Floyd Mayweather Jr. has an allegiance of fans, but his persona strikes a negative cord within the boxing community. Why is a fighter with a 40-0 record continuously criticized? Perhaps it's jealousy, his lack of humility, or his selection of opponents. Whatever it may be, Mayweather has become accustomed to playing the boxing villain. His Uncle, Jeff Mayweather, recently shed some light on Floyd's bad guy image.
"He has picked the role of being the bad guy because he's flashy, flamboyant and in your face with it, and speaks his mind, whether you like it or not. A lot of people don't like that and want to see him fall, but its no different than Ali; many people hated him too. The same type of people that liked Ali back then are the same people that like Floyd now. It is just generations later repeating itself ," stated Jeff.
He continues, "My opinion of it is this is a business and at the end of the day, you do what you do to generate capital and only two types of fighters make money, the extremely good guy that can fight or the bad guy that seems to get under everyone's skin, but has the talent to back it up. At the end of the day, you may not like it, but when it comes to their craft, you have to respect it. It is what it is. At least when your the bad guy, you can be yourself when the cameras come on."
Floyd is certainly no stranger to being in the spotlight, whether it is in the field of entertainment or sports. Whether people love him or hate him, Floyd wants to be recognized for who he is, one of the best fighters in the world. Ever since Floyd and Manny Pacquiao butted heads and couldn't come to an agreement on a possible dream bout, Mayweather has received a barrage of criticism, even more than usual. His desires for Pacquiao to subject himself to strict Olympic-style drug testing, which Pacquiao declined, has sent many blasting Floyd's motives, feeling as if he shouldn't be allowed to make up his own rules. Also add in the fact that he is naturally vocal, and flamboyant, and it makes people really want to see the guy fail.
One thing I noticed about Floyd over the years is that he knows how to play the villain role when the time is right. Mayweather is living in his world and whether you are for him or against him, he wants to be noticed...one way or another.