Floyd Mayweather Jr. taunts Shawana Bundrage, the manager/wife of Cornelius Bundrage, during his fight with Ishe Smith in Detroit to weekends ago. (Clarence Tabb Jr./Detroit News)
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.
Shawana Bundrage simply wanted to see her husband fight. She also serves as his manager. She did not want to be quoted for this column but acknowledges the incident happened and her entire focus was on her husband.
She was able to ignore the between-round acts but later even her patience wore thin, and she eventually shoved Mayweather to howling laughter and left her spot.
"I do not want to make any comments to glorify his actions," Bundrage wrote to me in an email.
Mayweather and Bundrage know one another because their paths cross in the fight game. You can chalk it up to boys being boys. But here's my problem: It's another case of black males being hypocrites.
We, too, often talk about how much we love our black queens and that they are the greatest women on Earth. But then we demean them in rap songs and, in this case, in public. Mayweather treated Shawana Bundrage poorly. He showed no respect for her or her husband.
Mayweather was happy because his fighter was winning, but this is no reason to taunt a fighter's wife.
I want you to put yourself in this. What if your wife or girlfriend were at an event and some guy was pushing himself on her and screaming in her face? How would you feel? And how would you react? It's likely to make your blood boil.
And how about the men who watched and laughed? They are no better. Of course, part of it's they were probably with the Mayweather team. After awhile couldn't someone whisper: "OK, man. Why don't you knock it off? We've had our fun."
This is bullying. What could Bundrage do? She could not beat up Mayweather. He had the upper edge unless somebody else stepped in.
Meanwhile, Shawana Bundrage is regrouping and wants to get another title shot within the next three to four months.
"I will keep you posted on our positive march back to his championship belt," she wrote. "The Champ is doing fine."
Teaming up for good cause
Bullying is not right, and that's why I am happy to see former Michigan and Michigan State athletes got together to bring attention to the bullying problem in our country.
Former Michigan athletes Mike Martin and Brandon Graham made a friendly bet with former Spartans Draymond Green and Jerel Worthy to bring attention to the anti-bullying campaign called Defeat The Label.
The loser from Sunday's game has to wear the winning team's T-shirts, a no-no for Wolverines and Spartans.
Go to defeatthelabel.com for more information.
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Floyd Mayweather Jr. taunts Shawana Bundrage, the manager/wife of ... (Clarence Tabb Jr./Detroit News)
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