Don’t Buy It!

September 12 is mere hours away and the boxing world is just thrilled out of its mind in anticipation of… okay, scratch that. There’s so little buzz surrounding Mayweather vs Berto even Mr. TBE himself seems to have thrown in the towel. Media members–at least those who bothered covering the press conferences for this Saturday’s main event–quickly caught up to the fact all they’d see at such events is a lethargic Floyd dishing out dull answers in a sleep-inducing monotone, something that in all probability is starting to worry the most hardcore of his fervent followers.

Although, to be fair, the past 48 hours have seen a significant uptick in interest in Floyd Mayweather. This largely thanks to a story by Thomas Hauser which unearths dirty deeds Mr. TBE was involved in during drug testing protocols for some of his most notable fights, including his confrontation with Manny Pacquiao this past May. The most hardcore boxing conspiracy nuts–and aren’t they a lovable bunch?–claim that Mayweather himself may have had something to do with the timing of these revelations, launching a marketing coup of the there’s-no-such-thing-as-bad-publicity variety at the same time The Money Team and the Showtime crew struggle mightily to generate revenue for this Saturday’s event.

As for the fight itself–Mayweather vs Berto–the only one who seems to give a crap about it anymore is Andre Berto himself, who’s anywhere from a 16- to a 35-to-1 underdog depending on which particular bookie earned a spot on your speed dial. And listen, if those are the kind of odds that get you giddy about a boxing bout, then please, by all means, stop reading this immediately and reach for your remote at once. Just be warned: while your friends will show up to your viewing party they’ll refuse to pay for their share of the PPV, and there’s little doubt the highlight of the night will be popping open the stale Bud Light cans they brought with them. But please don’t hold this against them, this being one of the most underwhelming boxing PPVs in recent years just be thankful they showed up at all.

Hauser’s article notwithstanding, to give you an idea of how little attention fans are paying to what should have been a landmark weekend in boxing’s calendar, just know that multiple sources coincide in that #MayweatherBerto tickets are one tough sell indeed in a Vegas market where goth-themed magicians, comedians named after orange vegetables, and Elvis impersonators routinely sell out medium-sized venues like that! Incidentally, this also tells you all you need to know about Vegas’ visitors’ not-at-all stringent criteria in deciding where to spend their entertainment dollars, and thus makes you wonder how a fight featuring none other than Mr. TBE himself can struggle so hard to capture the attention–and the Benjamins–of such a lenient audience. This despite the plummet in ticket prices on the secondary market as fight night approaches, a plummet which pretty much mirrors that of Floyd’s reputation after getting torpedoed by the aforementioned article.

Also of note is the fact neither Mayweather’s sulky team nor Showtime’s gloomy executives can even be bothered to talk revenue projections or provide PPV-buys predictions this time around (both of those subjects being, as you may remember, very dear to their hearts in the buildup to the Dud of the Century). While it’s a bit disconcerting to see grown men react with such apprehension to questions that are nothing if not predictable, it’s also very amusing to see them sneer and growl their way out of the impasse when the media presses them on these issues. The final nail in the profitability coffin of May vs Berto may have been MGM Resorts’ cancellation of the closed circuit viewing events they had scheduled at several of their properties; coincidentally, this bit of information was leaked the same day the Hauser article hit fans’ screens. Take all this into account and it’s impossible to miss a whale of a point: it was a monumental mistake to assume people would flock to Mayweather’s last fight just because it was billed as His Last Fight.

Is it possible this is what has sunk Mr. TBE into a bad case of the blues? Maybe. Or maybe he’s in the early stages of chronic depression induced by his impending retirement. Or maybe he’s in the throes of the same emptiness experienced by successful Everest climbers the moment they realize there are no mountains left to climb. Or maybe he’s just plain tired of the fight game and is simply going through the motions with the only goal being to hear the final bell on September 12 so he can pop open the champagne and start enjoying a well-deserved retirement; a retirement that is eagerly awaited not only by Floyd himself, but also by many fans who are just about fed up, justifiably or not, with Money May’s hogging of the boxing spotlight.

In any case, seeing that Mayweather himself cares as little about his upcoming fight as most of the boxing world does, we’re glad to announce we found a great way for you to celebrate Floyd’s last PPV extravaganza: simply put, DON’T BUY IT!

Now, we realize advocating a boycott against a Mayweather PPV is nothing new; moreover, it’s also sort of immature and simple-minded, which are qualifications that don’t usually apply to as great a site as The Fight City. That’s why we’re going the extra mile to suggest a positive way to celebrate Mayweather’s final fight without actually partaking in the event in any way, shape or form.

Our humble suggestion is that you take your hard-earned $64.95 ($74.95 for those who usually dish out for HD), put it in an envelope, and then send them as a donation to any of the organizations we’re going to list below. While TFC has no official links with any of these noble causes, all of them are related to or involved with boxing in some way, and all of them state worthy goals in their mission statements.

Of course, you’re also more than welcome to send your dollars to a charity organization of your own choosing. Or spend them on some quality beer so you can steer away from stale Bud Light for once. Or stick said dollars under your smelly mattress. Or use them as a down payment for a new, non-smelly mattress. Whatever you decide to do with them, trust us: Mayweather vs Berto is a sham of a fight that will net the richest sportsman in history more millions of dollars that he’s just going to waste away in yet more Bugattis, more Louis Vouitton luggage, and more Rolexes that he simply doesn’t need. At this point in his historically lucrative career Floyd needs more money about as much as you need to see his next fight, which is to say not at all. Thus, instead of sinking your dollars into the bottomless barrel of greed and egotism formerly known as The Pretty Boy, we strongly urge you to consider allowing your dollars to make a real and positive difference in the world.

Henry Armstrong Foundation

The Foundation’s mission is to raise funds for those who are less fortunate.
“82.1% of all donations received will go towards helping us maintain our outreach programs, which include our scholarship program, positive thinking mentoring youth program and our adopted non-profit organizations -The Midnight Mission, Feed the Children and other established non-profit organizations, dealing with the plight of hunger and at-risk youth.”

Women Against Abuse
“The mission of Women Against Abuse is to provide quality, compassionate, and nonjudgmental services in a manner that fosters self-respect and independence in persons experiencing intimate partner violence and to lead the struggle to end domestic violence through advocacy and community education.”

Ring 10
“Ring 10 Veterans Boxing Foundation of New York originated from the idea of helping all those who have found themselves at a disadvantage. Since our organization was established in 2010, we have endeavored to provide help and assistance where the need is greatest, and will continue to do so as long as we are able. We are thrilled to report that we are in our fifth year of serving the boxing community and its members.” Ring 10 is an active supporter of Magomed Abdusalmov and his family, as well as other injured ex-boxers.

USA Boxing Foundation

“The mission of the Foundation is to advance the sport of amateur boxing and its participants, by providing financial support, resources and expertise to USA Boxing and those it serves.”

National Amputee Boxing Association
“NABA’s mission is to provide physical training with the purpose of assisting amputees–such as military veterans, cancer survivors, and accident survivors–in developing agility on their prosthesis through specialized boxing and cross-training programs. NABA will provide training in a safe and fun environment to pursue boxing as a therapeutic tool.”

Haymakers for Hope
“Our mission is to KO cancer the only way we know how, by literally fighting for a cure. We give everyday men and women the opportunity to fight back against this terrible disease by training for, and competing in charity boxing events to raise money and awareness. To prepare for each event, we combine the efforts of the first time amateur boxing participants, local boxing gyms and volunteers. We hope to help give life saving researchers the resources needed to fully focus their efforts on finding a cure.”      

— Rafael Garcia