by Jeremy Harness

Floyd Mayweather won the fight but it is publicity team that is in turmoil. The Mayweather camp insisted they credentialed two members of the media CNN’s Rachel Nichols and HBO’s Michelle D Beadle who say they were not allowed access to cover the Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight on Saturday night. Nichols who interviewed Mayweather back in 2014 before a match asked Mayweather several serious questions regarding domestic violence.

In the interview Nichols asked Mayweather about dragging his spouse by the hair and hitting her in the head several times and he had threatened to kill his three kids one of his kids ended up calling the police. Mayweather plea bargained over the incident and was sentenced to two months in jail. Mayweather’s reponse to Nichol’s question about his past history of domestic violence was, “everything has been allegations nothing has been proven so that’s life.”

Sources say that Mayweather didn’t appreciate the kind of questioning that Nichols posed in the interview and that she was told by Mayweather’s team that she would not be credentialed for last Saturday’s fight. Mayweather’s publicity manager Kelly Swanson responded by tweeting, “no one including ME banned @Rachel_Nichols from covering the fight. She is already credentialed”

The popular CNN sports correspondent referred to her 2014 interview with Mayweather for the reason for her not getting access to cover the fight on Saturday, “after asking tough questions of Floyd Mayweather on my program I was not offered press credentials to cover tonight’s fight.” Nichols said that she received documentation dated April 23rd from Mayweather’s team that she would have access for events that led up to the fight but received a note in bold italic letters saying “you do not have any access Saturday to any services or events.”

A CNN producer tried to negotiate access for Nichols but was told that Nichols would be denied access into the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on the night of the fight. Nichols thoughout the week of the fight was free to access the weigh in and work outs and interview Mayweather or Pacquiao but was not allowed in for fight night.

After much publicity over Nichols interview with Mayweather as a reason for her not gaining access the Mayweather camp felt the pressure from the media to relent and allow Nichols and Beadle credentials, “it doesn’t surprise me now, after facing significant backlash the Mayweather camp has reversed it’s position.” said Nichols.

Beadle who did a program on domestic violence and mentioned Mayweather’s experiences with domestic violence at HBO was also banned but Swanson tweeted Beadle too had access for the fight on Saturday, “And @MichelleDBeadle isn’t even on the press list. She’s credentialed though @HBOboxing” tweeted Swanson.

Sports Illustrated later tweeted that the most recent seating chart just before the fight did not show either Beadle or Nichols access to the MGM Grand further Beadle and Nichols had left Las Vegas before the fight since they were not given access. Beadle was notified that she later was given access but said she was not going to fly back to Vegas to work the fight.

Jeremy Harness did commentary on the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight this weekend for http://www.sportsradioservice.com