Malignaggi Talks Mayweather Jr. Chopping Wood, Camp Rumors

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mayweather-woodFightHype.com caught up with Paulie Malignaggi to ask him a few things about… wait for it… Mayweather-Pacquiao, of course! He talks about Floyd’s new approaches to training and whether camp rumors matter.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. has posted uncharacteristic videos of himself chopping wood and swimming in the lead up to his May 2nd showdown with Manny Pacquiao. Despite Floyd’s awful technique (I can look just as terrible at chopping wood, thank you very much) Paulie Malignaggi agrees with the alleged “going back to basics” approach Floyd is taking.

“I think sometimes it’s good to get back to basics because you tend to forget certain things when you’re moving up the ladder, sometimes to cut corners ‘cus live is too good and whatnot so I think it’s good to get back to the basics…”

I believe Floyd’s (very well produced!) social media “Rocky” montage is just a bit of clever marketing to sell the fight. That said, I am going to take the Malignaggi approach and play along as if there has been some major shift in Mayweather’s training camp… for a moment anyway.

In sticking with the narrative that Floyd has changed his approach to training camp and refuses to leave any stone unturned, I have to ask… Why? What does he see in Manny Pacquiao that makes him feel the need to change how he does things?

Maybe he sees what I see. A great boxers with a unique combination of speed, power and awkwardness. Regardless of what Floyd and his people want to claim regarding Pacquiao being a pushover on fight night, Floyd’s actions state that he’s going to have to go the extra mile to try to make that a reality.

How about those camp rumors?

Malignaggi on whether camp rumors matter or not, “Nah, it doesn’t. I think good and bad things happen in the gym, you know in sparring… sometimes you have bad days, sometimes you have good days but I don’t think it really matters in the grand scheme of things.”

That’s because none of it matters. The chopping wood, the swimming, the rumors, the talk… none of it matters because it’s all being revealed through the filter of one of the greatest self-marketers of all time, Mr. Floyd Mayweather Jr.

I see through it and come back for more anyway. I know it’s all a game but damn it’s a game that they all play so well. Mayweather and his team come up with things that capture the attention of the masses. Simple things. Stupid things. His camp leaks rumors; they counter those rumors with different rumors. They post videos and say crazy things.

The point here is that there is a game being played. Floyd’s playing it. Paulie is assisting it. Even Freddie Roach gets in on the act and does his part. You can get lost in it, you can enjoy it for what it is or you can ignore the whole damn thing until the fight. The choice is yours and it should be an easy one to make because in about ten days none of it is going to matter anyway.