Tweet
Arum and Roach - No "Money" Mayweather
Arum and Roach - No "Money" Mayweather
Posted: 2009-03-28-23:00
BY: Rota Em
When I first heard that Pretty Boy Floyd Mayweather was set to come out of retirement, I was elated. Not imagined elation, rather the sort of jubilance that makes you want to jump over a ten foot fence, just for kicks! I have only one request, Floyd. Please fight Manny Pacquiao (assuming he gets past Hatton) or else Shane Mosley. How sure am I that "Money May" will be returning to the squared circle? Look no further than his grandmother being quoted in his hometown newspaper. She said her grandson was "in the gym training right now for a July 11 return." What more inside information do you need? Floyd knows full well what he needs, and that's green, green, and more green. His dabble into WWE notwithstanding, his return looks to be solely based on finances, or lack thereof. Really, did he sign up with Vince McMahon because he merely wanted to expand his fan base? Not likely. That was a top notch payday and the effort wasn't nearly as much as what he would need to put forth against either Pacquiao or Mosely.
I find myself pondering whether it's the boxing enthusiast within ourselves that trounces any and all the frustration from seeing million dollar paydays go to fights worth less than a frozen taco. Maybe we are just too quick to forgive in general. Pushing all debatable topics aside, I am willing to forgive and forget all the drama that stemmed off the Pretty Boy's premature retirement(s), and his partaking of "iffy" fights prior to the hiatus as well. My basis for his exoneration will solely rely on what the boss' plans are going to be. Believe it, like it, hate it, whatever you do with it is up to you, but he is still the boss.
Immediately after Pacquiao's destruction of De la Hoya, Mayweather was quoted as saying that any return would be for the "big catch". Nothing more, nothing less. It was nicely worded-a classic Mayweather statement. He didn't waste time and looks only at the color green which matches his character in the ring. Now I hear strong rumblings of a possible July showdown to warm up the laces, so I'm kind of confused on what the actual plan really is. I'm not against a warm-up bout, (in fact I'm all for it) but maybe he's just starting to realize the potential crop that is and has been harvesting under his limelight. Could it be that he wants to drop his macho attitude for a short minute to take it that much more seriously with a nice tune up? Maybe "Money" is questioning himself. Either way, I'm anxious to see who'll be holding the golden ticket for a crack at Junior first.
Joe Calzaghe retired undefeated and at the top. Even though we have all criticized his pillow-talk tactics and style, he can always say he beat both Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. Ten years ago, I didn't think that sentence would ever be suitable or appropriate, let alone spoken anywhere, but the Welshman proved us all wrong. Retiring at the top is hard to do. We see many athletes struggle with the decision of whether to stay in the game or hang it up when their peak is behind them. Most of these athletes chose the wrong path when facing the fork in the road and end up flaming out rather than bowing out. With the idea of enough is enough being a more personalized concept that happens to be drastically different for each individual, learning from someone else's mistakes is highly unlikely. Who wouldn't want another run at the top? Michael Jordan gave it another go, and wasn't nearly the player that he was in his prime. George Foreman, on the other hand, made a successful return and even garnered another championship for himself, albeit against what some might consider lesser opponents. Lance Armstrong is looking to regain former glory in France, although his return has taken a setback courtesy of a broken collarbone due to a crash. Armstrong is seeking an incredible eighth Tour de France championship. Coincidentally, that comeback to the Tour also begins in July.
As the countdown to the return of Mayweather moves along, we will only start to hear more on the flamboyant superstar that we all helped create. Like it or not, for the many who can't stand the over-bitten character that is Mayweather, your hatred and attention have paved the way much like the many who were inspired by and idolized him. Many of us spoke like we knew the truth when discussing the possible return for "Money". Trust in the fact that in the end we will only question whether the layoff will affect him positively or negatively. When I look at Floyd's return strictly from a competitive standpoint, I believe the odds are against him. During his layoff, a Filipino bomber and a Mexican legend made runs at new weight levels. He missed the destruction of Margarito, a fighter Mayweather was often accused of dodging, at the hands of another legendary contender who wants a crack at his "0". Has his value depreciated or are we just in the process of warming up to his natural talent? Mayweather isn't that young anymore, is he?
