Do we separate the art from the artist?
When Billy Jean comes on, do we tap our foot any less vigorously because of what singer Michael Jackson purportedly got up to behind closed doors? The ‘Jesus Juice’ and the out of court settlements on child molestation charges and the many photos of naked children discovered in his belongings?
My guess is we don’t.
Likewise, do we celebrate Floyd Mayweather’s total mastery of boxing without considering his lengthy history of assaults on women?
Perhaps we do.
After making mixed martial artist Conor McGregor look utterly ordinary over ten rounds of boxing in Las Vegas on Saturday night to extend his professional record to 50 wins and no losses, Mayweather was asked how he would like to be remembered.
‘As a great person’, came the reply. ‘Not just inside the ring, but outside the ring.’ Funny how we all want what we can’t have – even a man who has just earned £300m in 30 minutes.
For those of us who wanted to see some sense finally beaten into Mayweather – some karmic retribution, perhaps, not just for the repeated battery of women, but also for the relentless vulgarity and obscene materialism – Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena was depressing.
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