Floyd Mayweather Jr. has some nicknames for himself; Pretty Boy, Money, Triple M (Mainstream Money Mayweather) are just a few. Others have even more names for him; Loud, Obnoxious, Asshole. But there is one name that everyone calls him, Undefeated Champion. You don’t get to be 41-0 if you’re not any good. Yes, love him or hate him, Mayweather is one of the all time greatest (the all time greatest if you ask him) boxers in the world. This is what makes Floyd’s entertainment value so high. He draws to all fans, whether he is your favorite athlete or you’re only watching in hopes of seeing that one punch that will shut him the fuck up, you will be tuning in to watch his fights. Tuning in to his next fight will be a good idea for even the most casual of boxing fans. Pretty Boy Money Triple M Mayweather will be taking on the rising superstar, Victor Ortiz.
The lead up to this fight is being chronicled by HBO for their 24/7 Series. For those of you who have not had a chance to see any 24/7 shows, do yourself a favor and find them. The boxing episodes are awesome and this past winter, 24/7 documented the lead up to the NHL’s Winter Classic between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals. HBO has created the premier platform to promote fights with their 24/7 series and continues to garner new fans every time a new series is released.
After only one episode, 24/7 Mayweather vs Ortiz is already shaping up to be one of the best yet. The opener begins in regular fashion by introducing us to the fighters and their teams. This is Floyd’s 5th time being followed by HBO and it is quite obvious he loves being in front of their camera. Viewers get re-introduced to his team and family (which makes up the majority of his team) and quickly are re-oriented to the fast paced, loud, trash talking atmosphere that is Floyd Jr.’s gym. Episode one then introduces us to Victor Ortiz. Unless you’re a serious boxing fan, chances are you have yet to hear about Victor. Victor is going to be a fan favorite and this show is going to launch him into mainstream popularity. Not only is he a talented, hard hitting rising star of a boxer, his life away from the ring makes people love him. Ortiz and his younger brother were abandoned by their parents when both were still young children. 24/7 has both fighter and brother discussing the challenges they faced and how this has shaped who they are today, giving viewers a chance to learn more about the Ortiz’s than just what happens in the ring. 
The beauty of a show like 24/7 is that is humanizes the athletes and those around them and lets fans understand what truly encompasses being an elite athlete. The fighters are not excluded from the daily stresses of life and this was made painstakingly obvious when episode one wrapped up by showing just what life amongst the Mayweather’s can really entail. It is a known fact that Floyd Jr. and his father Floyd Sr. do not get along. The two were estranged for much of Jr.’s early professional career. Over the past few years, the two have slowly made amends and Jr. has started to let his father back into his life and around his gym. This all came to screeching halt when what started as friendly banter blew up into an all out verbal war between father and son that was close to becoming physical if others had not stepped in. Both Mayweathers were clearly upset and the episode ended before anything was resolved. I can’t wait until the next episode to hear about it from both father and son and more importantly to see how or if this is affected Floyd Jr.’s training.
Episode two airs this Saturday at 10pm. Hopefully, we will get a closer look at Ortiz’s camp as well as some answers on the Mayweather’s confrontation and the resulting fallout that surely surrounds that camp. This is going to be a great fight with some awesome hype coming out of the 24/7 series. Be sure to stay tuned for much more Mayweather vs Ortiz.
