There were two versions of this story, a local Detroit writer wrote a scathing piece about Floyd Mayweather’s behavior during the Cornelius “K9” Bundrage vs. Ishe Smith bout in Michigan. Smith is managed by Mayweather Promotions and K9 is from Detroit.
Here is what the local reporter had to say.
Shawana Bundrage did not deserve to have a man gyrate his hips around her face while watching husband Cornelius Bundrage fight in the ring last week at the Masonic Temple. She did not deserve a grown man getting in her face and screaming while minding her own business. She also did not deserve the laughter that surrounded this despicable act that was captured by our photographer, Clarence Tabb Jr.
But that’s exactly what happened.
The culprit was champion boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr., who was in town to promote the fight and his fighter, Ishe Smith, who took Bundrage’s light-middleweight title belt during the bout. Here is the funny part about it: Mayweather wore a hat that said “Money. Power. Respect.”
Mayweather showed he had the money and power. He certainly did not show respect, although I am sure he wants everybody to respect him.
Originally, I agreed with the writer, but then I thought about it. K9 is a Detroit fighter, who just lost in his hometown and now a beat writer is taking it out on Mayweather. The question begged why would Mayweather act like that to Bundrage’s wife?
Here is the answer.
“I was there and this is straight [expletive],” Ellerbe said. “I know what was said. I heard and saw what was going on. She said her fighter — and that’s the context we were dealing with her, as K9’s manager, not his wife — she said her fighter was going to whip Floyd’s fighter and then was going to whip Floyd’s ass. … I heard the back and forth going on, and I was part of it. This is completely irrelevant and stupid, believe me.
“Floyd said nothing harassing to her and he did nothing to harass her. He was trash talking her, but she was trash talking him. This was written by a hometown reporter who I guess was upset that the hometown boy [Bundrage] lost. There is no truth, none, in any of what he says. None of this was personal, and what that reporter didn’t write was that after it was all over, we all shook hands and [embraced] and left with no hard feelings.”
“This all started at a press conference and it was a non-story at first because when it first started, Floyd wasn’t even there,” Ellerbe said. “It got blown into this big thing because apparently this reporter knows that someone is going to read what he has to say if he writes about Floyd. [Shawana Bundrage] seems like a nice young lady. This was all just boxing talk, trash talk, and to say it was anything more than that is a complete lie.”
Here is the thing, if you wife is your manager and she says you are going to kick someone’s ass, woman or not, she can’t cry wolf when someone comes back at her.
I tracked down the press conference Ellerbe is referring to and she did in fact say those things. There are times women say things, but when it comes back on them, they use the fact they are women for sympathy.
Should Mayweather had danced in front of her,while Smith was winning the fight, probably not. Was the local media guy way over the top because he wanted to get a big headline and was salty K9 lost the fight, probably.
Just another day in boxing.