Floyd Mayweather Jr. aka Pretty Boy Floyd aka Money Mayweather has become quite the antagonist in the boxing world. Whether it is because his ego is big enough to host a venue for one of his upcoming fights, or because his determination to give beloved boxer Manny Pacquaio headaches outside of the ring as he maintains his stance that Manny provide blood and urine tests in the days leading up to the fight to clear any possibility of steroids. Maybe it's because Floyd has taken on fan favorites such as Oscar De La Hoya, Arturo Gatti, Ricky Hatton and even Carlos Baldomir, which gives people no choice but to cheer against him. Maybe it's the simple fact that Floyd dubs himself Money Mayweather to represent his luxurious lifestyle, but then gets caught making it rain at a Las Vegas night club with counterfeit $100 bills. Whatever the reason is, the fans don't seem to be on Mayweather's side, including me. This past weekend I found myself rooting for "Sugar" Shane Mosley hoping he would derail the champ. Come to think of it I can't remember the last time I cheered for Floyd Mayweather during a fight, if at all. Furthermore, the obstacles that Mayweather is creating that are preventing a dream show-down between him and The PacMan are becoming drawn out, tiresome, and worst of all - expected.
There are athletic commissions put in place by respective states that oversee issues for blood testing, there is no reason for Floyd to interfere and try and act as the athletic commission for this fight. He is the fighter, let the the athletic commission do their job. All Mayweather needs to do is shut up and fight Manny. But maybe the reason for this interference is that he knows something about athletic commissions that the average fan doesn't? I for one have long suspected foul play from athletic commissions. All you have to do is a little research to see that these aren't the most ethical people in the world, especially the ones coming from Las Vegas unfortunately. Ethics are to Las Vegas what the legal system is to OJ Simpson. So if this is the reason for Mayweather's interference then I fully support him, however, I feel this is just a gimmick for him to get under Manny Pacquaio's skin
I have been such an anti-Floyd type of boxing fan for so long. I remember saying that Zab Judah would be the one to beat him, than it was Arturo Gatti who had the heart and courage to beat him, De La Hoya had the size and experience to beat him on points, than it was Ricky Hatton and his punching power that would overwhelm him, all leading up to his fight last Saturday with Shane Mosley. After overcoming a slow first round and then a shocking second round in which the champ was leveled with two thundering rights that almost put him on the canvass, Floyd settled into the zone which has made him who he is today. He overcame the adversity and the roaring fans in support of Mosley, to put on a boxing clinic like he has so many times in the past. While this was happening I was developing a new found respect and appreciation for Mayweather. I was discovering something that I never realized in the past because my dislike for him was so strong, and my want for him to lose was so great, that it was preventing from appreciating Mayweather for the fighter he truly is. I was letting my hatred overpower my logic and boxing intelligence.
Floyd Mayweather Jr., the same circus act with the loud mouth who disrespected his opponents at press conferences, rained counterfeit money at clubs, hung around in 50 Cent's entourage, and was putting off a fight with Pacquiao, is nothing like that in the ring. He is a completely different person when he steps through those ropes. No showboating, no trash talking, no chicken boxing, no hands behind the back, no dancing, no smiling, and certainly no disrespecting of his opponent. This is a pugilist who is the exact opposite of his out-of-ring personality.
If I were to ask people what Floyd Mayweather's greatest strength was, I would get a mixture of different answers ranging from his speed, to his defence, to his quickness, to his endurance, to his conditioning. And yes, all of those answers would be quality, but none of those things would matter if Floyd didn't possess the one quality that puts all his other strengths into place...Composure. For a guy who does so much promoting, talking, and flaunting outside of the ring, Floyd Mayweather Jr. is THEE most composed boxer in the world, and that is why he is THEE greatest boxer in the world. He doesn't get sucked into in-ring antics, best displayed in his fight with Zab Judah. He doesn't get involved in slugfests just to please the crowd, best displayed in fights with Arturo Gatti and Ricky Hatton. He doesn't get drawn into the other boxer's gameplan, best displayed against Oscar De La Hoya, and he doesn't turn into a desperate boxer with nothing to lose once he gets cracked with a powering shot that wobbles his legs and almost knocks him out. Twice in the 2nd round with Mosley he was nailed with shots that many thought could have lead to the end of the fight and the end of Mayweather's reign as a pound-for-pound best, yet there was Floyd covering up his head with a very effective defence that helped him overcome those 2 right haymakers. From then on it was Mayweather who dictated the fight. He dominated Shane. Mosley tried his best to suck Mayweather into a brawl by trash talking the champ and making face gestures at him. Floyd didn't bite. Floyd stuck to what has made him the pound-for-pound best boxer in the world. He stayed composed.
It's funny, because you would think that a guy who acted the way he does outside of the ring and called himself such names as "Money" and "Pretty Boy" and possessed the talent he does, would be a boxing hybrid of Muhammad Ali, Roy Jones Jr., Prince Naseem, and even Anderson Silva. But he isn't. He doesn't have the fans on his side, but in the ring Floyd is all class and all hard-work. It's strange to use class in the same sentence as Mayweather, but it's true. When the bell rings, all of that sideshow stuff goes out the window, and a true professional takes over. Once the fight is over, and the after party starts, then the counterfeit bills start to rain and he gets back to business...show business that is. Earlier on in this blog I stated that Floyd needs to just shut up and fight, I should have re-worded that to he needs to shut up THEN fight, because shutting up AND fighting is all Floyd ever does.
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1 comment:
Good post there Morgan,
but here's my issue: Floyd is a different person in the ring. His persona outside the ring though is the troublemaker for his popularity. Let's look at the facts here: Floyd has never boxed outside the US, that's ok, because over here in Europe nobody really gives a shit about the Welterweights. Plus why go somewhere you can't make as much money as you can in the US.
He signed a deal with the WWE for ONE fight, allegedly 20 millions were transfered to his bank account. Now here's the problem: WWE never confirmed the 20 mil, but Floyd says otherwise. Why would you go out and brag with the money you make? Ever heard Ali braggin? Or the Klitschko Brothers?
But I somehow got the feeling Floyd wants to be the most hated in the ring.
And he's afraid of losing his status. Yes he's undefeated, so what? Look at his record: out of the last 7 fights, only 2 fighters were Floyds age: Judah and Hatton.
What does that tell us? Floyd fights washed up losers, that are relatively easy to beat. Hoya was quite tough, but necessary for the title. Also, all his last 7 fights went the distance, except Hatton, who went all-in from minute 1 and paid the price.
And here comes that Filipino Pac-Man, younger, hungry for the next title and with knock-out power(4 out of the last 5 fights ended in (t)ko), but Floyd has none of it.
Why Floyd? 30 millions are not enough for a little beating? Instead he goes crying to the media, claiming Pacquiao uses performance-enhancing drugs, what a joke!
Now Morgan, I don't know why you would bring up the Judah fight. It's been 4 years since then. Has he improved? Defense-wise maybe. But he hasn't changed mentally. I remember Wladimir Klitschko in the beginning of his carrer, he was young and soo cocky. But then he got rich and grew older and wiser. Now he's loved by the media and most of the fans.
But does Floyd want to be loved by the people? I bet he doesn't care, because people still buy the tickets to see him or see him hopefully lose.
I agree with you, Floyd should really shut up and then fight. And who he needs to face that is not a mistery.
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