by David P. Greisman

There have been times when Floyd Mayweather hasn’t merely worn the proverbial figurative “black hat,” but has embraced the role with gusto. He’s also been an antihero to some while being a villain to the rest, with Mayweather fans tuning in hoping to see him win and Mayweather haters tuning in to see him lose.

With that in mind — and with that past demeanor appearing to be rather toned down of late — Mayweather was asked on a Sept. 4 media conference call if he has mellowed.

“Everything was a business plan,” Mayweather said. “My business plan was to be very, very entertaining. Be very wild. Turn it on when it’s time to turn it on, turn it off when it’s time to turn it off. And that’s what I did. I built my fan base. I became a pay-per-view star. I became a household name. That was the ultimate goal. It was just a business plan that I had.

“It’s nothing fake,” he said. “You’ve just got to know when to turn it on and when to turn it off. That’s what I was talking about with the young fighter in my gym, Adrien Broner.”

That was in reference to what Mayweather has said about Broner in the past concerning the young three-division titleholder’s personality. Broner has modeled himself in part after the fighters he watched growing up — and has seen the success that Mayweather found after transitioning from “Pretty Boy Floyd” to “Money Mayweather” and going from an HBO star to a pay-per-view superstar.

“If I didn’t step up to the plate and speak my mind, be flashy and flamboyant, I probably wouldn’t be in the position that I’m in right now,” Mayweather said, speaking just 10 days before a bout with Canelo Alvarez that will bring him a guaranteed minimum paycheck of $41.5 million.

David P. Greisman is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Follow David on Twitter @fightingwords2 or send questions/comments via email at fightingwords1@gmail.com