Somebody got beat up very badly.
And no, I’m not talking about Albie Casiño, Mon Tulfo and Miguel Cotto, who were all physically assaulted in separate incidents you’ve probably heard about in the news, particularly in this section.
It’s a different kind of beatdown for, of all people, Justin Bieber. In this case, the teenage pop sensation got hit with plenty of virtual uppercuts in the hands of online detractors on Twitter, who reacted upon seeing him standing alongside rappers 50 Cent, Lil Wayne and the rest of The Money Team posse of boxing great Floyd Mayweather, Jr. who just defeated Cotto for the WBA junior middleweight/superwelterweight belt.
Not that the former YouTube phenomenon, who scored big hits with “Baby” and “Boyfriend,” was popular with numerous internet bloggers and message boards to begin with. As with most overnight successes, Bieber is not without his own share of haters.
Nick Collins, a critic for the UK-based broadsheet, The Daily Telegraph, offers perhaps the most spot-on assessment for the hostile reception: “Bieber’s character also appears to strike a particularly sour note with his Internet critics, with many remarks commenting on his youthful appearance, his teen-pop songs, his image as a heart-throb to young teenage girls and his manner of speech.”
Associating himself with a world-class athlete like Mayweather (and yes, that was him carrying the former’s title belt) is obviously an effort to improve his image and score pogi points beyond the usual Bieber faithful. But apparently, that didn’t turn out to be the case here.
Here are some of the “kinder” tweets from around the world yesterday and today: “Justin Bieber was in Floyd Mayweather’s entourage last night. I really hope his job in the group is the human punching bag.”
“If I was a boxer, I wouldn’t have Justin Bieber in my posse. Maybe that’s why I’m not a boxer.” “Floyd Mayweather just lost a lot of street cred for having Justin Bieber walk out with him.” “Justin Bieber joins Mayweather in the ring after Cotto fight…. boxing plummets to new depths.”
Even 50 Cent, who just two years ago, boldly stated, “I hate Justin Beaver.” Now they’re buddies. Naturally, the rapper is not spared from the barrage of derisions: “Please tell us that “50 Cent and Justin Bieber is trending because they are involved in a massive gang war…”
“50 Cent and Justin Bieber is trending. They shouldn’t be in the same sentence.”
Of course, the superstar hitmaker may really be a nice kid and true to his clean-cut boy-next-door persona just couldn’t say no to the brash, outspoken fighter. His tweet to Mayweather right after the fight sounded gracious and polite: “Hard Work & Dedication. congrats champ. glad i could be a part of it.” To which Mayweather responded, “Keep up the great work and thanks for the support.
Still, the whole thing didn’t necessarily sit well not only with fans of Mayweather and 50 Cent but also with those of our very own Manny Pacquiao, who two years ago was the subject of racist rants from the controversial sports figure Bieber chose to identify himself with—the same boxer the kid now also describes as “misunderstood” in another tweet.
Which also explains why many Filipinos shared similar sentiments. San Juan Representative JV Ejercito tweeted, “Maybe Mayweather and Justin Bieber are both arrogant and full of themselves that is why they get along?”
Sportscaster Jinno Rufino also tweeted this declaration yesterday: Never say never to @FloydMayweather ….. Bieber lost ALL his Pinoy fans.” TV5 anchor Paolo Bediones, on the other hand, simply lamented, “…sad sad day for filipino beliebers.”
Well, whether Justin Bieber really lost a lot of fans both here and elsewhere by casting his lot with Mayweather, even if only for just one night, only time and public reception to his records and concerts will tell.
Meanwhile, the misunderstood Floyd Mayweather, Jr. will be serving his 90-day sentence for domestic abuse very soon. Baby, baby, baby, ooh!
source: interaksyon.com