Thread: Mayweather Jr Blast HBO

Mayweather rips HBO announcers for racial bias

by David Mayo | The Grand Rapids Press Friday July 04, 2008, 3:41 PM


Jim Lampley
GRAND RAPIDS -- Floyd Mayweather, who often heard himself pointedly criticized on HBO boxing telecasts, responded in kind Friday, during his first post-retirement interview.
Mayweather criticized the network's announcers for a bias against black fighters, and for not treating their own indiscretions as seriously as those committed by people they cover, during an exclusive interview with The Press.
Mayweather, the Grand Rapids native who returned home this weekend to host a holiday carnival and entertainment festival, was convicted on four counts of misdemeanor assault, and pleaded no contest to another, earlier in his career.
The convictions often proved fruitful topics for television one-liners.
"Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant, Emanuel Steward, they're always talking about the negative things in my life," Mayweather said. "But I've seen Jim Lampley in the same strip club as me before. They always want to talk about me going to strip clubs, but they don't want to talk about that.
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"He caught a court case himself, too. But when they catch a case, all they do is take them off the air a couple weeks, then it's over."

Lampley, the lead announcer on HBO boxing, last year received three years' probation for violating a restraining order brought by a live-in girlfriend who accused him of domestic abuse. Lampley never was charged on the original abuse complaint.

HBO televised 21 of Mayweather's last 22 fights, either on its main network or pay-per-view arm.
The two sides have quibbled before, most notably after Mayweather in 1999 called a long-term offer from the network a "slave contract." The fallout led to more than a year of acrimony, during which Mayweather fought two low-level bouts on HBO, one of them a non-title match.

Mayweather ultimately signed a reworked long-term contract with the network, beginning with his 2001 breakthrough win over the late Diego Corrales.

Mayweather reserved most of his criticism Friday for HBO's announcers, though he did blame network executives for participating in a sequence of high-level business events which forced him to plead no contest to an assault he insists he did not commit.

Mayweather was charged in conjunction with the 2003 incident at The Radio Tavern, later destroyed in a fire, where bouncer William Morris -- a former school mate of Mayweather's -- was beaten and bloodied.

Mayweather denied the charge, but negotiations for his first pay-per-view main event, against Arturo Gatti, stalled when Gatti's promoter, Main Events, insisted Mayweather resolve the case first.

Mayweather in 2005 pleaded no contest, then rendered the Gatti fight no contest in a six-round pummeling.

He now says HBO sided with Main Events in pushing him to cop a plea.

"In the past, different things have gone on in my life, like that case in Grand Rapids," Mayweather said. "I know I didn't do anything wrong. But they said they couldn't make the fight if I didn't resolve that case. So I had to plead no contest to something I didn't do.
"I'm not going to do that, because that's not me. That's not who I am. That's not how I live. But I had to plead to something I didn't do because I wanted the Gatti fight, and HBO said they weren't going to make the fight while that case was hanging."

Mayweather was aware of the stir his comments will cause after they circulate this holiday weekend.
"I'm happy. I feel clear. I feel free as a bird," he said. "I feel good that I can finally speak out, and say the things I want to say."

He said HBO should return to a format in which a prominent former boxer serves as an analyst. Sugar Ray Leonard, George Foreman, Lennox Lewis, Roy Jones and Kevin Kelley are among the former champions who have served on the network's telecasts in years past.
"There aren't any fighters commentating on boxing, that's the problem," Mayweather said. "They need to go to gyms, really learn what they're talking about. I'm not going to comment on stuff I don't know."

Mayweather said he isn't interested in the job.

He is just afraid to fight the top guys at his weight.

It's not about race:

I glorify black fighters like Mosely, Lennox Lewis, Leonard, Foreman, Wright and Taylor because of the CLASS and HUMILITY they bring in and out of the ring.

Regarding pound for pound status:
PAC has fought the best in his weight class namely JMM, Barrera and Morales and he calls him a bum
Aside from winning in a boring fight against an ageing ODLH, who did PBF beat in the 147 pound division worth mentioning. For all we know he retired because the likes of COTTO, MARGARITO, BERTO and WILLIAMS would whoop his ass bigtime.

He maybe remembered as one of the best skilled fighters of the sport, but the fact remains that he will never be considered a boxing HERO. NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't think it's so much about race as it is about excitement. PBF has never been considered a terribly exciting fighter, and many of his fights didn't have much of a competitive element to them because he was far superior to his opposition. Pavlik is being pimped by HBO because he's a very exciting fighter who is willing to take on all comers, with a story-line behind him which many American's can relate to. No one can really relate to being raised in a boxing family and of being put in the gym from the age of 5, but many can identify with hardship and battling tooth and nail to overcome that hardship, whatever form it may have taken.
Exciting fighters bring more viewers and more cash to HBO, so they promote them (and whoever else is hot at the moment) in order to make as much money as they possibly can.

Im a Mayweather fan but that was utter BS

just proves to me that Mayweather will be back fighting, he retires no one really cares, so to make some noise he comes out with this bs. He can't stand not been in the limelight.

No idea where this has come from

HBO announcers used to cream over mayweather and at times make him appear almost invincible.

Only time i genuinely had a grievance with them was the 1st castillo fight which lederman scored to castillo by a couple of rounds when i and most people had it for mayweather which it was rightfully given to.

In all honesty the only bias i ever see from HBO seems to be their insistance that the busier fighter is always winning the tight rounds despite the fact the other guy has usually done far more damage.

I swear if lederman had scored all of hopkins fights officially he`d now have a record of like 41-13

Ironically, I think the HBO announcer who has been most critical of Floyd has been Manny Steward.

He's playing the race card now??



This kinda shyt makes me sick

Originally Posted by hattonthehammer

No idea where this has come from

HBO announcers used to cream over mayweather and at times make him appear almost invincible.

