by David P. Greisman - Floyd Mayweather’s words are as much marketing slogans as they are mantras. He yells them in the gym and sells them by doing so. “TBE” has “TMT” on T-shirts and hats, peddling apparel while preparing for battle, a man who calls himself The Best Ever inviting all to buy in and join in as part of The Money Team. They chant on cue, his call receiving their response, somehow both sycophantic and symbiotic, the lines serving as motivation and bolstering his reputation.
“Hard work!” he says.
“Dedication!” they respond, affirming the hours he spends each day, the days he spends each week, the weeks he spends each year, and the years he’s spent throughout his life running and sparring and training at a grueling pace and at all hours to maintain the highest of standards he could set, a perfect record that began when he was a 19-year-old bronze medalist entering the pros fresh from being robbed of the chance to fight for gold, perfection that continued until he was a 38-year-old who felt there was nothing more to gain, nothing else he needed to prove.
“All work is…” he prompts.
“Easy work!” they finish, for far more often than not that is how Mayweather has made it look, the hard work over those days and weeks making his work easier during those 12 rounds or less on fight night.
There have been tough moments: a more difficult than expected bout with underrated and beloved journeyman Emanuel Augustus in 2000; fighting with a broken hand against Carlos Hernandez in 2001; a close bout with a debated decision against Jose Luis Castillo in 2002. Zab Judah had some success in the early rounds in 2006. Shane Mosley badly rocked Mayweather in the second round in 2010, far worse than Manny Pacquiao did in the fourth round in 2015. [Click Here To Read More]
“Hard work!” he says.
“Dedication!” they respond, affirming the hours he spends each day, the days he spends each week, the weeks he spends each year, and the years he’s spent throughout his life running and sparring and training at a grueling pace and at all hours to maintain the highest of standards he could set, a perfect record that began when he was a 19-year-old bronze medalist entering the pros fresh from being robbed of the chance to fight for gold, perfection that continued until he was a 38-year-old who felt there was nothing more to gain, nothing else he needed to prove.
“All work is…” he prompts.
“Easy work!” they finish, for far more often than not that is how Mayweather has made it look, the hard work over those days and weeks making his work easier during those 12 rounds or less on fight night.
There have been tough moments: a more difficult than expected bout with underrated and beloved journeyman Emanuel Augustus in 2000; fighting with a broken hand against Carlos Hernandez in 2001; a close bout with a debated decision against Jose Luis Castillo in 2002. Zab Judah had some success in the early rounds in 2006. Shane Mosley badly rocked Mayweather in the second round in 2010, far worse than Manny Pacquiao did in the fourth round in 2015. [Click Here To Read More]
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