Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are two of the greatest non-heavyweight fighters the sport of boxing has ever seen. 

After years of speculation, the two finally agreed to a fight on May 2 of this year. This was supposed to be the fight to “re-invigorate” the supposedly dying sport of boxing. 

So it was no surprise when the fight between the two megastars reeled in over $400 million, with a record-breaking 4.4 million individual pay-per-view buys.  Floyd “Money” Mayweather reportedly made up to $180 million. 

However, Mayweather has used his immense wealth and fame to attempt to cover up a much darker side to his life: his history of physical abuse against women.   

Mayweather has been convicted of misdemeanor harassment and battery five times, as well as multiple convictions for robbery and domestic violence. 

Mayweather has almost exclusively escaped significant punishment for these offenses. He had a ninety-day sentence downsided to a mere 60 days, when his charges could have garnered him up to 34 years in prison. 

Mayweather has also declined to comment about any of his legal wrongdoings.  After Outside the Lines, an investigative show on ESPN, researched his history of violence, ESPN reporter John Barr got a chance to ask him a few questions. 

Instead of facing his actions, Mayweather chose to promote his upcoming megafight:

ESPN: In your case, there’s been actual convictions and no governing body has ever suspended you or sanctioned you. What message do you think that sends victims of domestic violence?

Mayweather: Honestly, I want everybody to tune in, May 2nd. Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. This is the fight that you can’t miss.

ESPN: You have no desire to answer that question?

Mayweather: I’m blessed to be where I’m at. You know, I have four beautiful children, and I’m truly, truly blessed to be where I’m at today. And with hard work and dedication you can be anywhere in life.

ESPN: Well, unquestionably, you’ve worked hard to get to where you are. But there are a lot of people who wonder why you should be allowed to continue to box in the highest profile events when you’ve got the track record that you have, when in other sports, there have been serious repercussions for some of these athletes.

Mayweather: When it’s all said and done, only God can judge. But I don’t want people to miss this fight. This is an unbelievable matchup. Mayweather-Pacquiao. May 2nd. Be there.

Mayweather has a history of suppressing criticism. Two reporters who were longtime critics of Mayweather’s had their credentials revoked the morning of the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight at the request of his “camp,” which includes his entourage, trainers, close friends and publicist.

The Las Vegas gaming commission, which approves boxers for licenses, has unanimously voted to award Mayweather a license each time that he has been convicted. 

According to a spokesman of the commission, they feel it is not “their job to hand out punishment.”  They feel it is the job of the police, not anyone else to punish Mayweather for his mistakes. 

This is an absurd concept, unjustified anywhere else in the world of professional sports. 

The National Football league has just put in place an anti-domestic violence policy with first time offenders getting suspended for over half of a sixteen-game season, and repeat offenders banned for life. 

Mayweather is a five time offender. 

In spite of his numerous convictions, Mayweather remains an enormous figure in the boxing community.

He constantly flashes his immense hoards of cash to the public, yet he can’t even acknowledge his troubled past.

We cannot continue to ignore athletes’ violent pasts, no matter their fame, wealth or celebrity status. 

An athlete needs to be treated like any other person in the eyes of the law. 

It is hypocritical and immoral to cheer so loudly for these athletes’ actions in the ring while simultaneously averting our eyes from their actions outside of it.

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