Retired boxing champion Floyd Mayweather will be coming to the UK this March for his “Undefeated Tour.” Fans will have the opportunity to do a meet-and-greet with the superstar for £1000, or about $1,268 US dollars. The three-date tour will take place in Leicester, Liverpool, and London.
But while there’s plenty of hype around the upcoming tour, not everyone is looking forward to it. Take Polly Neate, for example.
Polly Neate is the CEO of Women’s Aid, a registered charity organization in England that provides recovery resources to battered women. Neate believes that Mayweather’s visit will condone domestic violence.
That’s because Mayweather has several domestic violence charges on his record. Back in 2002, he pled guilty to two counts of domestic violence. In 2004, he received a suspended sentence after assaulting two women in a Las Vegas nightclub. But his most famous incident was in 2011, when the boxer attacked his then-girlfriend Josie Harris in front of their two children. Mayweather was given a three-month sentence for the crime.
According to Neate, Mayweather has shown “no remorse” for his actions. That’s why she’s concerned about his upcoming tour.
“This is not acceptable. He is still considered a hero, and his UK tour will undoubtedly be very lucrative,” said Neate. “What message does this send out about violence against women? If we do not hold perpetrators to account—especially high-profiles ones like Mayweather—we will never drive the culture change we need to keep women and girls safe.”
Shane Whitfield, who is promoting the tour, quickly tried to ease public concerns regarding Mayweather’s troubled past. He claims that the boxer has “acknowledged the seriousness of previous events” and is “openly willing to learn from his mistakes and look to his future.”
But Polly Neate simply isn’t buying it. She will continue to adhere to her charity’s values by protesting the upcoming tour.