By Matthew Hurley
In the aftermath of Floyd Mayweather’s technically brilliant sixth round TKO over Arturo Gatti, many boxing scribes, this one included, jumped on the Mayweather express and joined Floyd in proclaiming him as the best pound for pound fighter in boxing. Such proclamations in the hazy afterglow of a magnificent performance are par for the course and usually prove to be premature. But Floyd Mayweather is an exception to this oft proved rule. He has already proven his worth against top flight competition such as Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo. Floyd's abilities seem to become sharper and sharper as he matures and enters the pantheon of pay per view attractions. He is that good.
There were two absolutes proven in his complete dismantling of fan favorite Arturo Gatti. The first, Mayweather’s skills are so fine tuned and his self-confidence so pronounced that it would seem improbable that he could suffer a let down against an inferior opponent. His arrogance, as overwhelming as it can be, is actually an attribute in terms of fistic prowess because it will not allow a “C+” fighter, as he derisively deemed Gatti, to even compete with him. Gatti, as good as he has been for boxing, actually is a “C+” fighter in comparison to Floyd. Mayweather rose to the occasion of his first pay per view event in his opponent’s backyard and did what great fighters do at pivotal moments in their careers - he excelled. Argue if you will that Gatti is not a true measure of just how great Floyd actually is, but it was Mayweather who completely denied Gatti any chance of even making the bout interesting. That’s what great fighters do. It begs the question, “Who can compete with this guy at junior welterweight?” There are good fighters like Ricky Hatton and an up and coming, but still green, Miguel Cotto. Both men are interesting puzzles, but not Rubik’s Cubes in Mayweather’s hands.
The second positive was the way Mayweather handled himself in the aftermath of the Gatti event. He was calm, poised, proud yet respectful. Seemingly his PR people, if he has any on his pay roll, whispered in both his ears that if he tones it down a bit he can be the biggest star in boxing. Emotion drove Floyd to his knees after his victory over Gatti and maybe the adulatory response of a stunned pro-Gatti crowd humbled him just a bit. Who knows? The thuggish arrogance of his pre-fight verbiage may be something that fuels him. He may need that cloak of bravado to send him into a fistic gear most fighters only dream of hitting. If that’s the case then he shouldn’t change anything at all. However, if he wants to make Oscar De La Hoya money then his public personality needs a little fine tuning. There’s nothing wrong with being the villain. Mike Tyson prolonged his career by turning into a nightmarish caricature, but Floyd is not a compelling personality like Tyson so his unrelenting arrogance only turns people off. If he truly wants to become a crossover star he should learn from the careers of De La Hoya and, even more so, Sugar Ray Leonard. They knew a smile and a wink would result in dollar signs and no current fighter has a better smile than Pretty Boy Floyd. If his post fight reactions are any indication, the new WBC junior welterweight champion is well on his way to superstar status.
“I feel it’s my time,” he said at the post fight press conference. “I perform my best under pressure. I didn’t feel I was under pressure in the fight but I was with the biggest company, HBO, so I knew I had to be at my best.”
His best was near perfection and it has intensified the debate among pundits and fans as to who is the best fighter in boxing. All the worthy contenders for the crown - Mayweather, Bernard Hopkins, Erik Morales, Winky Wright, Marco Antonio Barrera and Manny Pacquiao, reside well below the heavyweight division. An argument can be made for all the fighters listed, especially Hopkins, and perhaps judgment should be withheld until after his upcoming title defense against Jermain Taylor. The long reigning middleweight champion is a model of professionalism and consistency so he deserves as much. But Floyd is nipping at his heels and already feels he has sprinted past the “Executioner”.
“I feel this is my time,” he repeated like a mantra when reporters’ microphones were stuck in front of his smiling face. “I showed people I could box. I showed my power and my moving ability. Tonight was my night. It’s my time. Now I want only the best. I showed I deserved to be the center of attention.”
It will be interesting to see how Floyd Mayweather handles the build up to his next fight. Beating an immensely popular fighter like Gatti so conclusively has raised his public profile three-fold. The ball is in his court now. Everything on the boxing landscape is his for the taking. Here's hoping he takes the ball and runs with it.