Rohan Jain
‘Southpaw’ is a sports drama movie directed by Antoine Fuqua, which follows the downfall and rise of boxing champion Billy “The Great” Hope (Jake Gyllenhaal). When a Colombian Boxer, Miguel “Magic” Escobar, provokes Billy, things take a dark turn, and the latter loses his glory, fame, and money. To make matters worse, the champion loses his license to box, and Child Services takes his daughter away. This leads Billy on a path of redemption, which culminates with the fight of his life.
The story gives the audience an authentic portrayal of the boxing industry. It shows how the world in and around the ring is brutal, shrewd, and unforgiving. One character that embodies these traits is Billy’s manager, Jordan Mains (Curtis Jackson, AKA 50 Cent). Jordan Mains adds a layer of realism to the world of ‘Southpaw’ and possesses a nature akin to several people in the boxing and sports industries. It makes the audience wonder if the character is rooted in real life. Well, allow us to appease your curiosity.
50 Cent’s Hustle Meets Hollywood: The Making of Jordan Mains
Jordan Mains from ‘Southpaw’ is not a real boxing manager. The fictional character is part of the story penned by Kurt Sutter. Although Billy’s character and various nuances of the movie are inspired by Eminem, Jordan Mains is a strictly fictional character. In the film, 50 Cent plays Jordan Mains, Billy’s long-time friend and manager. Though the character isn’t based on a real-life figure, 50 Cent leveraged his experience as a promoter in the boxing industry to play a manager in the movie.
In 2012, 50 Cent started a promotion company called The Money Team (TMT) in partnership with the boxer Floyd Mayweather. However, after a fallout between the two, he relaunched the company as SMS Promotions. The rapper signed boxers such as Andre Dirrell and Yuriorkis Gamboa, who have both held IBF titles. In fact, the latter also has a WBA title to his credit.
Besides this, 50 Cent is an amateur boxer who used to spar at the gym during school. The rapper seems to channel all this experience into playing Jordan Mains. In an interview with HipHopDX, he mentioned, ” I met with Antoine, and we started talking about the sport and some of the details to the actual writing that I identify with immediately.” In real life, the artist did find a certain amount of success as a promoter, but in 2015, the company had to for bankruptcy.
Like 50 Cent in real life, Jordan Mains is on the business side of things in the movie. At the movie’s beginning, Billy and Jordan’s relationship seems fine. However, after Billy goes through a tragic event, cracks appear in their perfect friendship. Jordan moves on from Billy and starts managing Miguel Escobar, who is responsible for Billy’s state. Jordan doesn’t see this as betrayal and instead explains, “If it makes money, it makes sense.” The dialogue reveals Jordan’s true nature, and we see him as a cold and calculative businessman.
Jordan Mains follows the archetype of an opportunist who sees money in everything and shows their true colors in times of crisis. As Billy’s wife, Maureen, rightly says, “When that bubble pops, they’re all just gonna scatter like roaches.” Through his character, we see the ugly side of the boxing world, where people step over someone the second they fall. Thus, to reiterate, Jordan Mains is a fictional character brought to life by 50 Cent’s experience in the boxing industry.
Read More: Is Southpaw’s Miguel “Magic” Escobar Based on a Real Colombian Boxer?
