Just When I Thought There was Nothing to Blog...

Some days I don’t know where it comes from, or how I find it, but there it is, BAM!, something worth bloggin’. This morning, as I read through sports news, I realized, there wasn’t anything going on, besides the everyday run of the mill NBA scores, and occasional NHL trade deadline. At anytime somewhere in the nation, a college basketball game seems to be going on, but that’s not the kind of thing you write about in “Not your average sports blog”. As I moved from front page headlines, to the rest of the news that is sport, I stopped. I almost could believe my eyes, but then I thought about it, and I realized, "yea I could".

Sports always bring together such a eclectic cornucopia of personalities. The talent of the athlete never quite seems to have a bearing in which direction a personality might lean. There are amazing athletes who are mild mannered and even rather humble, people like Tiger Woods, David Beckham and even Michael Jordan. Then there are others... some so brash, so full of themselves, so arrogant, so flamboyant you can’t help but shake your head, or laugh, every time they do something. They regularly garner as much attention, if not more than, their mild mannered counter parts do in achieving twice the professional success. But, then there was “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather Jr.

In the last two years or so, I’ve found myself more an more interested in boxing. I believe that Mayweather’s fight with Oscar De La Hoya might have had something to do with it. Not that the fight was so good, but the publicity was, and the pre-fight build up, which was once a simple press conference with two men talking trash to each other, had evolved into a month of documentary anticipation on HBO. A pretty good idea if you ask me, as normally most fights actual excitement pales in comparison to the pre-fight excitement, that swarms around before the first blow is even thrown. But, what could “Pretty Boy” do to get my attention, to inspire me to dedicate an entire day’s worth of bloggin’? A rematch with Ricky Hatton? Another spin on Dancing with the Stars? No. “Respectable” WBC Welterweight Champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. decided to get back in the ring. Not the boxing ring, but the “squared circle” of the WWE, formerly know as the WWF, until animals were offended because they do more real wrestling in the wilderness than the ‘roid-rage that occurs in the WWE.

I can’t say that I am surprised by the announcement, as Mayweather will face Paul "Big Show" Wight in WrestleMania XXIV.* It’s no secret that Mayweather has struggled with hand problems, after a fight with Carlos Baldomir. It is also no secret, that the WWE will do anything to make money, including as I found out by mistake some moths ago, allowing geriatric Rick Flair to continue to wrestle. Incase you didn’t know, Flair will turn 60 this year. The WWE also faked the death of its owner, Vince McMahon, in a car explosion, yet another shameless attempt to bring in the bucks. Mayweather’s opponent the “Big Show”, weighs in at 7 feet tall and 430-pounds, Mayweather weighs in at a slightly lower 5-foot-8, and 150-pounds. Mayweather will be training with mask wearing WWE Latino star Ray Mysterio. I’m actually chuckling a little right now. Ahem.


Throughout his career, Mayweather has been arrogant and brash, so it comes as no surprise that he would take another opportunity to prance around and brag about is abilities, inside a ring of any kind. It is also not uncommon for legitimate athletes, especially boxers, to take the WWE pay-day; such as Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson and Joe Louis. It's just usually after their professional careers are over. Mayweather, however, is still the reigning WBC Welterweight Champion. Anyways, Mayweather shouldn’t have to worry about his health much, since the only way WWE “athletes” get injured is by falling off scaffolding, or by killing themselves in ‘roid-rage. The good news, fight fans, is Mayweather still has a rematch with Oscar De La Hoya in September, which will make the WWE’s money look like chump change, the last time he fought De La Hoya he earned an estimated $120 million dollars.




* Note: Mayweather will earn a record $20 million for his first professional wrestling match at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla., on March 30.