MANILA, Philippines ? We?ve heard of stories of prominent and well-respected boxers falling prey to unexpected situations numerous times, taking a full turn for the worse and being soaked in controversies that only people around them could understand why and how.
?Iron? Mike Tyson was a typical example.
And then, here comes Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Ricky Hatton.
The two champions, recognized as two of the marquee names in boxing today, have been involved in separate incidents that have tainted not only their personal reputations but more especially the image of the sport.
Mayweather had been accused of beating his former girlfriend of 15 years Josie Harris (the mother of three of his four children) and is facing grand larceny charges over the latter?s missing iPhone ? something which, according to reports, transpired when the boxer confronted Harris about her affair with NBA player C.J. Watson of the Chicago Bulls.
Police initially labeled the incident a battery domestic case. The arrest report about the scuffle is similar to an account Harris provided Thursday to obtain a Clark County Family Court protection order against Mayweather.
Both say Mayweather was angry about her relationship with another man (said to be Watson, according to reports) and both say Mayweather grabbed Harris by her hair, hit her and twisted her arm while yelling that he would kill her.
Prior to that, the 33-year old boxer also made headlines when he ranted on Filipino pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao through a racist video he allegedly recorded on uStream.com. He, however, issued an apology a day after the said incident.
Hatton, on the other hand, was recently videotaped by the News of the World (a British newspaper, through its website) using “industrial quantities” of the drug during a marathon 10-hour drinking session, according to a report by the Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The British welterweight champion, who suffered a stinging loss in the hands of Pacquiao in May 2009, was recently diagnosed with depression and an extreme alcohol problem and had reportedly been admitted to a rehabilitation facility.
?Ricky’s father has already been talking to the specialists over the last few weeks,” Hatton?s spokesman Max Clifford was quoted as saying.
“He and others have been increasingly concerned about Ricky’s depression and his drinking.”
Clifford added: “He met with the specialist (on Monday) for four, five, six hours and he was told that his depression is severe and that he has a drink problem.
Both boxers have now been the subject of persistent calls for help from their fellow athletes, most notable of who are Pacquiao, promoter Don King, and Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya.
?My reaction is that I wish all the best for them,? De La Hoya said, as quoted by Michael Rosenthal of The Ring Blog. ?Maybe it?s a cry for help. They definitely, especially Ricky Hatton, needs help. ? He?s going to self destruct. ? I would tell him, ?I want to help you. I?m your friend, I?m your father, I?m your brother.? He?s in a world right now, if he continues, he?s going to self destruct. He could die. So he needs help.?
?Ricky Hatton is a good guy. I truly feel Floyd Mayweather is a good guy too. He can be a nice guy. I?ve seen him in action. He can be nice? Sometimes it?s a sign someone needs help. I can just say I wish the best for anybody in that situation because it?s sad.? (With reports from AP and AFP)
