The Boxing Scene

Floyd’s World

This article touched on one of the many sidelights that accompanied the “superfight” between Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Floyd’s World T he May 5 fight between Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr. might turn out to be the largest-grossing fight in the history of boxing. Over the next few months, thousands of articles will be written about the combatants. Their respective psyches will be thoroughly explored. I don’t claim intimate knowledge of either man, but one experience with Mayweather stands out in my mind. On Tuesday, March 30, 2004, I was at the ESPN Zone in New York to attend the kick-off press conference for the fight between Mayweather and DeMarcus Corley. Marilyn Cole Lownes and I were writing a feature story on “Boxing Bling-Bling” for the Observer Sports Monthly. Holger Keifel was with us as our photographer. We were hoping to photograph Floyd with at least some of his jewels. Mayweather entered the restaurant wearing blue jeans, a T-shirt, and denim jacket accessorized with a diamond-studded watch, necklace, and ring. Holger asked if he’d be willing to take the jacket and T-shirt off. Floyd demurred. “What’s this for, anyway?” he queried. We told him. Mayweather weighed his options; then decided that, if there was going to be a photo shoot of his bling, it should be captured in all its glory. He snapped his fingers and instructed an entourage member: “Bring it here.” The aide handed Mayweather an unobtrusive black-leather attaché case. Floyd opened it up and began to remove the treasures inside. Pendants , chains, watches, bracelets, rings; most of them gold and platinum with large-carat diamonds embedded within. The press conference was about to start. “Let’s do this afterward,” Floyd said. During the next hour, Mayweather talked with the media about the fight, made faces while Corley spoke, and doodled on a pad like a child with attention deficit disorder. But when you’re an undefeated world champion , you get away with that sort of thing. When the press conference ended, Floyd returned to our camera. “I’m the master,” he told us. “I know all about jewelry. People say I’m cocky and arrogant , but I say I’m confident and slick. And my lifestyle is flashy. I like flashy jewelry and flashy cars; that’s me. There’s never too many diamonds.” But beyond that, he was totally disinterested in talking about his bling. He only wanted to show it off. The bling speaks for itself. At most photo shoots, the model follows direction. Here, Floyd directed the entire shoot in the manner of Orson Welles directing and starring in Citizen Kane. He didn’t want Holger touching or positioning his bling. “I do this all the time,” he told us. “I know how to do it better than anyone.” Mayweather was in charge. Everyone present bowed to his will. The entourage members whose salaries he pays, the photographer who wanted the pictures, and us. “Gimme the horse.” A “Ferrari horse” fashioned from 600 black, white, and yellow diamonds appeared. “Gimme the glove.” A bejeweled boxing glove was placed in his hand. One of Mayweather’s friends had been wearing a diamond-studded money bag on a gold chain around his neck and had assured us that it was his own. Mayweather snapped his fingers: “Gimme my bag.” The bag was removed from its wearer’s neck and handed to the champ. Holger asked Floyd if he’d be willing to wrap some of the chains, bracelets, and other bounty around his fist and hold it out against the white backdrop. Mayweather complied. But everyone present understood that the bling wasn’t wrapped around a model’s hand. It was wrapped around the fist of its owner, who happened to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Floyd’s World / 23 ...