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ESPN Mag Writer: “Floyd Is Dime-Store Psychologist's Dream”

Published

13 years ago

May 4, 2012

ESPN The Magazine senior writer Tim Keown wrote a terrific feature on Floyd Mayweather which is in the latest issue of the Mag, out on newsstands now. It is the one with Floyd on the cover.

Part of ESPN since 1999, and the author of six books, Keown was kind enough to shed some light on the process of writing the story, and share a few juicy tidbits on the boxer, in this Q 'n A.

Please support journalism by going out and purchasing the magazine, if you don't mind. Some folks think that the previous request comes off as a sad plea, but I don't agree. The industry gave away the milk for free for too long, and I try to educate or re-educate the people today who don't realize that when they lap up “free” content, they are slowly helping the industry slide towards a lower standard. Buying the products helps convince bean counters from hacking off head count, at most places and in most businesses, so thanks for your support. (Disclosure note: In addition to TSS, I also do work for ESPN The Magazine, ESPN.com and ESPNNewYork.com, for the record.)

Q) Can you tell TSS readers what sort of access you received to Floyd, how long you were around him?

A) I spent two days with Floyd. He is nocturnal, so a day for Floyd begins around 4 p.m. with a workout at his gym, and the first day I spent about four hours there. The second day was the focus of the story, and I had unlimited access to him from the beginning of his 4 p.m. workout to the end of the photo shoot at his house — almost 4 a.m. His terrific publicist, Kelly Swanson, made sure I was able to go to dinner with Floyd, 50 Cent and his crew. At a time when access to major sports stars is getting harder to get, Floyd is unprecedented. He loves the attention.

Q) Was he what you expected? Did you come in with a preconceived notion of the man?

A) I did a cover story on Floyd before his 2007 fight with De La Hoya, so I knew the routine. This time, though, my access took me more places, allowing a fuller view of the man and his world. Floyd's in a different place now than he was then; in 2007 he was trying to prove that he could make it on his own, and this time he was eager to show how well that gamble paid off.

Q) Did you find yourself, as I do, psychoanalyzing Floyd, trying to figure out the roots of his behavior?

A) Oh, yes. He's a dime-store psychologist's dream. There's so much wrapped up in his background — his tempestuous relationship with his father, his constant need for affirmation, his ridiculous work ethic. He's really a guy who went into the family business and is determined to prove himself both financially and athletically.

Q) Based on the extra insight you have of him, can you hazard a guess if he will truly push to make a fight with Pacquaio happen? If no, why not, do you think?

A) When I was with him, I left thinking it would happen, but I have to admit his latest comments — that he wouldn't risk fighting Pac because of the steroid thing — caught me off-guard. Agree with him or not, Floyd's argument concerning the money split makes sense if you put yourself in Floyd's place. If he can make $80-100 million fighting Cotto and another non-Pacquaio, then he doesn't really need the fight for anything other than legacy. And that means more to the fans than it does to him. To him, being undefeated is the legacy. That said, I think it will happen. I don't have concrete reasons for it, but I think the pressure will eventually force both guys to make it happen. Wishful thinking, maybe.

Q) Is there any juicy stuff left on the cutting room floor you can share?

A) Not really. There's so much excess in his life that it's hard to exaggerate. There was a moment in the car when we were sitting at a red light and Floyd turned to 50 Cent and said, casually, “This is the intersection where Tupac got shot.” “Surreal” is an overused word, but in this case I think it fits.

Follow Woods on Twitter here.

(Disclosure note: In addition to TSS, Woods also does work for ESPN The Magazine, ESPN.com and ESPNNewYork.com)

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Michael Woods

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2015 Fight of the Year – Francisco Vargas vs Takashi Miura

Published

9 years ago

January 4, 2016

The Sweet Science

The WBC World Super Featherweight title bout between Francisco Vargas and Takashi Miura came on one of the biggest boxing stages of 2015, as the bout served as the HBO pay-per-view’s co-main event on November 21st, in support of Miguel Cotto vs Saul Alvarez.

Miura entered the fight with a (29-2-2) record and he was making the fifth defense of his world title, while Vargas entered the fight with an undefeated mark of (22-0-1) in what was his first world title fight. Both men had a reputation for all-out fighting, with Miura especially earning high praise for his title defense in Mexico where he defeated Sergio Thompson in a fiercely contested battle.

The fight started out hotly contested, and the intensity never let up. Vargas seemed to win the first two rounds, but by the fourth round, Miura seemed to pull ahead, scoring a knock-down and fighting with a lot of confidence. After brawling the first four rounds, Miura appeared to settle into a more technical approach. Rounds 5 and 6 saw the pendulum swing back towards Vargas, as he withstood Miura’s rush to open the fifth round and the sixth round saw both men exchanging hard punches.

