By Luis Sandoval
Probably the only thing more anticipated than Floyd Mayweather Jr. returning to the ring against Victor Ortiz on September 17th, is "Money" Mayweather's return to HBO’s documentary series 24/7. After all, 24/7 is Floyd’s brainchild and a number of the boxer's most memorable moments have taken place on the program. The first episode debuted on Saturday night, and Mayweather did not disappoint as the show’s closing will be talked about for days.
24/7 opened up with both fighters discussing aspects of their motivation. For Floyd, it’s putting the finishing touches on his legacy. For Victor, its knowing he’s in a better place now than the life had growing up. Things changed quickly as Floyd began to boastfully ask for the name of another athlete, in any sport, who dominated his craft for 16 years without a loss. For those who wanted to see a more animated Floyd, he showed up.
After the opening sequence, we are taken to Victor’s camp in Ventura, California where we are introduced to his team. The most surprising part is the disclosure that they still hold down normal jobs. Head trainer Danny Garcia is a truck driver for Coca-Cola while assistant trainer Mario Aguiniga does landscaping at a local golf course.
Most boxing fans are already familiar with Victor’s upbringing and childhood hardships. However, it was still interesting to reflect on the struggled journey of Victor and his brother Temo Ortiz, who were both abandoned and forced to survive on their own. Bucky Ayala was the individual who took Ortiz at a local gym and Victor got emotional when discussing his former mentor.
One thing we found about Floyd is that he currenlty has an entourage that would rival the horde that follows Manny Pacquiao. Floyd has so many people around him that he actually admits to not being capable of remembering all of their names. We are also reintroduced to his father and uncle; Floyd Mayweather Sr. and Roger Mayweather.
Floyd also talked about numerous legal cases which are still pending.
“My mentality is what’s it’s always gonna be; f*ck it”.
While most would find something wrong with his response, this journalist actually likes it. It’s part of what makes Floyd who he is and why we tune in to see him. His problems however have come at a high cost as Floyd admits to spending millions on legal fees.
We also get a chance to meet his fiancée who is simply known as Miss Jackson, who sports a huge diamond engagement ring on her finger. For the first time, we see Floyd talk about a significant other and the way they met.
Back at the Ortiz camp, the viewers get a chance to reflect on Victor’s professional highs and lows. The darkest day of Ortiz's career was on June 27th of 2009, against Marcos Maidana. And we also get to view his most recent mountain of redemption, with the hard-fought win over the undefeated Andre Berto from this past April.
More importantly, the family feud that involves brothers Danny and Robert Garcia is discussed. Robert Garcia, who currently trains such fighters as Brandon Rios and Nonito Donaire, was the one who initially discovered Ortiz and brought him to California. However, in 2007 Danny took over as head trainer and his manuever created a rift in the family. The feud has been well publicized and even involves both their fighters, Ortiz and Rios, who share a personal feud.
“I love my brother but…I don’t know if he loves me” says a somber Danny Garcia. Both have recently resumed their public war of words.
Continuing the family feud theme, the show closes with a pretty shocking end to what initially began as friendly banter between Floyd and his father, Floyd Sr., at the Mayweather Gym in Las Vegas. The verbal debate became an ugly and personal war of words, with punches nearly being exchanged as both men had to be kept apart.
Initially arguing over two opposing female boxers, a verbal debate erupted over which Mayweather brother as responsible for making Floyd Jr. one the world's pound-for-pound best. Floyd gave his head trainer, uncle Roger, the full credit for his success. Obviously Floyd Sr. believes otherwise. A shouting match ensued as personal insults were spewed and eventually, Floyd Jr. shouted to his father, several times, to "get the f*ck out of my gym." As previously noted, both me had to be restrained to prevent the argument from escalating even further.
It’s another chapter in the father-son feud that both men have been dealing with for the last few years. The drama was definitely great for the viewers, but it's a sad sight to their relationship deteriorate once again before our very eyes. Easily one of the most, if not the most, memorable moments in the 24/7 series.
All in all, it was a great episode. One of the biggest complaints from boxing fans is the lack of new blood to the 24/7 series since it’s usually the same fighters being showcased. In this case, however, Floyd and his family always make it a must-watch episode. We also get a new face in Victor Ortiz which makes the series a perfect balance. The candid verbal battle between Floyd Jr. and Sr. easily made this one of the best episodes of the series and emphatically reminded us that Mr. 24/7 is definitely back.
Grade: 4.5/5
I can be reached at luis.sandoval80@yahoo.com or follow me on twitter at Truewest007.
