The intense criticism is almost universal as media and fans express their disdain for the announced September 12 PPV clash between Floyd Mayweather and Andre Berto.
To call the 31-year-old Berto, who is 3-3 in his last six bouts and still smarting from decisive losses to Robert Guerrero, Jesus Soto Karass, and Victor Ortiz, undeserving of the big-ticket challenge would be a gigantic understatement. Actually, ?insulting? would be a more accurate word for the decision to select the Haitian-American former titlist over at least a half-dozen more qualified challengers.
Team Mayweather has felt the wave of negativity for this matchmaking decision and has, uncharacteristically, acknowledged it in the press. Even Mayweather, himself, addressed this bad vibe?but not in the way critics would?ve hoped.
?I hear that I’ve been getting backlash, he’s [Berto] been getting backlash,? Mayweather said at Thursday?s press conference to officially announce the bout. ?No one is forced to buy the fight. I appreciate it, but no one is forced to buy the fight.?
Then, the five-division world champ went into what will likely be his team?s strategy when backed into a corner about the PPV worthiness of Berto?Bash Manny Pacquiao.
?The difference between Andre Berto and Manny Pacquiao,? Mayweather continued, ?is that you guys put all the hype in Manny Pacquiao–that’s what the media did. The media put all the hype in Manny Pacquiao. My job is to go out there and be Floyd Mayweather and be a chess player, and that’s what I did. I found a way to win.?
Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions would set the table early for this grand public relations deflection, telling the press on Tuesday: ?Berto isn’t going to sit back, and we know he isn’t going to be complaining about his shoulder. We’ve done seen him fight with one arm.”
So, obviously, the Team Mayweather strategy is to sit firm on the claim that the media is understating the worthiness of Andre Berto, just as they overstated the worthiness of Manny Pacquiao. And, along those same lines, point the finger at Floyd?s Filipino arch-nemesis while highlighting some of Manny?s matchmaking decisions.
The latter is a strategy everyone should?ve seen coming based on this June quote Mayweather delivered to Fighthype.com:
?Either Karim Mayfield or Andre Berto, that?s who Floyd Mayweather will be facing in September?One of those guys could upset Floyd Mayweather, you never know. It?s the Mayweather sweepstakes: Who?s gonna hit the lottery? It all depends on how I feel.?
And then when it was insinuated that neither fight candidate was deserving of a big ticket PPV main event slot, Mayweather would tip his hat as to where his mind was at:
?When [Manny] Pacquiao chose the last guy before me [Chris Algieri], did you say that about him??
Well, much to the dismay of the boxing world, it looks like Berto is the chosen man for what is being announced as Mayweather?s last fight. It?s an odd way for a legend to finish his career?fighting a fringe contender, while childishly justifying the perceived soft touch by pointing a finger at Manny Pacquiao. TBE?
