Floyd "Money" Mayweather has become a cash cow the likes of which few in boxing have ever seen by playing the role of the villain, and a youngster by the name of Adrien Broner is following his lead.
Broner's profile is rising in the sport, and he turned heads with his particularly distasteful back-and-forth with Paulie Malignaggi before their welterweight title clash earlier this year. Throughout the promotion Broner made frequent references to sexual encounters with Malignaggi's ex-girlfriend and went into explicit details about his actions.
He also poked fun at Malignaggi's sexuality, insinuating he is female and/or a homosexual, which has become a sensitive topic in this country. Malignaggi did his fair share of it as well, but it was Broner leading the charge.
He is accused of copying Mayweather's style, in the ring and out, to try and achieve the level of success his "older brother" has wrought. Mayweather and Broner have said repeatedly that they will not fight each other, but circumstances may dictate they back off that stance.
Mayweather has five more fights on his Showtime contract, four after he takes on Saul "Canelo" Alvarez in September. If Broner maintains his meteoric rise, the clamor for a clash may reach Pacquiao proportions. Also, Floyd's father Floyd Sr. said that Broner's mouth may get him in trouble.
"There can always be something there that makes you fight," Mayweather Sr. said. "You say you ain't gonna do this, you ain't gonna do that. Let something go wrong. Let Broner say something wrong that Floyd don't like."
Broner has resisted the accusations of copying Mayweather's approach to marketing himself, but Floyd's acknowledged the similarities. "I think he's young," Mayweather said. "And the difference between me and Adrien Broner, you've got to know when to turn it on and when to turn it off. So that's the difference. You've got to know the difference when it's time to entertain and when it's time, you know, to relax and just to stay focused and make sure that your team is right and everything is right around you."
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