Only time i genuinely had a grievance with them was the 1st castillo fight which lederman scored to castillo by a couple of rounds when i and most people had it for mayweather which it was rightfully given to.

In all honesty the only bias i ever see from HBO seems to be their insistance that the busier fighter is always winning the tight rounds despite the fact the other guy has usually done far more damage.

I swear if lederman had scored all of hopkins fights officially he`d now have a record of like 41-13

I don't see how Mayweather done more damage on Castillo he mostly only landed jabs, the only time he actually stood and traded and done damage on Castillo was in the 11th round, and even in that round he was out punched. I thought Castillo won by 1 point but Lederman's scorecard of Castillo winning by 4 points was ridiculous, but in my mind Mayweather didn't do enough to take the champions title away from him and this is a Mayweather fan talking here. I know Mayweather had a shoulder injury and he won 2nd fight convincing but i still think Mayweather should have 1 loss on his record.

Originally Posted by ICB

Originally Posted by hattonthehammer

No idea where this has come from

HBO announcers used to cream over mayweather and at times make him appear almost invincible.

Only time i genuinely had a grievance with them was the 1st castillo fight which lederman scored to castillo by a couple of rounds when i and most people had it for mayweather which it was rightfully given to.

In all honesty the only bias i ever see from HBO seems to be their insistance that the busier fighter is always winning the tight rounds despite the fact the other guy has usually done far more damage.

I swear if lederman had scored all of hopkins fights officially he`d now have a record of like 41-13

I don't see how Mayweather done more damage on Castillo he mostly only landed jabs, the only time he actually stood and traded and done damage on Castillo was in the 11th round, and even in that round he was out punched. I thought Castillo won by 1 point but Lederman's scorecard of Castillo winning by 4 points was ridiculous, but in my mind Mayweather didn't do enough to take the champions title away from him and this is a Mayweather fan talking here. I know Mayweather had a shoulder injury and he won 2nd fight convincing but i still think Mayweather should have 1 loss on his record.

Castillo wasnt half as effective in those middle/late rounds as they were making out, sure he was the busier fighter and hurt floyd on a few occasions. But they gave like 7 of those last 8 rounds to JLC when floyd had taken at least 3 of them.

Another instance of lederman judging with his heart and not his head was the marq-barrera fight.

Everyone could clearly see marquez was winning the fight with ease accept for harold who was scoring every single close round to MAB.

I gave all but 2 rounds to JMM and was relieved as fuck when the judges also saw it that way as i was briefly beggining to think i was going mad

If PBF could just comeback and face Cotto and Margarito then he would probably get more respect, it's almost like when people criticize Pacquiao for not facing JMM 3rd time and Joan Guzman

Originally Posted by Phil

just proves to me that Mayweather will be back fighting, he retires no one really cares, so to make some noise he comes out with this bs. He can't stand not been in the limelight.

Exactly. Great point made here and I think your right he will be back!

Originally Posted by hattonthehammer

Originally Posted by ICB

Originally Posted by hattonthehammer

No idea where this has come from

HBO announcers used to cream over mayweather and at times make him appear almost invincible.

Only time i genuinely had a grievance with them was the 1st castillo fight which lederman scored to castillo by a couple of rounds when i and most people had it for mayweather which it was rightfully given to.

In all honesty the only bias i ever see from HBO seems to be their insistance that the busier fighter is always winning the tight rounds despite the fact the other guy has usually done far more damage.

I swear if lederman had scored all of hopkins fights officially he`d now have a record of like 41-13

I don't see how Mayweather done more damage on Castillo he mostly only landed jabs, the only time he actually stood and traded and done damage on Castillo was in the 11th round, and even in that round he was out punched. I thought Castillo won by 1 point but Lederman's scorecard of Castillo winning by 4 points was ridiculous, but in my mind Mayweather didn't do enough to take the champions title away from him and this is a Mayweather fan talking here. I know Mayweather had a shoulder injury and he won 2nd fight convincing but i still think Mayweather should have 1 loss on his record.

Castillo wasnt half as effective in those middle/late rounds as they were making out, sure he was the busier fighter and hurt floyd on a few occasions. But they gave like 7 of those last 8 rounds to JLC when floyd had taken at least 3 of them.

Another instance of lederman judging with his heart and not his head was the marq-barrera fight.

Everyone could clearly see marquez was winning the fight with ease accept for harold who was scoring every single close round to MAB.

I gave all but 2 rounds to JMM and was relieved as fuck when the judges also saw it that way as i was briefly beggining to think i was going mad

I thought Barrera vs Marquez was a very close fight personally and theres no way on earth Marquez won 10 rounds out of 12, and i just can't see how you could have Mayweather winning 3 rounds after the 5th round, i would be curious what rounds you gave Mayweather after the 5th round.

Mayweather is right, But I dont think it is a boxing problem, I think it is a society problem. Black fighter dont sell to those who bring the money to the sport. For what reason, It could be jealousy, people just tired of black fighters, A look for a great Non black HOPE. I see that in a fighter like Paul Williams. For some reason I dont think he is liked much in the mix of the WW division because he is a threat to the non black hopes. When Campbell beat Diaz was bad for the sport. I just think SOME Black athletes rub some people the wrong way with the arrogent attitudes. Sports is also a testimony to manhood and jealousy plays a big part. Let the man speak his peace because we live in the most ARROGENT country in the world.(USA) He is a product of his envornment. Most arrogent president,fighters, country in general. Hipocrits rule the Media, airways and all forms of this society. When 2 people of different colors do the same thing it is looked at differently. Solution is to be FAIR across the board. If u hate black arrogents but love other arrogents and see that as pride then the problem still remains. DONT BE HIPOCRITS.