By Terence Dooley
After seeing Manny Pacquiao posing for photos with his next opponent Joshua Clottey at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium and noticing that big, fat TBA sitting next to his proposed March 13th contest, Floyd Mayweather must be wondering what he can do to catch a break. Floyd and Manny both conspired in, and were culpable of, the scuppering of the biggest boxing clash in recent memory yet it is Floyd, the man that people love to hate, who seems to be taking a bigger bashing, with Manny, perhaps, covered by his recent exploits in the ring.
Indeed, the rumour that Floyd was planning to come to the UK for a ‘world tour’ type of contest saw him called out by Matthew Hatton and Kell Brook. Everyone is lining up to fight Floyd these days and there is a serious sense that one bad move could damage his long term legacy, with Shane Mosley, who is now free, the only logical, and face-saving, fight out there for Floyd.
Forget lining up another contest like the last one, in which Floyd reduced Juan Manuel Marquez to the level of a sparring partner. No disrespect to Marquez, who is a genuinely great boxer, but the only time Floyd will come off second best against an overweight Mexican is if he gets car jacked in East LA. No, the call has gone out, people want more from Floyd.
However, not every fight figure in the UK is lining up to call Floyd out, two men have spoken out in defence Floyd and they passed on their praises exclusively to Boxingscene. Firstly, Olympic gold medallist James DeGale talked about the top-level preparation Floyd puts into his fights.
“I just watched him for weeks in the gym,” said DeGale when recalling the days he spent in the US watching Floyd prior to Mayweather’s fight with Marquez. “Seeing him spar and roll with the shots. It is nice to see those guys up close and I got a lot of advice from his coach, Roger, so it was a nice experience. I spoke to Floyd a couple of times, he was busy doing his stuff but we got photos and he told me to keep it up and keep working, it was fantastic.”
DeGale was particularly inspired by Floyd’s work ethic, something that trainer Jim McDonnell, who James joined upon turning pro, is instilling in his charge. “The way Floyd trains makes his so confident and brash – he trains like a demon,” revealed DeGale.
“That is what I’m doing. Jim trains me like a Trojan so no one has to worry about me going into that ring unfit. The way Floyd trains is unbelievable. I think for super-middle I’m also pretty fast but I’ve got all my skills as well and that boxing ability will take me far,” declared DeGale.
Indeed, James’ confident demeanour will be perfect when the time comes to promote title fights, that man Mayweather made his name, and bags of dough, from adopting the black hat during the course of promoting a fight.
“Course it will,” said DeGale when asked if his confident persona will pep up potential title showdowns. “I’m looking forward to these title fights. I can’t wait for those bright lights and big stages, the build up to the fights – I can’t wait for all that. I’m speaking to Frank [Warren] every day of the week about titles. I’ll be boxing for a title this year and you’ll see me in my first twelve rounder.”
So, we are not all down on Floyd. There is one man, however, who could be forgiven for holding a grudge against Floyd. Billy Graham took Ricky Hatton into a showdown with Mayweather only for Floyd to stop Hatton in ten one-sided rounds. Graham, though, believes that Floyd doesn’t deserve the flack he takes and that his ‘Money’ persona is just that.
“Floyd was a real gentleman after our fight with him and I think he just puts on a bad guy act for the cameras and the press. He kept making me laugh. I’ve always found him a real gent and his conduct towards us after the fight spoke volumes,” revealed Graham.
Graham also revealed that, despite the claims to the contrary, Floyd is every inch a natural born warrior when on top of his game; however, he believes that Floyd has got a bit of work left to do before he gains recognition alongside the likes of the ‘Fabulous Four’.
“We soon realised that Floyd was a little bit different and dangerous on the outside in the fight with Ricky but we had prepared for that. Floyd is a great fighter though - a real tough fucker, you know. He’s still not as good as Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Marvin Hagler or Thomas Hearns, but then who is,” asked Graham.
A fight with, and win over, Shane Mosley would go a long way to silencing Floyd’s critics, it may also bring even more lustre to a fight with Manny, and if that brings both men back to the table then we are all in with a slim chance of seeing the modern day showdown that the fans are waiting for.
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