Philosophers contend that narcissism exists inherently from birth, and that a certain amount of self-love counteracts negativity healthily.
Floyd Mayweather, on the other hand, possesses a healthy amount of narcissism that he exploits certainly.
For the best answer to why Mayweather will be unaffected by any of the external negatives enveloping his life when he fights Juan Manuel Marquez in 17 days -- or, at least, enveloping the lives of some of his closest associates -- that's why.
Mayweather's home got raided by Las Vegas cops, the removal of a couple guns and bulletproof vests made international headlines, and shots fired into a car in a skating rink parking lot are believed to have been fired by someone he knows.
And there's more.
The alleged victims of the shooting incident, in which no one was injured, are people Mayweather knows and doesn't necessarily like.
Quincey Williams, owner of the shot-up car, said he has known Mayweather more than a decade and engaged the fighter in an argument minutes before the shooting.
Damein Bland, the passenger in Williams' car who told police he saw someone called "O.C." doing the shooting, was a long-standing member of Mayweather's camp until he was suspected as a police informant.
When Mayweather retired last year, before un-retiring this year, he unveiled a documentary at a local movie theater. One segment included a still photograph of Bland, with a graphic image of a rat running across his face.
Bland told police he saw three men standing outside Mayweather's Rolls-Royce at the skating rink when the shots were fired. In addition to "O.C." and Mayweather, the third man, Jackie Ray Jones, has an outstanding felony warrant in Grand Rapids related to a 2003 assault at The Radio Tavern, asince-burned-down West Side bar.
Mayweather pleaded no-contest to a misdemeanor in that case, ostensibly to preserve a 2005 fight against the late Arturo Gatti, although he vehemently denies involvement.
Beyond all of that, Mayweather's uncle and trainer, Roger Mayweather, faces his own assault charges in an unrelated case in Las Vegas.
Against that backdrop, the former pound-for-pound king is about to fight for the first time in more than 21 months.
Outside of his trademark shoulder roll, his self-absorption is his best defense at times like these.
That other stuff?
Won't matter one bit.
"My main thing is just to focus on the fight Sept. 19," Mayweather said Tuesday. "Anything else, you know, I'm not really worried about. I try to focus on the positives. I try to focus on positive things.
"On the majority of the calls that people want to do interviews, the only thing they want to know about is negative things. They don't ever want to ask me about the positive things, how many different families I've fed, how many different schools I've came back to. The only thing they want to know is things that are negative. I'm focused on positive things."
We've done plenty of back-to-school and feed-the-needy stories, by the way.
We've also done the legal ones, and it is undeniable that few athletes have come through so many difficult negative situations as brilliantly as Mayweather, who in 2007 participated in almost a quarter-billion dollars worth of pay-per-view sales.
Legal cases, managerial upheaval, promotional disputes, paternal arguments, lawsuits and tax liens have been virtual constants in Mayweather's adult life.
Las Vegas police suspect him of nothing in the current case.
That's just about the effect it will have on Mayweather vs. Marquez, too.
Roger Mayweather, who did six months for battery just two years ago, might have a problem if convicted.
But Floyd Mayweather?
For him, this is nothing.
"In every athlete, they try to find a flaw to bring us down so they can say, 'See, I told you.' That's how it always is," he said. "I'm strong-minded. I have a good team. I'm hungry. And I take the good with the good and the bad with the bad."
Source: mlive.com
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