By Cliff Rold
Previously on 24-7, trainers talked trash to each other, Floyd Mayweather talked trash in general, Shane Mosley went into family issues, and Nazim Richardson spit wisdom (he does a lot of that). All in a half hour. What twists and turns await this week? The fight is a week away, it’s only (insert rates for standard and high definition here)…
…and if we order now, do we get the extra ginsu knives absolutely free?
Probably not. Regardless, while narrator Liev Schreiber skips it two weeks in a row, we know “This is 24/7.”
Cue the music and it’s on to a real-timey recap.
We’re straight to Mayweather who runs off the lost of men who “f&^*ed” up Shane Mosley over the years (correctly listing Vernon Forrest and Winky Wright but exaggerating on Miguel Cotto). The camera follows “Money” as he counts a stack of it and then discusses how he’s gotten into the head of Richardson and disses Mosley for not keeping the cash in the family in regards to Mosley not keeping his father on as trainer.
No comment on the old story that Mayweather evicted his father, Floyd Mayweather Sr., from his home after releasing him as trainer about a decade ago or so.
Riding along as Mayweather heads to the mall, it’s more talk of cash and how his father used to pull out “knots” of it.
The tedium is broken up with footage of Mosley doing road work in Big Bear. Into the gym, “an innovation emerges.” As Otis Redding’s far-superior-to-the-Black-Crowes version of “Hard to Handle” provides background, Richardson’s use of towels as a reflexive training tool. Mosley Richardson’s son and former Olympian Rock Allen, and others explain the good it does in helping to remind to duck. Its utility is explained by Yoda Richardson as such:
“Nobody likes to get hit in the face with anything but, bottom line, you got to do something about it…if you can’t do something about it, you may not have an option.” Mosley is shown taping his hands before entering the ring, mitt work replacing towel time and Mosley describes the need to be sharp and gym mate Mike Dargan proclaims him the man to beat Mayweather.
Hip hop, slow mo, and muscle head bodyguards…the scene is back at Camp Mayweather and Floyd’s mitt work is center stage, a staple of the show on par with “is he havin’ a laugh?’ on HBO’s “Extras” (but without the subtext). Floyd says he trains “like he’s poor” and there’s no joke. One thing about Mayweather: he puts in work. He’s a true professional.
Mayweather Sr. predicts Mosley will fight “jittery” in a separate interview before clips of he and Jr. show time taken to mock the towel technique to laughter in the gym. It’s a bright spot in the episode. Providing more insight, Mayweather explains that he has bodyguards in part because of the early and violent deaths last year of Forrest and Arturo Gatti.
Mosley’s security man, nicknamed ‘Eliot Ness,’ gets a guest appearance but not much detail is provided. He seems like a character. Mosley’s personal chef doesn’t but the Pesto Pasta and Tilapia look yummy.
Richardson holds court at supper, analyzing Manny Pacquiao’s recent success as impressive because, if one if whooping ass so bad folks think they must be cheating, something is being done right.
Uncle Roger Mayweather is pulling weeds in his garden, a segue into discussion of his battle with diabetes over the last two years which further segues into discussion of Mayweather Sr. and his battle with a rare lung disease. Roger discusses hoping he has not passed the disease to “the greatest contribution he’s ever made in life,” his young son. Roger’s being slowed by age and ailment is lamented by Floyd Jr.
Floyd Sr. explains how a common cold could be lethal to him and Jr. explores his feelings on that issue too. It’s a rare segment that comes off genuine in its sentiment.
Back to Mosley and Richardson’s daily Muslim prayers, the trainer discussing the power of God and his mission with the lord. Around the table, all of Team Mosley sing thanks and graces on each other in a bonding moment and then things get as personal as they can, Richardson alluding to Mayweather as being culturally embarrassing. Richardson’s gravitas is weighed against an uncomfortable sociological turn in conversation and one Mayweather is certain to answer in the final episode.
More Mayweather…more money talk…whatever…”I don’t fight for legacy”…blah blah…
It’s all setup for the final montage, exit comments from both men as training footage and a steadily rising base line build to the episode’s close.
Schreiber says, “the Bell sounds one week from tonight” and it’s out.
Final Thoughts: Looking forward to that bell…if for no other reason than another version of the increasingly cliché 24/7 will be over. Seriously. This is grueling. After a strong first episode, the whole thing has sort of balanced into what can’t help feeling like reruns.
That doesn’t mean it’s bad for the uninitiated. For someone who is a casual viewer and happens upon the show, it is bound to be effective in generating curiosity. For those who have watched these shows before, there is nothing new. At all. Even given the genuine nature of the stories, they are all the same stories about the Mayweather family, same trash talk (literally almost), same mitt work.
Watching it, one can realize that the worst possible version of this show ever may well be if Mayweather ever fights Pacquiao. Given that both have had multiple appearances, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say old episodes could simply be edited neatly so as not to have to shoot any new footage at all.
It’s not like anything really new would be said outside a few steroid quips.
Richardson provides a new character to the show and provides personality to his fighter. He’s captivating but perhaps moreso because he hasn’t been done to death in this format. He sells the fight because he sells the idea that Shane is ready for it.
Overall, it’s hard to knock the polish. A fight well over ten years in the making IS a week away. That’s worth looking forward to. Grade: B
Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com