Ever since his initial move to 147 pounds over five years ago, Floyd Mayweather Jr. has got much slack from fans and insiders for his selection of opponents and has been accused by many of ducking some of the world’s best fighters. It seems like second nature for people to take digs at the Grand Rapids fighter these days but one man who never pushes the button too far is WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto.
When I spoke to the Haitian-American last November in advance of his title defense against Freddy Hernandez last November, a contest he won in raucous fashion with a chilling first round knockout inside the MGM Grand, the topic of Mayweather came up. Giving his take on the undefeated and outspoken star, Berto pointed out that Floyd is a businessman and that his antics come in hand with the willingness to lure audiences and eventually cash those big checks.
?Floyd is an entertainer,” Berto said. “He definitely conducts his business the way he needs to so he can make as much money as possible. I think that?s his main objective. He goes in there and he talks a lot and he knows how to promote himself and he knows how to market himself. He knows how to go in there and back it up and at the end of the day he has a nice paycheck waiting for him. I think he?s pretty much grasped the whole game of marketing himself for these fights and backing it up and that?s a pretty good situation.?
Half a year later and Berto was again musing on Floyd Jr. during a recent media conference call to promote his April 16th date with dangerous Victor Ortiz. Berto admits that Floyd’s persona isn’t something that people in the sport are accustomed to seeing nor particularly happy with.
“The thing with Floyd Mayweather, you know, a lot of people don’t like him. They say he talks crazy. And you know, he’s not the image that us boxing fans or, you know, people really want to see when it comes to being a champion or top fighter for our sport.”
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Mayweather loves to flaunt money, drive fast cars, and gamble six-digit figures in his free time. His trash-talking ways have turned people off more so than usual in recent times as he has seemed to show a reluctance to facing off with WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao, the one fighter people truly want him to face.
Not choosing to take any personal swipes of his own, Berto finished up by pointing out that Floyd Jr. has been a pro for over fourteen years running and has never lost. That in itself is something he can’t hate on.
“But when it comes to any kind of argument when it comes to this fight game, he can always say that he’s undefeated. You know, he’s never lost. And people have to respect that. At the end of the day he might not show everything outside of the ring, but in the ring, you are going to have to respect him when it comes to this fight game. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is coming up with a win.”
