Attorney Antonio Moore discusses the upcoming match between Floyd Mayweather and Conor Mcgregor. He looks at statements b y both fighters inciting discussion about the dynamics of race in America. Subscribe to his Youtube channel @Tonetalks
See article by Chicago Tribune “Exploiting race is not new to boxing — or to politics”
It still is, even as this weekend’s battle between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor blows the roof off previous purses with pay-per-view revenue soaring well into nine figures. Mayweather was expected to get $200 million and McGregor $100 million.
That’s a great payday for McGregor, who is new to the sport. That’s right. He’s a UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) mixed-martial arts star.
His presence on the bill also marks a curious form of affirmative action. Mayweather, 40, is black and has a 49-0 career record. McGregor, 29, is white and hasn’t boxed since his training days in his native Dublin.
“If this was a black UFC champion and Mayweather,” screenwriter Ron Shelton, who wrote the 1996 movie farce “The Great White Hype” about a similar race-based mismatch, told The Washington Post, “I don’t think they’d sell a ticket.”
Well, I’m sure they’d sell some tickets. Mayweather is widely considered to be the best boxer on the planet these days. And a mixed-race match offers an undeniable attraction to audiences, whether consciously or subconsciously.
Promoters know. The sport has a long history of using racial conflicts, real or hyped, since the first black heavyweight champ, Jack Johnson, was pitted against one “Great White Hope” after another.
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