Floyd Mayweather Jr. (43-0, 26 KOs) may not be rushing to find a worthy opponent to continue his undefeated run as a professional boxer, but another kind of fight is keeping him busy on Twitter these days.Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson took to the Twitterverse recently to slam his former friend after their planned promotional partnership suffered a catastrophic breakup. Jackson is now proceeding under the SMS Promotions label.
Jackson put the wheels in motion for TMT Promotions earlier this year while Mayweather was still serving time in a Las Vegas correctional facility as the result of a domestic violence incident involving the mother of his children.
The relationship between the boxer and rapper deteriorated quickly after Mayweather's release, leading Jackson to make a new deal with Mayweather's rival Manny Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 KOs). Jackson made swift moves with the TMT label long before he broke bread with Pacquiao, securing formal sanctioning in New York and filing paperwork for certification in Nevada.
The promotion also wasted no time building a stable, as Jackson secured signings with standout boxers Yuriorkis Gamboa (21-0, 16 KOs), Andre Dirrell (20-1, 14 KOs) and Billy Dib (35-1, 21 KOs).
TMT is supposed to stand for The Money Team, but lately Total Meltdown Time seems more appropriate. The most logical explanation for the dispute seems to be the fact that Jackson made all those moves for TMT without Mayweather officially being on board despite his "Money" monniker being attached to the promotional outfit.
Mayweather Promotions already exists, although Mayweather is still using "#TheMoneyTeam" in some of his latest tweets, indicating he may still be planning to use the name for other promotional efforts. His Twitter profile picture is also a shot of Floyd wearing a jacket bearing the words "The Money Team" on the back.
Another reason for the split between the wildly popular musician and the world-class boxer appears to be related to finances. 50 explained on his own Twitter profile: "I move the fighters to SMSpromotion cause the other half of the money team didn't put up there [sic] $MONEY$."
Some recent legal wrangling between Jackson and Mayweather over Billy Dib's signing likely ramped up the feud between the former friends. At one point Mayweather lured Dib to sign with him exclusively, but Jackson had an existing contract in place and brought in his legal team to enforce that agreement.
The IBF Featherweight Champion recently told BoxingScene.Com that he feels secure with the contract he signed with 50 Cent and is comfortable knowing that promises made to him will have to be kept to ensure the partnership with 50's newly-labeled SMS Promotions remains intact.
The latest back-and-forth public banter between Floyd and 50 Cent exploded late last week and continued over the weekend. At one point 50 offered to sell his TMT jacket for one dollar. He also tweeted that he could no longer hang out with Floyd because he was tired of running from Manny Pacquiao.
The rap superstar also indicated in his tweets that he wants Floyd to fight Gamboa and will put a $20 million bonus up to make the fight between the two undefeated fighters. Jackson even went as far as promising to "make Big Floyd rich" in an apparent reference to Floyd Mayweather, Sr.--a man who knows all about verbal confrontations with his son.
Mayweather Junior shot back on Twitter and Instagram, featuring pictures of 50 posing with stacks of money Mayweather claimed was his as well as another photo of 50 holding Mayweather's belts. Mayweather also used profanity-laced tweets to demean his old buddy and stated in one particularly vicious tweet that he respected the man who shot 50 Cent and "not the one who got shot."
The two former business partners also sparred verbally over who was actually worth more than the other. Forbes' 2012 lists of the world's wealthiest individuals in various categories suggest Mayweather's net worth ($115 million) is around $5 million more than 50 Cent's ($110 million), but Dib is convinced 50 Cent actually has more money.
Either way, 50 Cent may have a much greater influence in the court of public opinion. It's hard to believe the boxing community and fan base considers Mayweather as personable and likeable as the rap industry and those who listen to rap see 50 Cent. Boxing in general is not nearly as influential across the world as the music industry.
So, who really wins in this bitter Twitter beef between these two old pals who now seem to truly hate each other? The numbers tell the real story, and they show only around 3.5 million followers for Floyd while 50 Cent's tweets reach over 8 million followers.
Also, Mayweather already speaks from a position of weakness since his rival Manny Pacquiao is trying harder than ever to get a fight with the undefeated welterweight while Mayweather seems to be avoiding the Filipino phenom at every turn. Mayweather's own stable also doesn't currently include any fighters with the stature and raw talent of those now under contract with 50.
Mayweather's tweets resort to cursing and pissing contests over finances, but 50 Cent's go as far as offering Mayweather an opponent (Gamboa) willing to step into the ring with Floyd even if it means taking a drastic step up in weight. Gamboa last fought at the super featherweight level while Mayweather's last fight was at 154 pounds.
The reality is, as long as both of these guys are at odds, boxing loses. As a partnership aligning forces and finances, these two could really shake up the sport in a positive way.
As is, they are only making a mockery of the state of boxing promotions by resorting to these constant verbal jabs that serve no purpose as far as building up the sport and making it more appealing to the masses. They both should just grow up and move on, and the boxing world will be better for it if they do.
