If I was called as a character witness for Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr., I would gladly step to the witness stand.
I would gladly be sworn to tell the truth.
And then I would say, ?Li’l Floyd, he is a real character and boxing misses him.?
Boxing cannot endure as a one superstar sport/business. For all of Manny Pacquiao’s accomplishments, in and out of the square ring, it becomes monotonous, repetitive and, dare I say it, boring when we have only one worldwide icon.
In keeping with the new year, new decade theme, let’s welcome Mayweather back to his office, to doing what he does best.
Unless insanity strikes the key players again, starting with Floyd himself, we shall see a Floyd-Manny fight along about November.
But no one expects Mayweather to take on Pacman with a activity gap from May, 2010, to November, 2011.
Whether Mayweather is a figure you love to hate or love to love, I think we can all admit he brings a certain swagger and ebullience to boxing that is sorely missing now.
Having said that, Mayweather has handle his pesky but not career-wrecking criminal law issues before he can go back to his office.
Certainly and understandably, his lawyers have put a muzzle on him regarding his Baby Mama and security guard issues.
But why is it Silent Night for Mayweather when it comes to boxing?
I don’t think I’m alone in wanting to hear the sarcastic comments Mayweather must be making privately about Pacman picking on his leftovers, meaning Sugar Shane Mosley on May 7.
Let Pacquiao wear the Good Guy mask, that’s fine, but I pine for the return of the devil we know, the devil who drives page views, who unleashes fiery blasts at the likes of his ESPN sparring partner Brian Kenny and who generally is rambunctious and obnoxious simultaneously.
Surely, his attorneys have not instructed Mayweather to zip his usually flapping lips about the state of boxing.
Lately, Mayweather has been as quiet as a churchmouse, as low key as a Benedictine monk.
We all know that cannot last, that Mayweather can’t bottle himself up this way much longer.
While Mosley comports himself as a gentlemen even when Mayweather ripped into him about his costly divorce, Sugar is all sweetness and light.
It’s not in Mosley’s nature to really put anyone on extreme blast, to let hot, molten lava flow.
He did not even get angry when he got the short end of the stick in that tedious ?draw? against Sergio Mora.
Mosley’s got the laid back mien of a surfer and he is not going to stir the pot.
The FX TV network is having an event in Grand Central Station Wednesday to publicize its ?Lights Out? program, which is not about James Toney but is a fictional look at boxing.
Publicists are trumpeting the presence of Joe Frazier, Larry Holmes, Michael Spinks, Micky Ward, Gerry Cooney and other ring stars of yesteryear.
Train service will not be affected so you commuters rushing back to Tarrytown, no worries.
I do not see one active fighter on the glittering list.
Oops. my bad. There is one active boxer on the RSVP, a Ukrainian fellow named Wladimir Klitshcko.
There will be plenty of lights, cameras and action as my old Don King Productions colleague John Solberg and his colleagues do it up right to excite the media and the masses.
America has only one boxing supertar and he is not on the list.
Come back, Mayweather, you need boxing and boxing needs you.
Let’s face it, it is a co-dependency situation.
Not an emergency situation…but it is getting there.
