The Biggest Fight of the Century and Why You Shouldn’t Watch It

Boxing thrives only when it has a major fight (Ex. Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier) or a particular boxer that captivates the public attention (Ex. “Sugar” Ray Leonard). It is a beautiful sport that features some of the most athletic, strong, intelligent and motivated people on the planet, but there has not been a major rivalry fight or a boxer that captivates the public attention since Mike Tyson retired about ten years ago. That is set to change on May 2nd because of the long anticipated Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (47-0; 26 KO) vs. Manny Pacquiao (57-5; 38 KO) fight in Las Vegas and available on television through pay-per-view. I, however, will not be watching. Not because I do not want to, but because I refuse to let my decisions put an extra dollar in Floyd Mayweather’s pocket and because I believe the Nevada State Athletic Commission should be admonished for its handling of Mayweather’s career.

Mayweather’s history of domestic violence and violence against women is well documented. For a detailed history see the article featured on Deadspin. His counts of domestic violence include at least seven different incidents on five different women over a twelve year period, some in front of his own children and against female police officers. Most famously in September 2010, Mayweather entered the home of an ex-girlfriend where they began a heated argument over texts from the woman’s new romantic interest. Mayweather pulled the woman off of a couch by her hair and punched her repeatedly in the rear of her head, causing bruises, multiple contusions and a concussion. When the woman called for their ten year old children to call the police Mayweather yelled he would “beat their asses if they left the house or called the police.” Mayweather was charged with a variety of felonies but ultimately reached a plea deal to reduce the felonies to misdemeanors and served two thirds of a 90-day jail sentence.

Everyone makes mistakes and I believe everyone is entitled to a second chance, sometimes even a third. But Floyd Mayweather is a different case. Ask him about his history of violence against women and children and he will call them “only allegations” saying “in the end only god can judge me.” Frankly that is just not true. The courts of the State of Nevada can, and have, judged Mayweather and found his actions to be illegal and morally reprehensible… on multiple occasions.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) is the governing body tasked with issuing boxing licenses in the state of Nevada, where Mayweather has fought all of his matches since 2006 and where many other high-profile matches now occur. The Commission is given the power to “deny an application for such a license or grant a limited, restricted or conditional license for any cause deemed sufficient.” Further, the Commission may suspend or revoke a license for a licensee who has “violated the laws of the state of Nevada.” While other athletic institutions like the NFL and NBA have responded to the public outcry against domestic violence, the NSAC has decided to look the other way, voting unanimously to grant Mayweather a license time after time with little to no questioning.

This would not have been the first time the Nevada Commission had public pressure to refuse a license. In 2002, the Commission questioned Mike Tyson during a hearing about his past behavior, both in and out of the ring. After the hearing, the Commission denied Mike Tyson a license to fight Lennox Lewis because of pending sexual assault charges and outrageous behavior in a pre-fight press conference, forcing Tyson to take the fight elsewhere. However, in 2012, just after Mayweather’s guilty plea to domestic violence charges, the Commission rushed a license and a Nevada state judge delayed sentencing so that Mayweather could fight Miguel Cotto before serving his sentence. Undoubtedly, economics of the state of Nevada factor into the Commission’s decision. The Mayweather/Pacquiao fight is expected to be worth over $400 million for the promoters and millions of dollars in additional spending during the fight weekend benefiting Las Vegas and the State of Nevada.

Just as the NFL was shamed after its handling of the Ray Rice situation (to which Mayweather made infamous comments backing Rice), so too should the NSAC and other state boxing commissions. A more strict level of tolerance must be held for those state boxing Commission’s grant licenses to in the future, including Mayweather. As it currently stands each state has established its own athletic commission with the ability to grant licenses and regulate boxing within the state. Should a boxer fail to receive a license in one state, as Tyson did in 2002, they can simply go from state to state offering millions in economic revenue, until a commission gives them a license. There are a number of private international boxing organizations, but the regulation of fights and fighters are largely left to these state government commissions. Uniform nationwide regulations may help boxing develop popularity and credibility in the public eye, and more importantly remove this negative stigma that is often associated with the sport. The knowledge that another state will want to host the fight does nothing to incentivize fighters to modify their behavior.

No matter the economic impact that this fight or that Mayweather himself may have on the state of Nevada or the sport of boxing no amount of money is worth protecting a convicted misogynist. I know that my boycott, along with thousands of others all over the world, will be nothing but a drop in the $180 million bucket Floyd Mayweather is expected to take home, win or lose, from this fight. But I will not fall victim to the tragedy of the commons and my hope is that the increased discussion around domestic violence in sports will help progress the movement to end the need for its discussion entirely. The highlights of the fight will be available that evening and I will still watch them because I appreciate the beauty of the sport of boxing, this match and the history it entails, but I will not financially support or glorify such a villain.

Published April 29, 2015