By Rick Reeno
MGM Grand, Las Vegas - Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions, believes the critics and what he feels are unjustified attacks on Floyd Mayweather Jr. - are ultimately hurting the sport of boxing. Ellerbe says Mayweather is doing everything possible in the ring, and outside of the ring, to be a positive figure for the sport - but the critics continue to hammer him.
Mayweather returns to action on Saturday night, when he faces Marcos Maidana in a rematch for the WBC/WBA welterweight titles on Showtime Pay-Per-View.
"I'd like to touch on something else. The reason why a lot of times, in my opinion, that boxing hasn't crossed over into the mainstream world as a whole - is because we are too hard and we are always trying to find ways to denigrate, to down and criticize people's accomplishments, and a lot of times its being done by people who had never even boxed before and don't know what it is to be in his shoes," Ellerbe said.
"I can't say it enough, but when you've been at the top for so many years and you look at - not in just in boxing but in sports in general - what other athlete can you say has been dominating everybody that's been put in front of him for all these years. And yet we still find ways to try to bring him down. These are the reasons boxing isn't like the NBA, the NFL, and other major sports. Because we are always looking for reasons to tear down our own."
The impact that he's had on the sport of boxing - a lot of times you guys don't comment on it. But I guarantee that when you look at some of the lesser known fighters, they are making substantially more money since Floyd put the sport on his back. He demanded and educated the fighters - that no longer will the promoters and the managers take advantage of the fighters. The fighters deserve to be put in the position where they earn the lion's share of money. With the education he also becomes the bad guy. We must find a way to acknowledge greatness when we see it. Because when you look around, there won't be another fighter like the man sitting to my right."
