According to his attorneys, Floyd Mayweather Jr., sentenced to 87 days in the Clark County Detention Center for misdemeanor domestic battery, is nearing the point of irreparable physical damage due to the conditions under which he's being held.
Despite less than two weeks of incarceration, Mayweather's muscle tone is already said to be suffering since the fighter, who once consumed anywhere from 3,000 to 4,000 calories per day, is now down to a mere 800 calories.
Mayweather, who is being held in solitary confinement for 23 hours of the day for security reasons, has also stopped efforts to stay in shape, indicating that the 7-by-12 feet jail cell is barely big enough to support a situps, pushups exercise regimen.
Mayweather lawyer Richard Wright has petitioned Justice of the Peace Melissa Saragosa to either take Mayweather out of solitary confinement or allow the fighter to serve out his sentence under house arrest. According to Wright, the physical damage caused by the sentence may create a situation where Mayweather might never fight again.
Following the appeal from Mayweather's attorney, veteran boxing writer, Pedro Fernandez, would weigh-in with his own take:
"Having been a San Francisco Policeman, as well as working for the San Francisco Sheriffs Dept.," Fernandez wrote."Solitary confinement for 23 hours a day is cruel, unusual, and inhumane treatment of a human being. I've seen guys who were jailed under these conditions break down in a few days, let alone weeks or months."
A formal decision regarding Mayweather's emergency appeal will be made later this week.
Frankly, though, a move to house arrest would defeat the purpose of the sentence. Jail is supposed to be uncomfortable and the hardships suffered there are supposed to help guide the guilty party away from similar harmful activities in the future. This last incident of domestic violence wasn't the first in the fighter's life and, likely, won't be the last unless Mayweather truly learns from the punishment.
Nobody wants to see another human being suffer, but these things happen when people choose to break the law. Mayweather should get no preferential treatment because of his ability to compete as a world class prizefighter.
Releasing Mayweather into the jail's general population is also not a viable option because of Mayweather's celebrity status and the liability of the state should something happen to him.
So, with less than two weeks served, Mayweather should just buckle down and take his punishment as best he can. However, it wouldn't be the least bit surprising if some special arrangement were made between Mayweather and the authorities within the next few days that would allow the five-division world champ to serve out the rest of his sentence, "confined" to his luxury Vegas mansion.
******************
Paul Magno was a licensed official in the state of Michoacan, Mexico and a close follower of the sport for more than thirty years. His work can also be found on Fox Sports and The Boxing Tribune. In the past, Paul has done work for Inside Fights, The Queensberry Rules and Eastside Boxing.
Sources:
Associated Press, Floyd Mayweather Jr. wasting away in jail, career in jeopardy, lawyers claim
Pedro Fernandez, FLOYD MAYWEATHER ENDURING "CRUEL & INHUMANE" JAIL TREATMENT, Ringtalk.com
