Before Mayweather fought and defeated Manny Pacquiao this weekend, in what was being touted the fight of the century, he made some interesting comments. Mayweather is known for being braggadocios. But he stunned quite a few folks when, during an interview with Stephen A. Smith, he said:
“No one can ever brainwash me to make me believe that Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali was better than me. No one could ever brainwash me and tell me that. But one thing I will do, I’m going to take my hat off to them and respect those guys because those are the guys that paved the way for me to be where I’m at today.”
This weekend, Muhammad Ali’s daughter, Laila Ali sat down with CBS Sports to discuss Mayweather’s comments and the issue of his domestic violence.
Laila Ali: Mayweather has recently said that he’s better than Muhammad Ali.
Reporter: Those are fighting words.
Laila Ali: That’s ok because I believe that as a fighter and a champion, especially as someone on his level, he should feel like that about himself. But that doesn’t make it true. The first thing I think about is, first of all, I don’t agree that he’s better than Muhammad Ali and that’s a whole ‘nother conversation. But I think about the man my father is, outside of the ring. So there’s times when–cuz I know Floyd, I know his family, Roger Mayweather, Floyd Mayweather Sr. both used to trained me. I’ve been in the gym with him. And there have been times when I wanted to reach out to him and have a conversation with him because I see a little boy, even though he’s a grown man.
And I see a broken person. And I know when you have money and you have “power” and you have all these ‘yes’ people around you, sometimes you don’t have that person to really pull you aside and give it to you straight. So every once in a while, I’m just like ‘I need to reach out to Floyd and have a conversation with him’ because I don’t hate him. I dislike the way that he acts, I dislike the way that he treats people and I’m obviously I’m definitely not down with this beating up on women. Because that’s very cowardly. But the first thing I think about is he needs somebody to reach out to him and kind of guide him.
If you read my essay from Friday, then you already know I agree. He has a problem and instead of continuing to ignore and rationalize it, it would be best if Mayweather sought the help he needs.
Still, there are others who think that Laila should have reached out to him herself before discussing Floyd and his domestic violence problem on national television.
I can’t argue with that. It would have been ideal. But I also feel that since Floyd has failed to address the seven documented instances of domestic violence privately; maybe now that it’s all in the open, he’ll have more an incentive.
Who knows.
What do you think about Laila Ali’s comments and the venue where she shared them?
You can watch her deliver her thoughts in the video below.
