With Friends like These – Reflections on Broner vs. Mayweather Feud
It’s no secret that Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. has a penchant for generating controversy both inside and outside of the ring. The recently “retired” Mayweather – we still regard him as our pound for pound champion – made more headlines last week in an intense war of words with protege Adrien Broner. Unlike many of Mayweather’s attention-seeking publicity stunts, this latest squabble appears to be genuine.
Their very public verbal sparring session began following Broner’s October TKO win against Khabib Allakhverdiev to win. Mayweather taunted Broner by stating that TMT’s Ashley Theophane, of England, could beat him. Broner responded in kind during the post-fight interview by dissing Al Haymon, TMT and Theophane, comparing his foe to socialite Caitlyn Jenner.
“Little Brother” was not done though. Broner took a second jab at TMT following the BET Hip Hop Awards in Atlanta in an expletive-filled rant in front of cameras. His unsavory comments would draw the ire of Mayweather, who didn’t mince words in telling Fight Hype that Broner needs to grow up. Mayweather went on to warn his young charge against biting the hand that feeds him, while offering this scathing evaluation of Brother’s accomplishments:
“He lose to Shawn Porter, then you fight for a world title right after that, for a vacant title; you and your opponent coming off losses…me as a fighter, if I lost a fight, there’s no way in hell that my next fight I would be fighting for a title against another guy that’s coming off a loss. I wouldn’t even be proud or consider myself a champion.”
Not to be outdone, Broner fired back with a nearly 11-minute YouTube video containing more f-bombs and n-words than I care to recount before asking Mayweather to call him — presumably, in an attempt to settle their differences.
Two observations are worth mention here. First, and, obviously, Broner’s remarkable immaturity takes center stage. His comical attempts are often offensive or just plain dumb.
The image of him flushing a handful of money down the toilet will be forever seared in my mind. It’s no wonder that many pro athletes often go broke. It also says a lot when your idol, an individual not particularly known for his stellar domestic track record, is lauded for taking the high road in this matter.
The fact that Mayweather attempted to play matchmaker is equally troubling considering Broner is hardly PPV material. He needs to be pitted against quality opposition, not 2nd tier fighters with no chance to beat him. Tolerance quickly wanes for Broner when he continues his nonsensical act, all the while fighting opponents that he’s clearly superior to. Such mismatches will only further dilute the significance of Broner’s so-called WBA “championship” strap, tanking his career even further.
I was never completely sold on their friendship to begin with and long suspected that it was a tenuous one at best. Mayweather had been critical of Broner in the past, namely his knack for taking opponents lightly. Whether Mayweather was merely acting as “big brother” or expressing resentment — or both — about Broner’s mentality and preparedness is debatable. Time will reveal if their relationship has finally run its course but I believe the boxing community will survive if it implodes.
