*Floyd Mayweather Jr. may be retired from boxing, but he’s still as outspoken as ever when it comes to racism in his beloved sport.
In an interview with Fight Hype, the retired champ stated that “racism still exists in the sport of boxing” as he cited the lack of respect undefeated super middleweight champion Andre Ward is getting in the mythical pound-for-pound rankings as well as the treatment of other fighters.
From there, Mayweather took aim at Conor McGregor as he pointed out how the UFC featherweight champion’s loud and outspoken demeanor has been given a pass by the public while his knack for talking trash and boasting attracted the opposite reaction. Fox Sports notes that Mayweather admitted to not even being aware of who McGregor is until a member of his entourage brought his name up in a conversation while speaking on how he is one of the loudest and most outspoken fighters in all of combat sports.
“They say (McGregor) talks a lot of trash and people praise him for it, but when I did it, they say I’m cocky and arrogant,” Mayweather told Fight Hype. “So biased! Like I said before, all I’m saying is this, I ain’t racist at all, but I’m telling you racism still exists.”
Over the years, McGregor’s outlandish statements have routinely come under fire from many of his peers. Like Mayweather, he has earned a lot of money to go with the criticism he’s gotten from writers, reporters and fellow athletes, despite having the skills inside the ring to back up their trash talk.
McGregor wasn’t the only one in Mayweather’s line of fire. As the interview continued, the former fighter brought former UFC Women’s Bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey into the conversation as he compared the celebrity treatment Rousey has received to former women’s boxing champ Laila Ali, who also dominated her sport with an undefeated record but never got the praise or endorsements that came Rousey’s way.
In Mayweather’s eyes, the difference is not hard to notice in light of how Rousey and Ali have fared inside and outside their respective cage and ring.
“Ronda Rousey, you know, I think she fought somewhere like 11 or 12 fights, which is not a bad thing,” Mayweather added. “Laila Ali went undefeated and was dominating too. After Ronda Rousey fought I think 9, 10, 11 fights, it didn’t even take that long, she got all types of endorsements, movies, and everything.
“Laila Ali did the same thing in better fashion,” he continued. “Ronda Rousey, she’s a good looking woman when she put it on. Laila Ali is a drop-dead gorgeous woman; I mean a naturally beautiful woman and can kick ass, but you never heard (the media) saying when she had I think somewhere around 10, 11, 12 fights that she was the baddest woman to ever fight on the planet.”
So what say you? Does Mayweather have a point with what he’s saying regarding racism in combat sports?
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