By Robert Brizel, Brick City Boxing Correspondent
To date, over 250 thousand individuals have signed a petition to reinstate ousted U.S. Naval Captain Brett Crozier, who was relieved of his command aboard aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt after he leaked a letter he wrote to superiors about the COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus outbreak sickening the Navy sailors on the ship. The Navy said the command change came because Crozier incited panic on board, and leaked the letter to his hometown newspaper. His cheering crew disagreed, loudly defending him as a hero caring about the lives and safety of his crew as Coronavirus spread throughout his ship, as he was forced to disembark his ship for reassignment. Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly spent 243 thousand dollars in Pentagon money to fly to Guam, called Captain Crozier whom he fired stupid, resigned, then wound up in isolation for exposing himself to Coronavirus.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Captain Crozier’s letter read, in part “We are not at war! Sailors do not need to die. If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset. Our sailors.” After his letter requesting immediate help was leaked, the Navy permitted the carrier docked in Guam to unload the crew. However, Captain Crozier was still relieved of his command. The great grandson of the late American President Theodore ‘Teddy’ Roosevelt (after whom the Naval aircraft carrier is named), Tweed Roosevelt, also stated “Theodore Roosevelt, in his time, chose the honorable course. Captain Crozier has done the same (in defense of life and country).”
The United States, in a time of war and peace, is desperately looking for leadership, guidance, and heroes. Captain Brett Crozier is seen by many people across the United States and the world as an unshakable hero of indomitable spirit. Boxing is in need of heroes too. Setting the smooth road for future generations is at stake. Enter Floyd-maybe.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. has returned to training in his gym in Las Vegas. Floyd, 50-0 with 27 knockouts, could fight either other welterweights or MMA big money draw names in a future boxing match. The real question is whether or not boxing needs a marquee hero in these tough times, and whether Floyd could be the one. He might be. When the COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus Pandemic ends, whenever that will be, boxing will need a resuscitation to put it back on its feet. Truth be told, Floyd versus anybody as part of a pay-per-view show could put boxing back on the map. The motivation would not be financial. Everybody from Errol Spence Jr. to Terence Crawford would love a big money payday against Floyd. The greatest issue is what professional boxing needs. What professional boxing needs is what the rest of the world needs. A hero. A Floyd comeback would be relevant, given these tough times. Who he fights is unimportant. The world needs heroes like Crozier and Floyd.