The first episode of HBO Sports? ?24/7: Mayweather-Ortiz? was unquestionably the finest in the show?s four-year run. It captured the essence of who Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Victor Ortiz are, and almost made you want to run out to purchase the pay-per-view for their Sept. 17 welterweight title fight on the spot.
Yet, unquestionably, it was extremely difficult to watch.
The episode closed with Mayweather berating his father, Floyd Sr., and saying there are only two Mayweathers who matter, himself and his uncle, Roger.
It was no surprise to anyone who has seen the relationship between father and son for any length of time. They went years ? years ? without speaking a word to each other while feuding through the media.
The son once booted the father out of his home and repossessed a car he was driving.
But I?m not about to point fingers and play the blame game. There is no excuse for anyone treating their father the way Mayweather Sr. was treated by his son, but Mayweather Sr. deserves plenty of blame in the mess, too.
Instead of trying to figure out who is at fault in this situation, I suspect this was a role that Mayweather Jr. was playing. He?s clearly the reason that the ?24/7? franchise exists. He?s a compelling and divisive figure who makes some people hate him and want to see him get knocked out, while at the same time making others regard him as an idol and an icon.
Among the six lawsuits in which Mayweather Jr. is a defendant, one is a defamation suit filed by pound-for-pound champion Manny Pacquiao. Much to the consternation of Pacquiao attorney Daniel Petrocelli, Mayweather has refused to set a date to be deposed, despite the fact the judge has ordered him to do so.
Mayweather has responded by saying he?s too busy preparing for his bout with Ortiz to break camp for a deposition, even though he was filmed in an Atlanta nightclub burning a $100 bill. In response, Petrocelli asked the court for a summary judgment in favor of Pacquiao.
The truth about the bickering between father and son may have been answered in a court document related to the deposition that was first reported by TMZ.com.
In that response, Mayweather attorneys said the burning of the money in the Atlanta night club was staged and that it was done in order to hype his bout.
TMZ reported that Mayweather?s attorneys responded to the judge?s deposition ruling by writing that going to night clubs and having outlandish behavior were ?not random acts of partying, but calculated promotional events designed to appeal to his fan base and maintain his public presence.?
