It is said that impersonation is the highest form of flattery. If this is true then it should come as no surprise why Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is so flattered by himself. Many will argue Mayweather’s place among the all-time greats, but few, if any of those greats, have ever had their genius become a trend. Much like Michael Jackson’s Moonwalk, Elvis Presley’s gyrating hips, and James Brown’s, well, everything, Floyd Mayweather’s shoulder roll is all the rage. True, he didn’t invent the shoulder roll, just as Michael Jackson didn’t invent the Moonwalk, however, his utter perfection of it essentially makes it his, and from the looks of it he’s got fans, and I don’t mean we out of shape fanatics with Herculean internet courage, the fans I speak of are his fellow pugilists. It’s the famed Wanna Be Like Mike meme, only now, they Wanna Be Like Floyd, and this is no meme, it’s literal. Would be rivals and former rivals alike are paying homage to his Moneyness every time they step in the ring. Ricky Hatton, Zab Judah, even perpetual nemesis Oscar De La Hoya spent the latter part of his career in search of that Mayweather Mojo. That may explain their contentious relationship. I guess if you can’t beat him, be him.
Like every fad or craze, there seems to always be a supposed heir apparent who appears to be as good as its originator. For Mayweather it is none other than his uber talented doppelganger, Adrien Broner, who, due to their deep and abiding bromance, refuses to entertain the slightest possibility of him getting in the ring with his mentor, save for a poor attempt at the Soul Train Line at the Mayweather Boxing Club. Thus, fight fans may have to wait until Floyd retires and passes the torch to his would be heir. Shame on us fight fans for expecting Broner to do what warriors and wanna be kings would do, stage a coup and take a swipe at the throne, not merely wait for his Highness to step down at his leisure. That’s the lot of a prince, a child, a little boy content to linger in the shadows, mimicking his Majesty and Master until the appointed time. Strange, all this time I thought “if it makes dollars, it makes sense.” Can you honestly think of a bigger Pay Per View draw following the Saul Alvarez blockbuster that would make sense? This is prize fighting, and as his Moneyness is fond of saying, “if it ain’t about the money, then what’s it about then?” Hopefully, the bromance will be set aside, a faux Beef will ensue and they can get to the business of what will be good for both the sport and its fans, needless to say each fighter’s respective bottom line.
I strongly suspect that despite his recent tribute to Floyd during his decisive victory versus Juan Manuel Marquez, where he employed the famed shoulder roll and dropped a few Mayweatheresque right hand counters, Timothy Bradley, Jr., will not be courting Money May for a bromance, vying for membership amongst the coveted Money Team. Bradley is all business and serious about ascending to the throne as his sport’s best. Considering his pristine record and abilities, we can only hope he is being heavily considered to help fill Mayweather’s contractual obligations, as oppose to the spectacle of Bernard Hopkins dropping nearly twenty pounds for a handsome pay day. For Timothy Bradley’s sake and ours, let’s just hope boss Arum shares his ambitions. Then again, the hungry champion could always stage a coup.
© 2013
*Available at Boxing.com
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