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Jab and Grapple - Boxing and Wrestling News and Analysis

Floyd Mayweather, Jr. to Participate in Indy 500

by Michael Sedor on April 25th, 2008

Floyd Mayweather Jr. Portraits
Image details: Floyd Mayweather Jr. Portraits served by picapp.com

Could that headline be true? Could Floyd Mayweather, Jr. really be driving a 240+ mph open-wheel car at the Brickyard this year? Here are the top 10 reasons as to why that could be true.

1) The recently re-merged Indy Racing League and CART circuit needs publicity.
2) The American open-wheel leagues have been hemorrhaging qualified drivers to NASCAR in the last few year.
3) Floyd has lightning quick reflexes that would serve him well in auto racing.
4) We’ve seen his stable of cars on HBO’s 24/7 show which he humbly listed in 2007 as a 2006 Bentley GT, Ferrari, Rolls Royce Phantom, Maybach 62, Mercedes S550, Mercedes CL 65, etc… Floyd knows his way around high-priced machinery. We’ve also seem him driving on the same show at 120 mph.
5) He is becoming the king of cross promotion with his Dancing With the Stars and WWE appearances.
6) He’ll do anything to keep his name out there and in turn hyping his sport to it’s rightful place in the public eye. He’s a marketing master.
7) His 5′8″ frame would be the perfect fit for an open-wheel cockpit.
8) He still smarts from losing to Helio Castroneves on DWTS.
9) The WWE wasn’t dangerous enough and MMA lacks fast-paced excitement.
10) There’s no more competition in boxing and he has to move on.

Of course Floyd isn’t driving at Indy but, the Grand Rapids Press reports, he will be waving the green flag to start the race. Mayweather’s adviser Leonard Ellerbe explained “It’s just another example of reaching a new audience, of raising Floyd Mayweather’s profile, building his brand, and having fun at the same time.”

He continued “And I guarantee you, every one of those 400,000 people at the race, and the 300 million watching on television worldwide, will know who’s dropping the green flag.” Ellerbe is right.

Floyd has done wonders in transforming himself from “Pretty Boy” Floyd, a fighter who had difficulty in 2001 selling out his hometown Grand Rapids arena, to “Money” Mayweather, America’s biggest pay-per-view star, a crossover hero, and a household name.

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POSTED IN: Boxing

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