By: Ja Dawson

The wacky world of boxing recently took another curious turn, as Floyd Mayweather announced that he had just signed to appear on the popular television series Dancing with the Stars.

Is this announcement disrespectful to boxing? Is it disrespectful to Mayweather’s upcoming challenger, the undefeated Ricky Hatton? Well, yes and no.

I’ll start with the no. Anytime a boxer gets mainstream media attention by appearing on a show such as Dancing with the Stars, I feel that it is a good thing for boxing. For a niche sport with an often negative public perception, any event which humanizes fighters and makes them accessible to the masses is a good thing. Sure, Mayweather’s appearance on the popular show will satisfy his attention-seeking addiction but it will also do wonders for promoting his upcoming showdown with Ricky Hatton in December.

So you may be asking, how are Floyd’s actions disrespectful? The answer is simple: it shows that he is taking Ricky Hatton lightly. I am sure he and his handlers will say things like, “this is simply a great opportunity to help increase Mayweather’s star power,” “what a great opportunity to hype the fight to the general public,” and “not only will this generate PPV ratings, the dance lessons will also have the added benefit of improving Floyd’s already stellar footwork.” I am not buying it. I’ll take the sparring sessions, road work and calisthenics, and leave the dancing to R&B crooner Chris Brown. Boxers’ training leading up to super fights are short on distractions, and long on isolation, narrowing a boxer’s tunnel vision exclusively on his opponent. Appearing on the Stars can not help Mayweather achieve this goal.

Dancing with the Stars is great for Floyd Mayweather’s rising star power and may just help his mega-fight with Ricky Hatton garner more pay-per-view buys. However, it also shows that he is taking Hatton lightly, which seemingly increases Hatton’s chances for the upset. Will Dancing with the Stars lead to Floyd Mayweather seeing stars? Or will it lead to Mayweather taking his fancy footwork too far, dancing his way to a dull decision. I am sure Hatton wishes for the former. I am just hoping for a good fight.

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