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Scott Heritage
Pittsburgh Fight Sports Examiner
March 2, 2010
Golden Boy and Floyd Mayweather have something of a conflicted relationship. Floyd is too valuable to the promotion company to abandon, but his family's comments are also becoming too ridiculous and potentially libelous to support.
The increasingly outlandish statements being made by members of the Mayweather family are continually putting Golden Boy in a difficult position with their support of Floyd Jr.
Saying Pacquiao should agree to extra testing is one thing, rambling on about magical ancient drugs, talismans and being immune to bullets is quite another.
If Floyd isn't careful though his father and uncle might just talk him out of fights before he has even looked into them himself. Granted he can't control what either of them say, but if they continue to insult and accuse potential opponents, it will become an increasingly barren landscape for Floyd to ply his trade in. Also the more difficult it becomes for him to secure fights, the more difficult it will be for him to ever overtake Manny Pacquiao at the top of the pound for pound tree.
Speaking to BoxingScene recently, Shaefer had this to say:
"We have never accused Pacquiao of anything nor will we. We don't control what Floyd Sr. says, so we have nothing to do with that. We are going to continue to maintain - innocent until proven guilty. I believe in that. We're not accusing anybody of anything. Manny Pacquiao is a great fighter, a great athlete, a pound for pound king and innocent until proven guilty. I never have and never will accuse Pacquiao. People should just move off that and move on,"
"I think the comments are wrong that he's [Mayweather Sr.] making. He should move on too. I don't control what other people say. I don't control what Arum says, or what Mayweather says. I only control what I say, and I say innocent until proven guilty. The comments that Mayweather Sr. is making are idiotic. There is only one word - idiotic."
Golden Boy have supported Mayweather so far with his crusade to clean up the sport, and the biggest fight in the history of the sport falling apart, but how much further they will stand by him is a mystery. Schaefer is primarily a business man and not a fighter. Even if he believes something he knows better than to say it out loud, and the minute supporting Mayweather becomes more of a burden that a cash cow, Golden Boy wont waste much time in kicking him to the curb.
Much of this is obviously not an issue while Mayweather is still selling big and winning big, but he might do well to distance himself from his father and uncle's comments in the future, especially if he ever loses his unbeaten record.
David Hempley, Pittsburgh PA: "Golden boy are the biggest promoter out there at the moment, if they were one of the smaller guys they would have kicked Mayweather out already. Top Rank are no better though, they could just as easily be arguing for Mayweather and not Pacquiao if things had turned out different."
Reggie Steadman, Pittsburgh PA: "There are a lot of fighters out there who would rather fight Pacquiao than Mayweather, and it's because the fight is easier to make, and they will have a real opponent not a dancing chicken to fight."
John Dixon, Philly PA: "Whatever Mayweather and his family say he will always be the biggest draw in boxing, Whether you like him or not at least he has personality. Pacquiao has about as much personality as a wet paper bag"
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