******** boxing had an article maintaining that retirement was the best fit option for the man we love to hate most. However, they also asserted that De la Hoya was, as of 2008, in a position to dethrone both Margarito and Cotto. Bob Arum recently spouted off to Boxingscene's Luis Sandoval regarding Mayweather's chances of getting into the ring with Pacquiao instead of Pacquiao's chances to step in against Mayweather. Through the eyes of the top dog at Top Rank, the outfit is "not thrilled about Pacquiao and Mayweather because there are other fighters who would draw a lot better than Floyd."
Could this be a ruse to stir up the marketing table, or are they really looking past Mayweather and onto Miguel Cotto or Shane Mosley? To make matters worse, Arum is only following Freddie Roach, who initially cast doubt on a Pacman-PBF matchup, citing that their clash of styles would be a potential snoozer.
"I don't have a lot of interest in fighting Mayweather. Even if you beat him, you look bad doing it. Mayweather is skilled but I don't like his style- he's a runner but great boxer", says Roach.
Quite honestly, I think that Arum is referring to what Mayweather can draw as compared to what he actually wants. Rumors surrounding HBO say that Mayweather is willing to fight on their July 11th non PPV outlet, but wants PPV caliber money. Perhaps Mayweather should visit theladder.com/ and submit his resume to AIG. They seem seasoned at depleting funds towards non-performance based bonuses. I'm sure there is a vacant throne already at corporate as we speak.
For Mayweather to re-stake his claim as the best boxer in the world, he first needs to "get real." By that I mean he needs to look at his position for what it is. Time hasn't stood still while he was away, he is coming off a retirement! He can't just stop fighting and then come back to reclaim something that is no longer his. Tides have turned and a new dawn is upon us. We have a new breed of prize fighters ready and willing to take on the responsibility of salvaging this sport.
What Mayweather is doing is strictly personal. He's not trying to appease anyone else; not his fans, and surely not the boxing community as a whole. If anything, Mayweather's only concern is for himself. With that in mind, I do believe vanity can and has overwhelmed his realistic worth. I don't make nearly as much money as Floyd Mayweather, but it sounds as if he is finding financial difficulty more quickly than was the case with Mike Tyson, and that is saying a lot. At any rate Floyd, pay your own bills and tell us what you are trying to accomplish this year. Remember, this stimulus plan doesn't pay PPV money for abysmal performances. I'm sure the rest of the fans are more than willing to stand their ground as to where their "money" goes in these current economic times.
Posted: 2009-03-28-23:00
BY: Rota Em
When I first heard that Pretty Boy Floyd Mayweather was set to come out of retirement, I was elated. Not imagined elation, rather the sort of jubilance that makes you want to jump over a ten foot fence, just for kicks! I have only one request, Floyd. Please fight Manny Pacquiao (assuming he gets past Hatton) or else Shane Mosley. How sure am I that "Money May" will be returning to the squared circle? Look no further than his grandmother being quoted in his hometown newspaper. She said her grandson was "in the gym training right now for a July 11 return." What more inside information do you need? Floyd knows full well what he needs, and that's green, green, and more green. His dabble into WWE notwithstanding, his return looks to be solely based on finances, or lack thereof. Really, did he sign up with Vince McMahon because he merely wanted to expand his fan base? Not likely. That was a top notch payday and the effort wasn't nearly as much as what he would need to put forth against either Pacquiao or Mosely.
I find myself pondering whether it's the boxing enthusiast within ourselves that trounces any and all the frustration from seeing million dollar paydays go to fights worth less than a frozen taco. Maybe we are just too quick to forgive in general. Pushing all debatable topics aside, I am willing to forgive and forget all the drama that stemmed off the Pretty Boy's premature retirement(s), and his partaking of "iffy" fights prior to the hiatus as well. My basis for his exoneration will solely rely on what the boss' plans are going to be. Believe it, like it, hate it, whatever you do with it is up to you, but he is still the boss.
Immediately after Pacquiao's destruction of De la Hoya, Mayweather was quoted as saying that any return would be for the "big catch". Nothing more, nothing less. It was nicely worded-a classic Mayweather statement. He didn't waste time and looks only at the color green which matches his character in the ring. Now I hear strong rumblings of a possible July showdown to warm up the laces, so I'm kind of confused on what the actual plan really is. I'm not against a warm-up bout, (in fact I'm all for it) but maybe he's just starting to realize the potential crop that is and has been harvesting under his limelight. Could it be that he wants to drop his macho attitude for a short minute to take it that much more seriously with a nice tune up? Maybe "Money" is questioning himself. Either way, I'm anxious to see who'll be holding the golden ticket for a crack at Junior first.
