Check out this new B-Hop interview from ESPN

[tredh]

http://espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id...black-athletes


One person who isn't afraid to be politically incorrect is Floyd Mayweather. How do you think his image impacts how black athletes are perceived? I have a problem with it.



What do you have a problem with? The perception and the stereotype of how they view and judge us as athletes is a blueprint and a script from what Mayweather shows them all the time. You don't see Steve Jobs -- God rest his soul -- talking with a stack of money on the phone. He never showed his wealth because his wealth was who he was, not what he had.



I don't want to put words in your mouth, but it sounds like you're calling Floyd Mayweather a modern-day minstrel. No. I'm calling him a guy who's not conscious of the image he portrays to promote fights and the image he portrays to show who he is. But he happens to be the guy people are looking at in boxing as the man, other than Pacquiao. He has the power like Jim Brown had in his era. He has the power like the great Ray Leonard had. He has the power like Ali had, when he said, "Ain't no Vietcong ever called me n--." Everybody doesn't get this opportunity. I don't think Mayweather is a bad person, but his message is misleading.

[tredh]

Damn no replies! The whole interview is actually pretty good.

[Shogunofharlem1]

http://espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id...black-athletes


One person who isn't afraid to be politically incorrect is Floyd Mayweather. How do you think his image impacts how black athletes are perceived? I have a problem with it.



What do you have a problem with? The perception and the stereotype of how they view and judge us as athletes is a blueprint and a script from what Mayweather shows them all the time. You don't see Steve Jobs -- God rest his soul -- talking with a stack of money on the phone. He never showed his wealth because his wealth was who he was, not what he had.



I don't want to put words in your mouth, but it sounds like you're calling Floyd Mayweather a modern-day minstrel. No. I'm calling him a guy who's not conscious of the image he portrays to promote fights and the image he portrays to show who he is. But he happens to be the guy people are looking at in boxing as the man, other than Pacquiao. He has the power like Jim Brown had in his era. He has the power like the great Ray Leonard had. He has the power like Ali had, when he said, "Ain't no Vietcong ever called me n--." Everybody doesn't get this opportunity. I don't think Mayweather is a bad person, but his message is misleading.

ouch hopkins!

[terriblegabe]

Glad a read this. Hopkins makes some good points, I wish Mayweather was a better role model, many kids/young boxers look up to him.

[U.ncleSam]

lol mayweather is a douc.he everybody knows that. now does he in anyway represent black athletes, probably not.

just like dela hoya wearing fishnets, you dont hear people say latino boxers are **** like hoya..

[IMDAZED]

Great interview. Hopkins is candid. Can't argue with anything he said about Floyd. And his take on the Dawson fight is intriguing--and possible. I questioned whether it was a legit injury but regardless, I'm not convinced Chad was on his way to winning. Maybe I just wanted Hops out the picture and a fresh face in his place. But if that does happen, I'd rather see it settled with fists and not what happened the first time.

[ИATAS]

Glad a read this. Hopkins makes some good points, I wish Mayweather was a better role model, many kids/young boxers look up to him.

me too.

It's funny that how floyd and lots of other people say he has to play the bad guy to sell fights, but I disagree.I think if he played teh role of a good guy, while still being controversial, there wouldn't even be a debate as to who the best fighter in the world is. He could be a sugar ray leonard if he had wanted to.

It's his life though I'm not hating or disagreeing with his choices, just saying. His legacy could have been far better because as they say, perception is reality and the perception floyd creates can be very negative to many people.

[P4P_No1]

Hopkins speaking the truth.

But I doubt it isn't anything that Mayweather hasn't heard before or even aware of. He's stated many times that he's chosen to go down this "bad guy" route. But then he shouldn't complain when people criticize him for that but then again, at the same time, who are we to judge him based off how he acts in the build up to fights. He does a lot of good things & he acts a fool promoting fights.

It's a shame because he could have probably done a lot more good for his people but what can you do.

[IMDAZED]

me too.

It's funny that how floyd and lots of other people say he has to play the bad guy to sell fights, but I disagree.I think if he played teh role of a good guy, while still being controversial, there wouldn't even be a debate as to who the best fighter in the world is. He could be a sugar ray leonard if he had wanted to.

It's his life though I'm not hating or disagreeing with his choices, just saying. His legacy could have been far better because as they say, perception is reality and the perception floyd produces many fans is very negative.

For every Joe Louis there's a Jack Johnson or Muhammed Ali. I don't think Mayweather behaving different (nicely?) would earn him more fans. I don't think that's what Hopkins is even saying. In fact, what he's saying Mayweather should do might earn him even more hatred. When he mentions Jim Brown, look at what Brown did and how he was damn near ostracized. That's what Hopkins is saying and I agree. But that's not about playing the "good guy."

[NEETzsche]

i think floyd fashioned himself as a heel not just as a money making scheme, but as a self-defense mechanism too.