The big swinging continued, and though Vargas likely edged Miura in rounds 5 and 6, Vargas’ face was cut in at least two spots and Miura started to assert himself again in rounds 7 and 8. Miura was beginning to grow in confidence while it appeared that Vargas was beginning to slow down, and Miura appeared to hurt Vargas at the end of the 8th round.

Vargas turned the tide again at the start of the ninth round, scoring a knock down with an uppercut and a straight right hand that took Miura’s legs and sent him to the canvas. Purely on instinct, Miura got back up and continued to fight, but Vargas was landing frequently and with force. Referee Tony Weeks stepped in to stop the fight at the halfway point of round 9 as Miura was sustaining a barrage of punches.

Miura still had a minute and a half to survive if he was going to get out of the round, and it was clear that he was not going to stop fighting.

A back and forth battle of wills between two world championship level fighters, Takashi Miura versus “El Bandido” Vargas wins the 2015 Fight of the Year.

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Jan 9 in Germany – Feigenbutz and De Carolis To Settle Score

Published

9 years ago

January 4, 2016

The Sweet Science

This coming Saturday, January 9th, the stage is set at the Baden Arena in Offenburg, Germany for a re-match between Vincent Feigenbutz and Giovanni De Carolis. The highly anticipated re-match is set to air on SAT.1 in Germany, and Feigenbutz will once again be defending his GBU and interim WBA World titles at Super Middleweight.

The first meeting between the two was less than three months ago, on October 17th and that meeting saw Feigenbutz controversially edge De Carolis on the judge’s cards by scores of (115-113, 114-113 and 115-113). De Carolis scored a flash knock down in the opening round, and he appeared to outbox Feigenbutz in the early going, but the 20 year old German champion came on in the later rounds.

The first bout is described as one of the most crowd-pleasing bouts of the year in Germany, and De Carolis and many observers felt that the Italian had done enough to win.

De Carolis told German language website RAN.DE that he was more prepared for the re-match, and that due to the arrogance Feigenbutz displayed in the aftermath of the first fight, he was confident that he had won over some of the audience. Though De Carolis fell short of predicting victory, he promised a re-vamped strategy tailored to what he has learned about Feigenbutz, whom he termed immature and inexperienced.

The stage is set for Feigenbutz vs De Carolis 2, this Saturday January 9th in Offenburg, Germany. If you can get to the live event do it, if not you have SAT.1 in Germany airing the fights, and The Boxing Channel right back here for full results.

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2015 Knock Out of the Year – Saul Alvarez KO’s James Kirkland

Published

9 years ago

December 29, 2015

The Sweet Science

On May 9th of 2015, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez delivered a resonant knock-out of James Kirkland on HBO that wins the 2015 KO of the Year.

The knock-out itself came in the third round, after slightly more than two minutes of action. The end came when Alvarez delivered a single, big right hand that caught Kirkland on the jaw and left him flat on his back after spinning to the canvas.Alvarez was clearly the big star heading into the fight. The fight was telecast by HBO for free just one week after the controversial and disappointing Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao fight, and Alvarez was under pressure to deliver the type of finish that people were going to talk about. Kirkland was happy to oblige Alvarez, taking it right to Alvarez from the start. Kirkland’s aggression saw him appear to land blows that troubled the young Mexican in the early going. Alvarez played good defense, and he floored Kirkland in the first round, displaying his power and his technique in knocking down an aggressive opponent.

However, Kirkland kept coming at Alvarez and the fight entered the third round with both men working hard and the feeling that the fight would not go the distance. Kirkland continued to move forward, keeping “Canelo” against the ropes and scoring points with a barrage of punches while looking for an opening.

At around the two minute mark, Alvarez landed an uppercut that sent Kirkland to the canvas again. Kirkland got up, but it was clear that he did not have his legs under him. Kirkland was going to try to survive the round, but Alvarez had an opportunity to close out the fight. The question was would he take it?

Alvarez closed in on Kirkland, putting his opponent’s back to the ropes. Kirkland was hurt, but he was still dangerous, pawing with punches and loading up for one big shot.

But it was the big shot “Canelo” threw that ended the night. Kirkland never saw it coming, as he was loading up with a huge right hand of his own. The right Alvarez threw cracked Kirkland in the jaw, and his eyes went blank. His big right hand whizzed harmlessly over the head of a ducking Alvarez, providing the momentum for the spin that left Kirkland prone on the canvas.

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez went on to defeat Miguel Cotto in his second fight of 2015 and he is clearly one of boxing’s biggest stars heading into 2016. On May 9th Alvarez added another reel to his highlight film when he knocked out James Kirkland with the 2015 “Knock Out of the Year”.

Photo by naoki fukuda

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