By Ryan Dunn: For those who do not have HBO, but are fans of boxing, I ask you first: “WHY NOT?” And for those who simply cannot afford to subscribe, here is a summary of what went down on the first episode of 24/7 – Mayweather/Mosley…
Over a shot of an empty highway in the middle of the desert, the incomparable Liev Schrieber speaks about the upcoming fight between Mayweather and Mosley. “The silence of a desert road is all that keeps them apart.”. Soon thereafter, the titles come up with their signature music track. After that we crash into an interview with Floyd. To the camera he tells the fans: “You don’t know me. Before you judge me, look at your own situation and see where you at. And clear your own problems up, before you worry about my problems, because I’m okay.” Ahh, the charm is back!
Schrieber then lets us know what to expect. “Welcome back to the world of Floyd Mayweather,” he tells us as Floyd cruises down the street in his flashy car. We suddenly remembered why and how 24/7 got its start in the first place. It was a genius piece of editing, and set the tone for the whole episode. Floyd is nothing if not irresistible to watch on-screen, whether his magnetic personality or his unbelievable God-complex. Personally, I think it’s feigned fanfare designed to attract fans.
Meeting Shane Mosley and his camp was like night and day. Shane’s is a new face to the stable of featured fighters on this series. Boxing fandom aside, 24/7 is almost certainly the best sports documentary series ever made (my wife, who doesn’t even like boxing, loves to watch the series with me). So getting to meet Brother Naazim Richardson, Mosley’s new trainer; Shane’s son who is also a boxer; and the extended family and friends who compose his entourage, was a breath of fresh mountain air.
One thing that stood out immediately: There is little if any “flash” in Mosley’s camp. You see that — while Shane and Floyd are two city-raised African-Americans who have gone on to become millionaires — their personas couldn’t be more different.
We learned a bit of the history between Floyd and Shane, how they could (and should) have fought several years ago. The question of whether it was circumstance or choice that prevented it from happening was left on the table for the viewer to ponder. And I will do the same here.
The “P” word (which I will not use in this article) did come up on a few occasions, but mostly as a way to inform the viewer why and how this particular fight came to be in the first place. Shane had a good quote on the matter. “They talk about ‘that fight’ like Floyd’s going to win [this one].” And then he smiles. “He’s not going to win.”
The “P” word also set up a very informative sequence of the episode involving the USADA (The Anti-Doping agency responsible for the mandatory random blood and urine testing to be conducted throughout the pre-fight).
Two members of the USADA showed up at Mayweather’s gym to collect urine. Floyd clowned around in the gym a little, celebrating their arrival and acting happy to have them (you can never tell with Floyd). But he was too dehydrated to fill his sample, so they literally shadowed Floyd from early afternoon until 10:15p that night.
The USADA chaperones drove home with him in his car, hung out with him at his house while he watched basketball, and then finally (after Floyd consumed more than one large water bottle) got their sample. Blood was taken as well (if the fighter is visited by the USADA while he is training, there is a minimum two-hour “cool down” period before blood can be drawn). It appeared that two vials were filled, though they did not contain a nearly as much blood as when you donate.
My favorite quote of the episode came while Floyd was having his blood drawn. He remarked to the camera: “Urine collected. Blood collected. Check collected.” I found this quote to be more indicative of his motivations than his dissertation on safety in boxing and keeping the sport clean. That’s just my opinion.
Mosley had had three visits by the time the USADA paid him a visit. In his talking head interview, Mosley showed a calm demeanor. In what might be considered an ironic stroke, Shane had an easier time with the testing than Mayweather did (at least in this episode). He knows that the world is asking the questions of him, for his sorted past abuse of performance enhancing drugs, but he doesn’t seem to mind. He explains that that was seven years ago, and it is an issue “no more.” He says he can see how taking blood could bother other fighters, but it doesn’t bother him, “They can come every day,” he says with a smile.
Perhaps the most light-hearted moment of the show came when Mosley showed up at the Brunswick Lanes bowling alley in Big Bear, CA, for league night. He is something of a small-town hero up there, and has no qualms about mingling with the locals. In fact, they think of him as something of a local himself, since Big Bear is the place he’s trained for over a decade. It was great to see Mosley on a team of five burly white mountain men just doing his thing. He seems to be a fairly adept bowler on top of it; apparently his competitive side is all-encompassing.
We got to know a bit about Brother Naazim, Mosley’s recent trainer. They seem to have a deep bond which is founded on the deep, deep respect for the sport of boxing. Naazim spoke of his stroke he suffered a few years back, where he lay on the floor half-conscious, with half of his body paralyzed. He listened as the doctors explained the ramifications of the stroke to his family. They said he would never walk again, that he may lose partial sight or hearing. They also said that he couldn’t hear anything they were saying.
But the truth was he could hear just fine. He wanted to say: “I can hear you, dummy, and I want you to go away.” It was a touching story, made doubly powerful by the fact that Naazim has since made a full recovery. He set himself to work through the nights in the hospital after the doctor’s left to teach himself to walk again. That’s exactly the fighting spirit Mosley needs if he expects to go toe-to-toe with the best pure boxer the sport has seen in our generation.
Back to the trash-talking for a moment. If you haven’t viewed the Mayweather/Mosley edition of Face Off with Max Kellerman yet, I highly recommend it. You can find it online if you know where to look. 24/7 was on the set while Kellerman’s episode was being filmed, and they excerpted a memorable moment where Mosley asked Mayweather to recall something he said to Shane when Floyd was coming up and Mosley was the pound-for-pound king. Shane reminded Floyd “You said that I think you’re a great fighter, and I want to be just like you when I come up in the ranks.” And by the way Floyd reacted, it seems impossible to think Shane was lying.
Mayweather promptly tells the 24/7 crew that it’s ludicrous for Mayweather to ever say he wants to be like Mosley, when Mosley is the underdog here, and Mayweather is the best there is, the cash cow. “Shane, I barely know who the f*ck you are.” It smells of posturing, but either way, the emotional rise it stirred demonstrated a hidden respect beneath Mayweather’s self-proclaimed trash talking. In fact, there was a moment where Floyd said, of Mosley: “Kid is desperate. He’s just a desperate fan.” I’m still pondering that one. But that’s what you get with Mayweather, a lot of pondering, ooh’ing and aah’ing.
Mosley, however, makes it clear that Floyd might be the cash cow, but Shane is a partner in Golden Boy Promotions, so in a way, Mosley is signing Floyd’s check. Shane also says, with a certain conviction, that he’s not just fighting for money. He wants to show the world that he is the best. It seems like if he can do that, the legacy and the money will follow. His spirit appears set on making this fight a rite of passage instead of just another payday (something I can’t say for Hopkins or Jones of late).
I’ve seen every single episode of every 24/7 ever aired, and I swear to you I can almost always sense which fighter truly believes they can win, and not only that, I can almost always sense which fighter WILL win by the tone of their camp, and their own personal demeanor. I sensed that Cotto lacked a certain focus and determination; I felt Marquez knew he didn’t stand a real chance; I thought Hatton had higher ambitions than his own talent would allow; and I knew that De La Hoya’s heart wasn’t in his camp.
In this episode, I feel without a doubt, that Mosley has the DNA, the determination, and the desire to fight and win on May 1. The moment he put his fists in the air and said, “Let’s settle this in the ring… with these,” really resonated with me. I’m not saying Mosley will win this fight (yet) but I’m saying he’s been the only underdog in the series history who I really feel stands a good chance of stealing victory from the jaws of defeat.
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