Mayweather vs Cotto: HBO Special On Floyd Mayweather

A new special about Floyd Mayweather aired this past weekend. It was called "Floyd Mayweather: Speaking Out" and it featured biographer Michael Dyson. In my opinion most of the questions were softballs, but there were a couple of interesting response from Floyd and they were recorded by David King,

Mayweather also spoke about his impending incarceration, inferring his wealth and celebrity had a lot do with his legal problems.

"I'm pretty sure Martin Luther King has been to jail," Mayweather said. "I'm pretty sure Malcolm X has been to jail, and there's many more that's been in jail. You take the good with the good, and the bad with the bad. This is just another obstacle put in my way, but I can get through anything. Am I guilty? Absolutely not."

During the special, Mayweather went on to say that he took a plea deal because he didn't want to drag his kids through the legal process. I'm not sure how to say this but Floyd is not going to jail for trying to enact social change like Martin Luther King. The armchair psychologist in me says that Floyd is trying justify the fact that he is going to a place with hardened criminals by telling himself that really influential people also went to jail. Floyd is not one of them.

Mayweather doesn't seem bothered by that fact though, and he's pretty confident his legacy will withstand the test of time.

"[Muhammad] Ali stood for our little cause," Mayweather said when asked about how much he was influenced by other outspoken Black American athletes. "Ali is the one that made you say, 'you know what, I'm proud to be Black.'... I'm in the same shoes with Ali. They hate me when I'm at the top, but when my career is over, they're gonna really miss me."

I'm not sure if the historians are going to look as kindly on Mayweather as Ali, but he certainly will be remembered. Mayweather will be remembered as a fighter who never faced Pacquiao and the started the 24/7 movement.

Watching this episode and the 24/7 episode back-to-back is a surreal experience. One features a subdued and honest Floyd Mayweather and the other features the flamboyant "Money" Mayweather. You can watch this video on HBO GO or on YouTube if look for it.