Floyd Mayweather Claims Bias BY HBO

AP
Published: July 5, 2008

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) - Recently retired boxer Floyd
Mayweather Junior accuses HBO’s announcers of bias against him and
other black fighters.

The 31-year-old former Olympic bronze medalist told The Grand
Rapids Press in an interview that the network “is great,” but
criticized its boxing announcers.

Mayweather says “they talk about Kelly Pavlik, a white fighter,
like he’s the second coming. Or they go crazy over Manny Pacquiao
(PAH’-kow). But I’m a black fighter. Is it racial? Absolutely. They
praise white fighters, they praise Hispanic fighters, whatever. But
black fighters, they never praise.”

Mayweather says he’s noticed it for a long time but he couldn’t
say anything because he had to do business with them. He says he’ll
still do business with them, but he’s done holding his tongue.

HBO says it’s disappointed to hear of the boxer’s remarks and
denied his claims.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)