Is Floyd Mayweather dumb?

I remember years ago watching Allen Iversons post game interview after a great game during his rookie season in the NBA.  As I listened to Iverson speak, I noticed his public speaking skills were horrible.  I told my dad, who was watching with me, that Iverson was dumb due to his poor use of the English language.

My father got really upset and told me "never determine a persons intelligence by how they speak. or how well they can read.  Intelligence is way more than that." Over the years I have come fully understand what he means.  Although reading is extremely important, not knowing how to read does not make a person dumb. 

So when I hear Floyd Mayweather struggle with reading, I do not consider him a dummy.

It is unfortunate that he can not read from the stand point that he is one of the most notable black athletes of his generation.

However, if you look at what he has done from a business standpoint, he is either a smart business man, or smart enough to have people around him that make excellent business choices.  He is also  intelligent enough to not allow himself to be exploited.  There are many athletes out there that speak as if they majored in Public Speaking, that are not intelligent enough to understand that they are the commodity and someone else is making lots of money off of their sweat.

In that sense, Floyd Mayweather is an example all black athletes should take note of, as he capitalizes on his dominance, and popularity.  He is powerful enough to stop the Mayweather-Pacquio fight which would have gone done as the biggest fight financially speaking in boxing history.  Floyd Mayweather established that he will do what he wants, based on his own rules period, regardless of  what critics think about him.

With that said, I can not escape the fact that he is sending the wrong message to our youth, in the aftermath of clips of him struggling to read promo cards surfaced.  Although his illiteracy has not impacted him from making money and putting himself in a position to possibly never have to work again, he should not send the message that its okay to be illiterate if one has money.  So what I cant read I have money, is a horrible message.  That type of message should never be okay.  Reading is extremely important for our young.  Its nearly impossible to function without knowing how to read.  Hopefully he donates money to some reading foundation to show that he stresses the importance of reading for our youth.

The fact that he is a boxer makes it unrealistic and irresponsible to encourage kids to go his route, add that to the fact that he is the best at what he does makes his message that much more unrealistic.  The odds of one kid having the same type of career financially speaking as Floyd Maywether are slim to none, so a whole generation should not adopt the message that if I get money, I don't have to read.  

Is Floyd Mayweather a  positive role model?  I would say yes in some respects, despite his lack of reading ability he has not allowed that to stop him from being an extremely successful athlete that has been able to capitalize off his talent.  He is a role model for any boxer that wants to pursue a career in that field.  He is a role model for all athletes in some ways.  Mayweather is one of the hardest working athletes ever, he is consistent, and as much as he is on the scene he never allows that to affect his main priority which is boxing.  His involvement on the business side of boxing as I mentioned before should be studied and executed by other athletes.

While we have fun laughing at him for not being able to read.  Lets recognize that its a serious matter in some ways.  Lets also recognize Mayweathers ability to make power moves.  Not only does it take intelligence, it takes a forward thinker to realize he should be making the majority of money off his work.