Back in October 2016, Floyd Mayweather caught a lot of flack for some comments he made during an interview with Tha Boxing Voice. After he was asked why other boxers weren’t selling out fights like he used to, Mayweather responded by randomly expressing his unpopular opinion on the Black Lives Matter movement.
"I’m here to say all lives matter," Mayweather said. "You know, a lot of times, we get stuck, and we are followers. When you hear one person say 'Black lives matter,' or 'Blue lives matter,' all lives matter."
Mayweather’s comments didn’t sit well with a lot of people, and he received criticism from all directions. Mayweather’s longtime nemesis T.I. went as far as to call Mayweather’s comments "socially irresponsible" in a lengthy Instagram post.
But it doesn’t sound like the backlash changed Mayweather’s beliefs. Mayweather is over in Thailand right now soaking in some sun and documenting it all on Instagram, and he’s also spending a lot of time on Instagram Live answering questions from his fans. He’s continued to take shots at Oscar De La Hoya, teased the idea of him fighting again even though he’s insisted he’s retired for good, and claimed he has a standing offer to take part in an MMA match.
Mayweather also addressed his "all lives matters" comments from 2016 and told everyone that he’s sticking by them. After a fan mentioned the comments on IG, he spent several minutes trying to explain why he doesn’t think what he said is a big deal.
Mayweather started his explanation by talking about how he created his TMT clothing line for everyone of all races to wear:
A lot of times, everybody be taking about 'Yeah, black lives matter, black lives matter, black lives matter!' But I see more white people with TMT shit. 'Yo, black lives matter, black lives matter, black lives matter.' You giving Gucci the money. 'Black lives matter, black lives matter.' You’re giving Givenchy the money. You giving Louis Vuitton the money. We giving Christian Louboutin [the money]. Listen, I wear the shit, too. But at the end of the day, I’m still gonna wear my own shit also. When I started TMT, it’s not a black thing, it’s not a white thing, it’s the right thing. So my TMT gear is worldwide. My TMT gear is for everybody. I didn’t make it for blacks or whites. I made it for everybody.
Mayweather then doubled down on his "all lives matter" comments before bringing his Filipino friend/photographer into the fold and talking about how everyone’s life should matter:
I got a lot of scrutiny when everybody was like, 'Oh yeah, Floyd said all lives matter.' I don’t give a fuck what nobody say. I live my life the way I fucking want to live my life. I say what the fuck I want to say. I ain’t no fucking follower. And I’ll say it again: All lives matter. At the end of the day, right here, this is one of my best friends. This is one of my best friends right here. So at the end of the day, he’s Filipino. At the end of the day, I look at him like a brother. So his life matter to me, just like everybody on here. Y’all life matter to me, too. It’s all love. Everybody life matter. Everybody mean something.
That led to Mayweather making this statement, which he seemed to backtrack from right away after saying it:
A lot of times we say, 'Black lives matter, black lives matter,' but at the end of the day, in the hood, blacks is shooting blacks. I’m saying—nobody should be killing nobody. I just want peace. Me myself, I want peace. I think everybody should have peace. All around the world, we should have peace.
And Mayweather finished by talking about how he thinks people should interact with police. He also attempted to punctuate his explanation with a poorly-timed joke:
My thing is this: There’s good cops out there, just like there’s bad cops out there. At the end of the day, it’s all about following rules and regulations. That’s on both ends—for people in this world and for the cops. I know the cops got a job to do, but the cops’ job ain’t to be shooting motherfuckers, either. But also, when the cops tell a motherfucker to get out the car, just follow rules and regulations. All you got to do is follow rules. Don’t question a motherfucker. When they pull me over, when they ask for my registration, my license, my insurance, I just hand them this. [holds up a stack of money] I’m fucking with y’all. I’m popping shit.
In the past, Mayweather has proved time and time again that he’s probably not the best guy to call on if you’re looking for opinions on important social issues. This is further proof of that. But you would think that he would realize that and steer clear of addressing these kinds of issues, especially in such an informal setting.
You can hear Mayweather's comments at around the 12:15 mark of the clip at the top.
