RAFAEL: "This Was The Best Episode Of 24/7 Ever"

http://espn.go.com/sports/boxing/blog/_/name/rafael_dan/id/6908516/24-7-mayweather-ortiz-begins-bang '24/7 Mayweather/Ortiz' begins with bang August, 30, 2011 Aug 30 12:28 AM ET http://beatsboxingmayhem.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/mayweather_ortiz_24-7.jpg If you had power while Hurricane Irene had its way Saturday night, I hope you watched HBO's first episode of "24/7 Mayweather/Ortiz." If you lost power, make it a point to catch a replay or watch the show on demand. Even if you're not a boxing fan, this is great television. This one was about as riveting as it gets -- and was maybe the best episode of "24/7" ever. Floyd Mayweather Jr. was back for yet another appearance -- his fifth -- on the series, which follows the build-up to a major fight. Mayweather's opponent for the Sept. 17 HBO PPV fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, welterweight titlist Victor Ortiz, was making his first appearance. For different reasons, both are utterly compelling figures, as the fast-paced 27 minutes illustrated with its usual tremendous production values, excellent music selections and gloriously smooth voice of narrator Liev Schreiber (whom, as I've said before, I could listen to read the phone book). From the opening moments introducing the fighters until the powerful and rather stunning ending, we are immediately thrown into the lives of both men as they prepare for a huge fight. Ortiz and his younger brother, Temo Ortiz, speak emotionally about being abandoned by their mother at ages 7 and 5, respectively, and a few years later by their father, who left them to fend for themselves in their trailer in Garden City, Kan., with no food or electricity. They bounced around foster care through their teen years, which is when Ortiz found boxing. While we learn about the emotional connection Ortiz has with his team, including trainer Danny Garcia, we also hear about Garcia's own estrangement from his family, father Eduardo and brother Robert, a more well-known trainer and former world titleholder. Their relationship was broken up by Danny's decision to train Ortiz, who no longer wanted to be trained by Robert. "I love my brother," an emotional Danny said. "But I don't know if he loves me." That's deep stuff. As usual, the Mayweather camp is the louder and flashier one. Trainer and uncle Roger Mayweather is there, as goofy and difficult as ever to understand, talking about (with the usual assortment of curse words) how he hasn't bothered to scout Ortiz. "I wouldn't know him from a bag of white rice," said Roger, in one of the few sentences that did not contain an f-bomb. We see rap star 50 Cent, Mayweather's pal, eating crackers and ravioli while hanging out with Mayweather in his Las Vegas mansion. We meet Mayweather's fiancée, the lovely Miss Jackson, who has known Mayweather for five years and recently got engaged to him. She flashes her monster diamond ring and talks about how she and Floyd have an understanding of each other. And Mayweather also speaks about the six -- yes, six -- legal cases pending against him. He may not have been very busy boxing in the past 15 months since his previous fight, but he has sure been busy with his lawyers. He says he has spent millions on what he calls the best legal team money can buy. (It goes with the territory, he explains). Then he gives his view of the cases, quite succinctly: "F--- it. It's gonna be what it's gonna be. If I'm innocent, leave me alone. If I'm guilty, do what you gotta do." Floyd Mayweather Sr., his son's former trainer, is also present at the gym despite a relationship that has been on and off (mostly off) for years. This is where the episode leaps from typically good to all-time memorable, offering viewers a final five minutes that includes a vicious, near-violent argument between father and son. What begins as a good-natured debate about two female fighters degenerates into a sad family meltdown that's impossible to look away from as father and son nearly come to blows. They curse each other for several minutes and say horrible things. That either would speak to the other this way is unfortunate, but especially in front of a large group of people at the gym. Floyd Sr. has his say and then derisively announces his son's record as 41-1, indicating that he's calling for Ortiz to beat him. Floyd Jr. praises Roger's training ability while ripping his father's, trashes his dad's professional fighting career and then kicks him out of the gym. (I'm putting it all very nicely.) It was very uncomfortable to watch and I believe it was real, not staged (as some have suggested) for the HBO cameras that were on hand. Knowing the volatile relationship between father and son, this was as real as it gets. Instead of the fast cuts from scene to scene that we usually see on "24/7," the final scene, the confrontation between father and son, unfolds over five minutes -- an eternity for television. It's more gripping and sad to watch by the minute before the show ends suddenly as Roger, of all people, tries to calm down Floyd Jr. Father and son obviously need therapy. One question I couldn't help but ponder after hearing them drop dozens and dozens of f-bombs during the argument: How the heck is CNN going to handle that when it replays the episode on Friday night? http://www.thekezarpub.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Mayweather-Ortiz-September-17.jpg