By Tyson Bruce
Floyd Mayweather Jr. was forced to appear in front of the Nevada State Athletic Commission to answer concerns about a thirty-one minute round fight that took place at his boxing club, as well as video footage on marijuana smoking that aired on the realty show All Access. Mayweather, who was recently granted a promoters license in the state, responded by claiming that it was all staged entertainment for fans to promote his fight with Marcos Maidana.
Mayweather started his defense by throwing his benefactor Showtime under the bus by claiming that All Access is not real. This won’t come as a surprise to most savvy television watchers, especially since Mayweather has creative control over All Access as an executive producer—something that HBO refused to allow Mayweather to do. The second claim was that the 31-minute fight scene in the “dog house” was staged. Also, the marijuana used by the women in Floyd’s house was prop weed.
Nevada State Commissioner Skip Avansino reportedly claimed that Mayweather “acquitted himself well” and there will be no fines, disciplinary action, or official consequence of any kind. One unintended consequence is that it’s another blow to Mayweather’s already floundering ability to keep the public interested in his boxing career. Claiming that your number one promotional tool is a hoax is only going to make Mayweather look like more of a charlatan.
The fakest thing could, of course, be Mayweather’s defense that none of this actually happened, but he’s a big player in the Nevada economy and you can almost guarantee that no further investigation will occur. Just like his fights, this case appears to be firmly in Mayweather’s control.
