If you are a follower of our site, you know that we are avid sports fans. Boxing happens to be a sport we follow closely because it serves two purposes for us. Excellent entertainment and an opportunity to continue showing what is the best in our state. It just so happens that the best fighter in the game is from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Whenever we get the opportunity we try to become apart of this unique experience. Whether it is going to Vegas for the fights, supporting basketball showcases, or in this case, going to the press conference.
Floyd Mayweather made Grand Rapids one of the stops on his 11 city press conference tour to promote the super-fight between himself and Mexican megastar Canelo Alvarez aptly named "THE ONE". Both fighters are undefeated and the winner will be considered mostly likely boxing's best. This fight is projected to push astronomical numbers and threaten the PPV all time record number for any fight. That record of 2.4+ million buys belongs to Oscar De La Hoya and Mayweather. It was quite funny to see Grand Rapids in the mix along with cities like New York, Chicago, Miami, Mexico City, and Los Angeles, but Floyd Mayweather insisted on bringing this press conference back home. Grand Rapids is a fight city, and it was a treat for all fight fans that came out to support the hometown kid, or the Mexican challenger(when you watch the video that will make more sense). Not only were the two combatants on display, but it was also an opportunity to meet another big names in the sport. Oscar De La Hoya was also in attendance, along with the World Middleweight Champion, Grand Rapids native Peter Quillin.
While waiting in line for the event(no we haven't tried to use the media card yet) we met a cool kid that was in line right before us. When we got there, he was one of maybe 10 people in front of us. Soon the line was around the block. As we waited in line, I started to poke fun at the kid for wearing Beats by Dre headphones. The point I was trying to make was that kids nowadays just want things because other kids have them and don't know the origin or history of them. I often use Jordans, or Beats by Dre headphones as a prime example.
I tapped the kid on the shoulder to quiz him a bit. I asked him his name and what does he know about the creator of his headphones. His name is Ulysses Campos, and he proceeded to tell me about Dr. Dre's first album and how Dr. Dre helped put on Snoop Dogg and Eminem. I was proved wrong, but it was pretty cool!! Found out that Ulysses is an aspiring boxer and a huge Floyd Mayweather fan. He trains at the same gym Floyd began his boxing career at, MGGA gym. Seeing the excitement in this young man's eyes was something I wish the entire world could have seen. He was proud to be there. Proud to be from Grand Rapids, home of the best pound for pound boxer in the world.I see a lot of hate, or people that discredit the things that Floyd does, because he is from here(Grand Rapids). They always want to speak on some of the wrong they may have seen, or say that he doesn't do enough to give back to this area. I didn't see any of those people here at this FREE event. I seen a community of people supporting the champ, along with some rooting for the challenger. I also seen so many young people soaking up the entire experience. From the inflatable events, to the music, to the prime seating, Mayweather focused on showing the youth of Grand Rapids that he cares. You never know what spark he may have ignited that Wednesday morning at Houseman Field. Sometimes all it takes is to really see someone from your hometown do it, in order for you to know that you can do the same. Floyd spent some extra time after the press conference to sign autographs for those that stuck around. I was happy to see that not only did Floyd Mayweather sign Ulyssess's gloves, he also brought him up on stage and gave the young teen some words of encouragement.
This is one of the reasons why the GoodLifeCampaign will always support Floyd Mayweather Jr and all endeavors he is associated with. Is he without fault, no. But he is real. To be honest, Floyd Mayweather is just another guy from Grand Rapids. What is different about him is that he seen his dream and did everything in his power to make it happen. He did not let anything hold him back and he became as successful as he wanted to be, despite being from a conservative Western Michigan city. I see him as motivation not only for boxers in the area, but artists also. Anybody that wants something, do not let where you are from define you or your success. Make it happen!! Thanks for the added motivation. #GLC
Below is the video we took from the fan perspective at the press conference. Enjoy!!
