Similarities Between Floyd And Mayweather

The “Fight of the Century” between Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Manny Pacquiao shared similarities with the Fight if Last Century between Jack Johnson and Jim Jeffries in terms of grandeur and publicity. The fight between Johnson and Jeffries had a background of racism as it was fought during a time when Black people were lynched and regarded as second-class citizens by white Americans. “As Johnson became a bigger name in the sport of boxing, he also became a bigger target for a white America that longed to see him ruined” (Bio). Johnson was viewed by white supremacies as a threat to their color line. The fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao also brought connotations of social justice issues. Class now trumps race as the great divide in America …show more content…
Pacquiao was born in a poverty stricken area of the Philippines. Today he is a congressman that identifies those that share the same life he did as a child by supporting them with his philanthropic efforts. This includes building churches and hospitals in the Philippines (Callahan). Conversely, Mayweather identifies with the top one percent with his lavish lifestyle of car collecting, unconscious gambling, and disregard for charity. “‘Well, what has Africa given to us?’ he said. ‘You hear people talking about, ‘Well he should give that to charity’. No, I should donate to Floyd Mayweather’” (Li). This is an example of Mayweather overlooking a sense of generosity to those living in unfortunate circumstances. Additionally, Mayweather’s hubris is often invites negative criticism from the media when he indirectly belittles those that cannot afford his lifestyle on social media. Similarly, Johnson was also subject to media scrutiny for his brash attitude. “Johnson did not seem to care what whites thought of him, and this bothered most whites a great deal. He was not humble or diffident with whites. He gloated about his victories and often taunted his opponents in the ring” (Early). Johnson’s in-ring persona can be compared to Mayweather’s as he confidently shakes head after absorbing a flurry of punches from Pacquiao against the ropes (Sherman) and raises his right glove in victory before the fight was over in the final round (Fox). On the other hand, Jeffries embodied the common majority in white America that despised Johnson, like the lower 99% of the income distribution that sided with Pacquiao. The two fights shared parallels in terms who the audience sided with in terms of how the fighters identified