Inside Mayweather vs. Pacquiao: Top Takeaways, Highlights and Episode 2 Recap
With a major focus on Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s foundation and support group, the second episode of Inside Mayweather vs. Pacquiao was a more revealing and human take on the pound-for-pound king. Showtime continued its sleekly presented documentary series leading up to the May 2 superfight between Money and Manny Pacquiao on Saturday night. Here are the major takeaways.
Family and Friends
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Money's children saw as much face time in this episode as you'll see in most any broadcast. They watched their father go through his rigorous workouts and marveled at his work ethic. Some of the banter almost makes you cringe, though.
At one point, Mayweather says, "See kids, I ain't lazy. See how much money I got." Essentially, we deliver that sort of message to kids all the time. Usually, it's not rendered as raw as Money delivered it.
One of the most touching moments comes when Mayweather's friend and training assistant Nate Jones talks about how Money helped him survive a tough time in his life. Jones becomes emotional as he speaks in The Money Team gear. He calls Mayweather his "guardian angel."
Overall, it was good to see some of the positive deeds Mayweather has mixed into his life's work. He often gets a ton of negative attention—much of it deserved—but it appears he takes care of those close to him.
Extreme Training
Mayweather proves the saying "hard work, dedication" is not just a catchphrase. From the use of cryogenic chambers to innumerable sessions of bag work, sit-ups and cardio workouts, Mayweather puts in the necessary effort required for a 38-year-old to remain at the top of such a brutal game.
Anyone who has followed him has to be familiar with his obsession with the gym. No matter how many times you see it, it's still impressive.
Floyd's First Promoter
Another interesting aspect of the show came when Mayweather's first promoter and mentor Don Hale spoke about the fighter's commitment to excellence at an early age. Hale took care of Mayweather when his father went to prison and no one in Money's family was up to the task of caring for him.
Mayweather gave Hale and his wife credit for the care they gave him, but I'm not sure the episode dedicated enough time to how important this was to Money's future. He was only 16 when Floyd Sr. went to jail, and he could have easily fallen into a situation that made boxing a distant memory.
It's hard to quantify how important having Hale as a safety net was for Mayweather. Hale also seemed to serve as motivation for Money, who admired his mentor's ability to take care of people.
We'll never know if Mayweather would have risen to stardom had he not had Hale in his life.
Final Takeaway
Unlike the first episode, the second installment of IMVP left me wishing the run time was longer than 24 minutes. It served as more of character study for Mayweather, but there could have been a few more dealings with Pacquiao.
Mayweather's superstar opponent on May 2 was seen even less in this episode than in the first. Nonetheless, most people will probably tune in for the last pre-fight episode of the series on April 29 as we wait with bated breath for the fight to take place at last.
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