They say that “Money” talks and whatever a bull produces after eating a massive amount of grits will walk. Now if the cash cow owns that bull, then that means that he can direct that bull to walk wherever he tells him to go.
What he shouldn’t be able to do, is charge you $75 to both see and smell the bottom of that bull’s feet, and if you allow this to happen — by picking up your remote control and mashing “BUY”, then your dumb ass deserves the very brittle middle finger that was waved at you last night by “Money” with the announcement of Floyd Mayweather vs. Andre Berto on Showtime PPV.
Not that its a bad fight- it’s not, and it will be action packed. Its just not a fight that should even remotely be considered for premium cable. The other day we saw Danny Garcia chop down Paulie Malignaggi in the 9th round for Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions on ESPN. A few weeks prior to that, we witnessed Keith Thurman’s terse 9th round thriller over Luis Collazo on ESPN for the same brand. Not long before that we saw Shawn Porter turn Adrien Broner into his janitor. All of those fights are fights we’d come to expect on Showtime but were now being shown on free TV as boxing’s popularity continues to soar.
Mayweather is managed by the same Al Haymon that those fighters are, and is universally recognized as the sports’ best fighter and its #1 attraction. Strictly from a business standpoint and the drive to push boxing firmly back into the mainstream, it would make perfect sense for Mayweather’s “last fight” (no, we’re not buying that) to show he’s one of the guys and one for their future.
This, especially in lieu of the fact that the public – and his peers – were fleeced by a Manny Pacquiao fight that was as historically lackluster as it was expensive. There is no way that this upcoming card on September 12 can really help Showtime or boxing, and the premium network would be hard-pressed to surpass the quality of ESPN’s recent airings for Premier Boxing Champions.
CBS, which has had the Superbowl on its network, was very ready to unveil big league NFL-like production for a Mayweather fight on its network. Sources close to the situation revealed that the endorseless, sponsor unfriendly Mayweather presented problems for the network, as advertisers were scared of his history of domestic violence.
Still, CBS had enough pull to pull this off, though the financial incentives for “TMT” and its affiliates would’ve been significantly less than accustomed. Reports out of New York indicate that Al Haymon was against this Mayweather/Berto event on Showtime PPV, instead wanting Floyd to help extend all he’s done with Premier Boxing Champions and boxing’s popularity, despite the result of Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. This is highly speculative and cannot be confimed, but if true, then it adds another level of arrogance to a man who has routinely shown no regard for the hardcore fan, while duping the casual one at the cash register.
Say what you will about PBC, but the production value has been first class, even if the competitive balance hasn’t always been. But the caveat is we haven’t had to pay for it and its given us free TV for all of the world to see while ushering in a new era of boxing.
What would’ve made Mayweather vs. Berto so great for the sport (and for Floyd), is if he used his preeminent position to embed himself in the public’s conscious favorably before he exits the sport. In continuing his game of Russian roulette with karma – which is a bitch – he’s all but making sure that what goes around will come back around in the form of a bitch that’s anything but pretty.
We witnessed Al Haymon PR connoisseur Sam Watson passing out #FREEBOXING4ALL t-shirts at all of the press events for Thurman/Collazo. Those same t-shirts should be going around Las Vegas at the MGM Grand in a few weeks, but instead, you’ll be charged for those too, only the caption on your shirt will read #IAMDUMBFORBUYINGTHIS.
In Floyd speak, it’s the best thing your hard earned cash can buy to make him richer. Remember when Pacquiao had to avenge high profile losses to Juan Manuel Marquez and Timothy Bradley? For perspective, Berto doesn’t even have to explain getting his ass beat by Victor Ortiz, Jesus Soto-Karass Take it away Floyd (and imagine his voice as you read this folks):
“Guess what? Andre Berto is a solid competitor and a former world champion. He’s a young, hungry lion that’s coming to win. Am I taking him lightly? Absolutely not. I’m preparing for the best Andre Berto ever and a very explosive fight on September 12. We gonna give the fans an unbelievable fight on Showtime PPV.”
No. He means “Pay Per Pew”.
