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The Broner/Mayweather clone theory dispelled
The most beautiful thing about the city I come from, Toronto Canada, is the fact that we are statistically one of the most multicultural cities in the entire world. On most lists we are behind only New York City and London in the UK, but both of those cities sport a grossly higher populace than we do in Toronto.
I myself am mixed. I am mainly of African American decent but my father is mixed with some Italian and Chinese whereas my mother is mixed with a little South Indian, very typical on the little Caribbean Island they derive from. So me in a nutshell I am a Mulatto, Dougla, Afro-Asian Negro.
If you were to see me, my features (hair, eyes, skin tone) you would be confused because my skin tone is like a black mans own just a little more red, but my hair is not as course and my eyes are thin and slanted as an asians and coloured a reddish brown. It’s my mixed background and my exposure to the many different cultures of the world via my hometown that has given me the luxury of learning a lot about the different cultures of the world starting with my own backgrounds.
Realities such as those stated above make it very hard for me to read articles and comments/posts alike that talk about Adrien Broner being a wannabe Floyd Mayweather Jr. It in fact is one of the most racist and openly ignorant things being said in the world of sports today. I will explain why.
I grew up in the hood [the ghetto to some], and I’m talkin’ the real hood, where there are certified drug zones and where shootings and killings are normal activity. I am not proud of this but it is my reality. A total of 23 people I knew, went to school with, kicked it with, smoked and drank with (when I did that) got killed between my 13th and 20th birthdays.
How we grew up in the “hood” is not much different than how others grow up in slums and gully’s in other parts of the world. The difference comes from the part of the world you come from and in our parts of the world, North America, the culture in the hoods are mostly Hip-Hop influenced.
In general, we all [to an extent] do, like and say the same things. Our slang is all the same. “Light work” is a very popular urban term that has had many previous versions such as “easy money, soft tings, its nothin, I does this” etc. You can find any rapper from Jay-Z to Riff-Raff using these terms. So why is it that Broner whom is from the hood and is actually a rapper as well, is trying to be like Floyd who is an avid rap fan and also from the hood?
I don’t recall anybody calling Nonito Donaire a Manny Pacquiao wannabe because they have the same accent and no one threw any shots at him for his Manny Pacquiao impersonations in training when he “pretends” to hit the punching bag like Pacman. Do Lucas Matthysse and Marcos Maidana wannabe each other because they are both Argentinian born, have a lot of tattoos, can’t speak a lick of English and are knocking out almost everyone they fight? It wasn’t even a thought to any of the people trashing AB over his similarities to Floyd. Regardless, the similarities between two individuals should not be a reason to hate or wish ill upon one of them.
As I was once a young man from the hood I will tell you that a high number of young men from the hood grow up idolizing the older male figures they see around that have the clothes they wish they could afford, drive the cars they wish they had and are the awe of all the women they wish they could date. Thus it is no stretch of the imagination that Broner whom is more than a decade younger than Floyd, grew up looking up to him as the boxer that he idolized.
When Floyd was a 26-year-old young flashy undefeated fighter with names like Genaro Hernandez and Diego Corrales on his resume, Broner was just an immature 14-year-old boy. Jump ahead 4 years to when Broner was 18 and in his first year as a young man, Floyd was 30 years old boasting a record of 39-0 with the likes of Arturo Gatti, Zab Judah, Ricky Hatton Carlos Baldomir and Oscar De La Hoya on his resume. Does it still seem like cardinal sin that Broner whom is 13 years shy of Mayweather looks up to him? No. But does it mean that he wants to be him? No. Does he want to attain the same level of greatness as Floyd? Yes, I’m sure he does. Just like Kobe aspired to be as great as Jordan and Kobe doesn’t receive the sort of hate from Basketball fans as AB does from boxing ones. Why must it be our sports fans that rear the ugly faces of racial ignorance better known as racism?
