuel Steward]. He's an Uncle Tom.

"One thing you can't knock. You cannot knock my talent."

No, you can't. But just about everything else about his public persona you can knock. Floyd does not get enough credit for being flat-out weird. He and Kanye West have a lot in common.