Floyd Mayweather is not someone you would call book smart. He probably wouldn’t score high on a standardized test like the SAT either. Many people would agree that Mayweather is smart inside “the squared circle” as he calls it. His ability to swim without getting wet, or hit his opponent without getting hit, has been his greatest asset in the ring, along with his intelligence. But few would call him intelligent outside the ring. But when you look at how he has dominated the sport not only inside the ring but inside the boardroom as well, there is no doubt that Mayweather is a very intelligent man.
For years, many boxing fans have accused Mayweather of being scared to fight Manny Pacquiao. Though this writer never thought it to be true, many fans did, and the anticipation of the two biggest names in boxing facing one another lingered for five years, building until “the fight of the century” Saturday that is the highest-grossing fight ever. Unfortunately for fans, Pacquiao’s inability to land punches against Mayweather led to a fight that left little doubt as to the winner by its conclusion. In hindsight, Mayweather clearly never feared Pacquiao, something Manny’s trainer, Freddie Roach, even admitted before the fight. Mayweather’s decision to let the anticipation build for a Pacquiao fight was genius, enabling him to more than double the $50 million he would have made if the fight had taken place five years ago. “The ultimate goal was to make nine figures in one night and that’s what we did,” Mayweather said after his victory.
Mayweather is contracted to do one more fight under his $400-million, six-fight deal with CBS Sports. A win in his next fight would put him at 49-0, tying Rocky Marciano, and make him a free agent in the boxing game. Mayweather would then have HBO, Showtime, and perhaps others bidding for his services that would see him potentially become the first boxer in history to reach 50-0. Mayweather would command another nine-figure check. This was another intelligent move by Mayweather.
And while some of you may be mad right now because you paid $99.95 for a “boring” fight, aka the defensive brilliance of Floyd Mayweather, when he fights in September, which he has confirmed, you will watch it and pay the $74.95 or whatever the cost to see the fight, and you know what? The intelligence of Floyd Mayweather will once again be on display inside and outside of the ring.
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