Joe Calzaghe retired undefeated and at the top. Even though we have all criticized his pillow-talk tactics and style, he can always say he beat both Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. Ten years ago, I didn't think that sentence would ever be suitable or appropriate, let alone spoken anywhere, but the Welshman proved us all wrong. Retiring at the top is hard to do. We see many athletes struggle with the decision of whether to stay in the game or hang it up when their peak is behind them. Most of these athletes chose the wrong path when facing the fork in the road and end up flaming out rather than bowing out. With the idea of enough is enough being a more personalized concept that happens to be drastically different for each individual, learning from someone else's mistakes is highly unlikely. Who wouldn't want another run at the top? Michael Jordan gave it another go, and wasn't nearly the player that he was in his prime. George Foreman, on the other hand, made a successful return and even garnered another championship for himself, albeit against what some might consider lesser opponents. Lance Armstrong is looking to regain former glory in France, although his return has taken a setback courtesy of a broken collarbone due to a crash. Armstrong is seeking an incredible eighth Tour de France championship. Coincidentally, that comeback to the Tour also begins in July.
As the countdown to the return of Mayweather moves along, we will only start to hear more on the flamboyant superstar that we all helped create. Like it or not, for the many who can't stand the over-bitten character that is Mayweather, your hatred and attention have paved the way much like the many who were inspired by and idolized him. Many of us spoke like we knew the truth when discussing the possible return for "Money". Trust in the fact that in the end we will only question whether the layoff will affect him positively or negatively. When I look at Floyd's return strictly from a competitive standpoint, I believe the odds are against him. During his layoff, a Filipino bomber and a Mexican legend made runs at new weight levels. He missed the destruction of Margarito, a fighter Mayweather was often accused of dodging, at the hands of another legendary contender who wants a crack at his "0". Has his value depreciated or are we just in the process of warming up to his natural talent? Mayweather isn't that young anymore, is he?
******** boxing had an article maintaining that retirement was the best fit option for the man we love to hate most. However, they also asserted that De la Hoya was, as of 2008, in a position to dethrone both Margarito and Cotto. Bob Arum recently spouted off to Boxingscene's Luis Sandoval regarding Mayweather's chances of getting into the ring with Pacquiao instead of Pacquiao's chances to step in against Mayweather. Through the eyes of the top dog at Top Rank, the outfit is "not thrilled about Pacquiao and Mayweather because there are other fighters who would draw a lot better than Floyd."
Could this be a ruse to stir up the marketing table, or are they really looking past Mayweather and onto Miguel Cotto or Shane Mosley? To make matters worse, Arum is only following Freddie Roach, who initially cast doubt on a Pacman-PBF matchup, citing that their clash of styles would be a potential snoozer.
"I don't have a lot of interest in fighting Mayweather. Even if you beat him, you look bad doing it. Mayweather is skilled but I don't like his style- he's a runner but great boxer", says Roach.
Quite honestly, I think that Arum is referring to what Mayweather can draw as compared to what he actually wants. Rumors surrounding HBO say that Mayweather is willing to fight on their July 11th non PPV outlet, but wants PPV caliber money. Perhaps Mayweather should visit theladder.com/ and submit his resume to AIG. They seem seasoned at depleting funds towards non-performance based bonuses. I'm sure there is a vacant throne already at corporate as we speak.
For Mayweather to re-stake his claim as the best boxer in the world, he first needs to "get real." By that I mean he needs to look at his position for what it is. Time hasn't stood still while he was away, he is coming off a retirement! He can't just stop fighting and then come back to reclaim something that is no longer his. Tides have turned and a new dawn is upon us. We have a new breed of prize fighters ready and willing to take on the responsibility of salvaging this sport.
What Mayweather is doing is strictly personal. He's not trying to appease anyone else; not his fans, and surely not the boxing community as a whole. If anything, Mayweather's only concern is for himself. With that in mind, I do believe vanity can and has overwhelmed his realistic worth. I don't make nearly as much money as Floyd Mayweather, but it sounds as if he is finding financial difficulty more quickly than was the case with Mike Tyson, and that is saying a lot. At any rate Floyd, pay your own bills and tell us what you are trying to accomplish this year. Remember, this stimulus plan doesn't pay PPV money for abysmal performances. I'm sure the rest of the fans are more than willing to stand their ground as to where their "money" goes in these current economic times.