Mr Uncle Leroy
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John Minchillo/Associated Press
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Boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr. stated this week that he believes racism still plays a prominent role in which fighters are promoted and how they are treated by the media.
Ben Thompson of Fight Hype passed along comments from the retired five-division world champion about the state of boxing as 2015 comes to a close. Money pointed to Andre Ward as proof that racism continues to exist in the world of combat sports.
"I can't believe they got Andre Ward ranked No. 4 in the pound-for-pound list...without Andre Ward losing a fight, he has to be No. 2," he said. "I mean, he wins his fights not in good fashion, but in great fashion, and they have him at No. 4...I truly believe that racism still exists in the sport of boxing."
He also pointed to his own experience as an outspoken self-promoter as further example that the treatment from the media isn't fair across the board when considering UFC sensation Conor McGregor:
I heard his name actually from one of the runners that works for our company; a little kid named Ken Hopkins, he's a runner and takes care of a lot of the daily business. Whatever we need, he takes care of. He's a cool little kid, I like him, and he does MMA. He told me about the guy McGregor. They say he talk a lot of trash and people praise him for it, but when I did it, they say I'm cocky and arrogant. 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.
Mayweather also discussed the difference between how the UFC's Ronda Rousey and boxing's Laila Ali were treated during their dominant runs:
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. 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 them [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.
Mayweather noted that several fighters haven't received enough attention, including Terence Crawford, Danny Garcia and Kell Brook. He believes their association with manager Al Haymon and himself have hurt their cause.
Perhaps that will change as boxing begins searching for the next wave of big draws. With Mayweather retired and Manny Pacquiao set to step away after his next bout, the sport is going to need some new names to attract the big pay-per-view numbers.
Mayweather is trying to help bring some names stuck in the background of the mainstream conversation to the forefront. Though he's decided to hang up his gloves after accumulating a 49-0 record, his voice still carries a lot of weight in the world of boxing.
Now he's trying to use it to eliminate the racism he still sees in how some fellow fighters are treated.
Mayweather Comments on Racism in Boxing, State of Sport