When Michael Jordan calmed an altercation between a gang member and his bodyguard after the Manny Pacquiao - Floyd Mayweather fight
Michael Jordan
© Mark J. Rebilas - USA TODAY Sports
Billed as The Fight of the Century, the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao bout in 2015 earned more jeers than cheers. While pundits claimed it was a tactical masterpiece by Mayweather, the general public called it a sleeper and blamed Mayweather’s ultra-defensive tactics — which involved running away — as immeasurably boring.
Those who watched the fight live or at least hung out around the vicinity of the MGM Grand Arena experienced a more action-packed moment. Not because fists were thrown, but because basketball GOAT Michael Jordan was there to pacify a scuffle.
Bloods
A video from delfunkyboy captured the encounter between one of Michael Jordan’s bodyguards and a man claiming to be “Piru,” a member of a faction of the Bloods street gang. It isn’t exactly clear what got the Piru member heated. Was MJ’s bodyguard excessively rough? Delfunkyboy added some more context on the altercation that Jordan quelled.
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“Michael Jordan was actually protecting his bodyguard after the bodyguard pushed that black guy for no reason. The black guy that the bodyguard pushed was a major player and Michael Jordan knew that. Out of respect for MJ the black guy let it go. That goes to show Michael Jordan’s power and influence off the court. FYI, it wasn’t us asking for a picture with MJ and I’m with you on that one, he sounded like a buster,” delfunkyboy said, via Complex.
The comments section on the YouTube clip identified the man as Wack 100. Other comments noted that the man has a penchant for screaming out gang stuff when things get heated. So while Jordan’s presence helped calm the situation, perhaps things weren’t that serious anyway. Whatever the case may be, we should be thankful that nothing violent went down that night.
Jordan’s influence
As delfunkyboy noted, Jordan’s stature as a global icon may have prevented fists from flying. Jordan is known worldwide, not just in sports but also in fashion. Some people who can’t even shoot the ball to save their life have shoe racks filled with Jordans.
Jordan’s influence on pop culture was best captured by Diddy’s outburst in the 2010 comedy, “Get Him to the Greek.” When he screams, “You know how many Air Jordans six black kids wear?!” everyone understands what he is talking about. Black, White, Asian, Mexican, European, or whatever your nationality is, if you want your kid to be happy and love you forever, give them a pair of Jordans.
