Outside of the public eye, it appears resoundingly more clear that Floyd Mayweather Jr is using his influence in boxing to the detriment of others. This was pinpointed earlier this year when Mayweather appeared to influence Garcia in an alleged attempt to thwart Devin Haney. The recent release of the sparring video between Haney and Gervonta Davis digs even deeper into possible interference by Mayweather to sabotage Davis’ career.
The exact relationship between FightHype.com and Floyd Mayweather Jr has never been fully substantiated, but the boxing media outlet is known to have exclusively interviewed Mayweather numerous times, suggesting the two are on amiable, if not very close, terms.
FightHype.com’s June 16th release of the sparring video between Gervonta Davis (30-0, 28 KO’s) and Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KO’s) suspiciously came a day after Davis defeated Frank Martin on June 15th.
While the exact date of the sparring session is unknown, it likely took place between 2014 and 2015 when Haney was reportedly 16 or 17 years old, and Davis was approximately 20 or 21 years old.
“Never did they post a chopped up edited video.. 16 years old & in there holding my own. We bet AB [Adrien Broner’s] pops [father] & he honored it & paid! Ryan [Garcia] we watched u quit we are not the same & never will be tune in April 20th I’ll show it!“
Devin Haney
A 103-second clip of this fight was released earlier this year by Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) that depicted Haney getting outboxed by Davis. Given that the sparring bout occurred in Floyd Mayweather’s primary gym in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Mayweather himself can be seen refereeing the fight, Mayweather can be considered the owner of the footage and likely provided the sparring video to both Garcia and FightHype.com―although Garcia appears to have received only a portion of the full video.
The timing of the release of the sparring footage further suggests Mayweather’s hand, with his ongoing dispute with Gervonta Davis having been well-recorded over the past couple of years, thereby painting Mayweather as the probable culprit that urged the release of the full sparring video. This comes just months after Mayweather had been accused of doing the same to Devin Haney after Garcia’s release of the sparring video snippet.
The full sparring video itself doesn’t reflect well on Davis, who as the adult-aged professional was shown to have been in an extremely close fight with Haney―who had not yet made his professional debut. Mayweather’s suspected intention to release the footage could therefore be interpreted as an attempt to subtly damage Davis’ reputation within the sport.
Interestingly, Garcia has helped paint a clearer picture of Mayweather’s involvement after Garcia was alleged to have recently contacted Haney to express his view on FightHype.com’s release of the full sparring session between Haney and Davis.
“He [Ryan Garcia] said some s*** like, ‘I didn’t know that you beat Gervonta [Davis] like that,’, or some s*** like that. Something of that sort, he said.“
Devin Haney
As noted recently, Garcia and Mayweather were notably seen together earlier this year, signaling the beginning of what can be perceived as Mayweather’s meddling in the careers of both Haney and Davis, which raises concerns about potentially more sinister practices that could be going on behind the scenes.
