Mayweather Major Reading Effort: Phil/Inquirer Sept. 6, 2017

Retired boxing champion Floyd Mayweather has committed himself to being able to read by the end of the year, according to a top insider at the famous Mayweather Boxing Club. Though he had made and abandoned efforts in the past, since retiring from the ring on August 26 Mayweather is said to be fully committed to the ambitious literacy effort by the end of the year, having brought in a group of tutors who specialize in middle-aged adult illiteracy. "Floyd has tremendous work ethic," said the source. "Even though he is out of his lane, he knows that if he puts his mind to it, there is nothing he can't do." Mayweather was cruelly outed by his friend, actor and rapper Curtis Jackson (50 Cent), at a time when their friendship had hit a rocky point. Jackson sought to manage Mayweather's career while Mayweather was in federal prison for beating the mother of three of his four children, but Mayweather unexpectedly reneged on their agreement at the last minute, causing Jackson to lose millions, and ultimately declare bankruptcy. At the height of the ACL Challenge, when celebrities recorded themselves pouring ice water over their heads to raise awareness and funds for ACL research, Jackson challenged Mayweather to read one page of a Harry Potter book, promising to pay $750,000 to the charity of Mayweather's choice. Mockingly, Jackson then proceeded to lower the standard to Dr. Seuss's, Cat In the Hat, a book recommended for children aged 3-5. "Floyd dropped out of school very young. He had major family issues. His mother was addicted to drugs, his father dealt drugs, and probably sold his mother for sex too. It's really a cringe-worthy story," said the source, who has known Mayweather since the amateur ranks. In 2007 Mayweather achieved mainstream boxing stardom, using his match with Oscar De la Hoya to spring board to fame. Though the match was a boring sparring session, with both boxers satisfied to pursue personal safety over attempting to harm the other, Mayweather used the major marketing effort in the event's buildup to create a persona of charisma and free will. Mayweather went on to Dancing With the Stars and Wrestlemania, before continuing his undefeated boxing career. Unfortunately for Mayweather, his lack of education, and the personal problems linked to it, followed him into the spotlight. In 2010, in an effort to diminish the accomplishments of Manny Pacquiao, whose exciting style and string of victories over the sport's greatest champions earned him Fighter of the Decade (2000-2010), Mayweather intentionally mispronounced Pacquiao's name in a way that was seen as racist, and said that he would make Pacquiao make him sushi after he beat him. A year later, at the height of Linsanity, Mayweather would denounce NBA star Jeremy Lin as an unworthy NBA player, only earning credit because of his race. "It's no secret that Floyd is very insecure about his family history and lack of education. When he saw Lin, an Asian guy who is 6'3", 200, went to Harvard, and had a loving mother and father guiding him, he went off. He couldn't help it, they are polar opposites. He tries hard to create a story in his mind that all that matters is money, but he does a lot of overcompensating. (Mayweather stands 5'7", 150). Floyd is really lucky he's had executives at HBO and Showtime that have been willing to give him a pass because of his family history. Anyone else of any race would have been banned from appearing on television, or anywhere from society really, after saying the things he said." Mayweather excelled in the bizarro world of boxing marketing, where bombast, chaos, and absence of order have long been seen as the norm. Mayweather took pleasure in paying retail for clothing, jewelry, and cars, a habit that in 2008 and 2017 led him to be so broke that the U.S. Internal Revenue Service put public liens on his property and possessions after he was unable to come up with the funds necessary to satisfy his tax debts, and in 2008 resulted in seizures of his Las Vegas and Miami homes. "He sees that he never once read his children a bedtime story and it really hurts him. He's embarrassed that his kids have to hear other kids at school laughing at their father. It's been a twenty year whirlwind for Floyd. Now that he is fully grown, he is seeing things from a functional adult perspective." Mayweather was once said to be dating a fourth grade teacher, but the effort failed to yield the desired result, one of many fruitless efforts. But with his boxing career fully in the rear view mirror, and declaring himself a businessman, Mayweather has confronted his lifelong problem with a spirit previously reserved for his high-tempo training sessions. "The people around him are very excited for him, especially his kids. They are keeping his spirits up, and even though it's delicate territory to tread, everyone is making sure he stays positive and headed in the right direction."