So please overstand my frustration when I hear the ignorant comments about Adrien and his apparent obsession with wanting to be just like Floyd. I believe that he just want’s to be as successful and popular as him and is smartly using his name to help boost his own. When comparing the two, in reality you are talking about two completely different monsters. Mayweather is far more mature and respectable than AB is. I challenge you to find me a video of Floyd in a strip club eating out a dancer, or drunk on video camera acting the fool. Floyd is a professional jerk, he sells his fights and is straight up with how he talks about his opponents. Broner on the other hand is a young thug. Young thugs surround him and it will likely one day be the ruin of him if he allows it to be, much like it ruins everyone who surrounds themselves with the wrong crowd. I could understand if they were similar characters but in all honesty the only similarities the two of them have is the “money” talks and the shoulder roll defence. Let’s look at the two.
Money: It’s no secret that in the urban culture of rap and in the streets, money is the motivation. It’s all about money, the hottest whips (cars), the sexiest women and the flashiest gear (clothing)/style/jewelry all come with money. That is just the culture we live in, you do not have to like it but respect it. It’s no different than ancient Egyptian history with their obsession of gold and jewelry; just now today it’s money and diamonds.
Shoulder Roll: When it comes to the fighting styles and the whole shoulder roll defence, critics are just being picky and grabbing at anything they can use to sell their story of Broner being this Mayweather clone. It’s all just a reason to hate someone that they don’t like. If Broner’s use of the shoulder roll makes him a clone than Floyd should be considered a clone, as should James Tony and anyone else who used the shoulder roll post the Archie Moore, Ray Robinson and Jersey Joe Walcott era, which to "my" knowledge is where the style was first utilized.
Some even like to point out the fact that they talk the same and will even say things such as “he even tries to stutter like Floyd”. That is one of the most racist comments iv’e heard made regarding this situation. The way we talk in the hood as young undereducated black men is very rough and slang oriented. Even myself, if you were to hear me speak on a regular basis you would think to yourself “there’s no way this n*gga wrote that article” because I do not speak close to as articulately as I can type.
This however doesn't come natural to me I had to learn to type this well over the course of years. Even now it’s still much easier when I have time to think and correct myself when typing an article as opposed to having to speak this way on the spot. If I was put in the position to do so, I too would stutter my words and pause and “um” my way through an interview because I am not used to speaking this way on a regular basis and if I were to speak as I am used to, many of you would judge me and clown me and make fun of the way I speak, much like you would do to a Broner or a Mayweather.
So as strange as it may seem to you, that slow paced, breathy response you hear from the likes of a Floyd or an Adrien is basically a n*gga trying not to sound like a n*gga in public. Compare Floyd's toned down, slow, respectful post fight interviews of recent to his fast paced foul mouthed tongue lashing of Larry Merchant. That is sophisticated Floyd against n*gga Floyd.
In closing I’d like to say this. Overstanding different cultures takes an open mind. I do not know why certain East Indian cultures women have to wear those garb’s that cover their whole entire body head to toe but I don’t judge them or call them “Shinobi” or any derogatory nicknames for their cultural choices or beliefs. That would be racist of me, as I do not come from their culture to know why they do the things they do, no matter how much I read up on it. Some things you just have to live and experience to truly understand. Some people say we shouldn’t date out of our own race, I say if there were not inter-racial couples, than I wouldn’t be the same person I am today and I am fine with the person God made me.
Broner and Mayweather are two separate but like-minded individuals and to say that one is trying to be like the other is a gross misconception and ignorance towards an entire culture. A lot of hate that we project outward is really self directed and maybe when you get the urge to say something bad about someone else, you should look in the mirror and find a way to better something about yourself instead as nobody is perfect.
Thank you if you took the time to read this lengthy post, and hopefully I was able to shed some light and open your eyes to some of the realities of our culture. This article is in no way meant to disrespect anyone else's culture or to condemn anyone for their opinions. It's simply to give you a little history on a culture that you may not have previously had in hopes to dispel the theories of Broner being a wannabe Mayweather.
Here’s to a good fight, win or lose for Marcos “El Chino” Maidana and Adrien “Not trying to be Floyd Mayweather Jr” Broner.
Strap up!
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