Two men in the peak of physical condition, fighting toe to toe in the ring; only one man could be victorious and in the end that man was Floyd Mayweather Jr. Already called the best pound for pound boxer in the world, after his 10 round dismantling of Ricky Hatton there was no disputing that he was at the top of his game – the definitive fist if you will.
I once thought of taking up the sport of boxing but after a guy bumped in to me at a bus stop I knew I wasn’t cut out for sustained periods of violence. It took two paramedics and a passing nun to get me to uncurl myself from the protective ball I had rolled into. You might be thinking what kind of wimp acts like that when someone bumps into them – but you didn’t see this guys shoulder, it was abnormally large.
I learnt a lesson that day though, I realised that boxing wasn’t for me, because unlike Floyd Mayweather Jr, I could never be the best.
Being the premier knuckle rocket has brought Mr Mayweather accolades and riches. Apparently he has eight figures in the bank; I keep my figures (He-Man and Ninja Turtles) in a special cupboard but each to their own. And other greats in the entertainment industry have also benefited from prizes and obscene amounts of money. But what about the people who aren’t constantly in the public eye but could still have a claim to be the best at what they do; are they writhing about on a pile of their vast fortune or polishing their awards to a blinding shine? Somehow I don’t think so.
My theory is there are people out there who have a real talent for their job but only have an average wage and the odd employee of the month award to show for it. I mean these people should be lauded when in reality they’re probably ignored or even worse used as a make shift ashtray by swaggering business types. They deserve more.
There could be a cleaner out there who when faced with a particular stain on the floor, instantaneously knows what cleaning product to use, equips it in seconds and has the offending blemish wiped clean before you can say “caked on blood”. And while other cleaners might be lagging at the end of the day, this guy or girl is still sweeping up as if dancing in a show on Broadway. Shouldn’t they be climbing into a chauffeur driven limo at the end of the day to be driven back to their penthouse suite apartment? I mean they are the best at what they do.
And what about the greatest chauffeurs of this world? After chauffeuring the rich and famous around LA, shouldn’t they also be allowed to climb into their own chauffeur driven limo after work?
CHAUFFEUR: You know it’s really an honour to be able to chauffeur you around Mr. Dandy.
MR DANDY: Well thank you very much, I never TYRE of such comments.
CHAUFFEUR: One day I hope that maybe I’ll be as good a chauffeur as you.
MR DANDY: Well I think you’re on the right ROAD.
CHAUFFEUR: So how did you become so good at chauffeuring?
MR DANDY: Well let’s just say I’m very DRIVEN.
CHAUFFEUR: Erm…so you’re saying you’re always looking to improve?
MR DANDY: If us chauffeurs maintain our discipline then WHEEL always do well.
CHAUFFEUR: Right. And if I have the right attitude I might one day be as good as you?
MR DANDY: Well you’ll certainly be GEARED for success.
CHAUFFEUR: (TURNING AROUND TO MR DANDY) Seriously what’s the f*cking secret?
MR DANDY: Simple. Always watch where you’re going.
CHAUFFER: (TURNS AROUND TO SEE HE’S HEADING INTO A PARKED CAR) Crap!
THEY CRASH.
CHAFFEUR: I guess I just WRECKED my chances of becoming as good as you didn’t I?
MR DANDY: I’ll be honest; this will have an IMPACT on your future career.
BOTH MEN LAUGH WEAKLY BEFORE THE CAR EXPLODES.
NEWSCASTER: And tonight’s top story. Mr Dan Dandy the world’s greatest chauffeur has died in a car crash. He leaves a wife and three children who will all receive a share of his eight figure fortune. I would have thought a man with his money would leave more than a few toys to his family – I have already written in my will that my kids will receive my Millennium Falcon as well as all the Star Wars figures – but each to his own.
Unfortunately the above is never likely to happen to someone with a job that isn’t seen to be as glamorous or elite as Boxing. If the best supermarket bag packer in the world (they never make the mistake of putting heavy things on top of fruit and veg) died tomorrow would there be hundreds of people lining the streets as the funeral procession rolled solemnly by? Unlikely. There might be a few elderly ladies who were especially indebted to their skills of packing the bags by which cupboard they went into, but beyond that, I doubt most people would even be aware they were gone.
But in an ideal world, anyone who is the very best at their job should be celebrated. It shouldn’t just be those in the public eye.
So why not go out there into the world and find someone who you think is the greatest in their field. Then celebrate them, tell everyone you know how adept they are. Phone up the newspapers and tell them the story of this person and how they rose to be the greatest practitioner of whatever is they do. If the newspapers don’t listen, pull a gun on them – that always holds people’s attention. Whether they’re a garbage collector or a grave digger, if they’re the best, the world should know about it and they should be rewarded with money, awards or even action figures if that’s their “thing”.
I found out that fateful day that I could never be a great boxer like Floyd Mayweather Jr, but it just spurred me on to find another area that I could rein supreme in.
I have been told I make a pretty good Lasagna. Watch this space.
