Floyd Mayweather and His UK Fans

By Boxing News - 02/10/2016 - Comments

1-Ikenna and Floyd MayweatherBy Nedu Obi – Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr.’s fan base stretches far and wide; from coast-to-coast, country-to-country, and continent-to-continent. This was never more evident than on his recent tour to the shores of Old Blighty (London in particular), where fans traipsed en-mass to meet and greet the sweet sciences most anomalous fugleman. To say the atmosphere was electric would be an understatement—it was definitely the “Money” show.

Albeit the retired (not yet set in stone) pound-for-pound kingpin is both loved and loathed in equal measure, his star quality and pulling power was never in doubt—pugilisms most enigmatic figure proved he’s got copious amounts, with a lot more to spare.

Nonetheless, for a chance to meet and greet the former five-weight champion, (tour dates below, and still ongoing) fans had to fork out anything from £45 to upwards of £2,000 (in comparison to the aforementioned double-k, tickets for his appearance at the Hilton Hotel London, February 4, were a mere £600). In addition, a personal pictorial with the erstwhile perennial titlist was going for £70 or more.

Still, that wasn’t enough to discourage the hordes of boxing enthusiasts, if anything, it augmented their already sumptuous appetite for the boxing czar, thus compelling them to dig deep into their pockets, for what could be, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

One such lucky fan in attendance was Ikenna Obi, who just happens to be my younger brother and an avid follower of “May,” (pictured with Mayweather).

I should also mention the casual fans as well as the occasional gawkers were present too—on the periphery that is.

4 Feb – Hilton Hotel, London

5 Feb – Crowne Plaza, Glasgow

7 Feb – City Hall, Sheffield

11 Feb – Macron Stadium, Bolton

12 Feb – The Vox, Birmingham

14 Feb – Bunyan Centre, Bedford

Such is the mesmeric of “TBE” (The Best Ever), that even after hanging ’em up, he’s still in demand, still talked about (positively and negatively), and still holds court—royally. Furthermore, to oodles of boxing savants, the 38-year-old Grand Rapid, Michigan native is still considered the best of his era, whilst some believe he deserves inclusion into the top-ten list of greatest fighters of all time. Needless to say, his naysayers will say otherwise. Still, being the cynosure of all eyes whilst being exposed to obloquy by others, only goes to further his already immense celebrity status.

On a final note, lest we forget, his craftsmanship was exemplary and his skill-set was extraordinary.

A suggestion: Put aside the denigrating Mayweather commentaries and appreciate him for what he achieved within the four-squared ring; boxing smarts, ring generalship, sometimes flawless performances, and an enviable 49-0 record, to mention but a few.

That being said, haters are gonna hate no matter what.

Food for thought: Don’t Hate the Playa, Hate the Game.

What Mayweather had to say about his UK fans:

“I can not forget about my great fans in the UK. The UK, the undisputed kings. See you soon. “



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