By Tom Donelson
This past Saturday night, Floyd Mayweather easily dispatched of Sharmba Mitchell, not that it was a big surprise. While Mayweather had to work just a little bit harder against Mitchell than he did against Gatti, he still remains a puzzle for boxing fans and pundits alike. How great is Mayweather, really?
The guy has talent and can do it all. He can knock opponents out and he can box rings around them. He easily dominated Diego Corrales and he found a way to prevail against the tough Jose Castillo twice. These three fights represented Mayweather’s toughest tests against his toughest opponents. Against Corrales, he left no doubt who was the best but he struggled in his first fight with the tough Castillo and he still did not dominate Castillo in the rematch.
Mayweather is one of those fighters who tantalizes us, but we are left with the feeling that there is more to discover. The time has come for Mayweather to take that next step. He has enough opponents to test his greatness and the road could begin with Jab Judah. Judah is a similar fighter to Mayweather, with quick hands and excellent power. This fight would feature the southpaw version of Mayweather vs. the real thing.
Then there is Antonio Margarito. This tough hombre stays in front of his opponents and unleashed volleys of punches. Like the energizer bunny, he keeps coming. Margarito represent the welterweight version of Castillo. Finally lurking around the corner is Ricky Hatton. Hatton has a major fight with Carlos Maussa to unify a portion of the junior welterweight champion, but if he gets past Maussa, who knows?
The thing about Hatton is that Hatton is at the point of his career that he is ready to move up to welterweight. With each fight, he has more difficulty keeping his weight and the time is close for him to move up to join Mayweather in the 147-pound division. So if Mayweather does not go down to meet Hatton, Hatton could move up to meet Mayweather. Hatton represent a legitimate opponent who could bring in the big bucks. This guy could fill out any arena in England and give Mayweather that one opponent who represents a big paycheck while adding to his legacy. Provided that Mayweather is willing to go to England for the fight.
Mayweather has every opportunity to cement his legacy as one of the best, if not best fighter of his generation. Rarely has a fighter combined power and speed in a way that Mayweather has. Mayweather has the defensive skills to move out of range even from close range. As he showed with Mitchell, he could end a fight with one shot as Mitchell fell victim to a perfectly placed right hand to the gut.
The biggest criticism against Mayweather is the quality of opponents. He fought Gatti when he moved up to 140 pounds, but the reason was simple. He made a ton of money to fight Gatti, an over the top crowd favorite. He got his first fight as a pay-per-view headliner and big dollars.
He also made new fans as many boxing aficionados saw Mayweather at his very best. Using Gatti as his personal prop, Mayweather unleashed a barrage of punches from every angle and never missed. Gatti proved to more of a punching bag than a serious opponent and it's not like Gatti was a bad fighter. He was one of the junior welterweight champions.
Mitchell proved to yet another prop in the ongoing Mayweather story, which has an ending that has yet to be written.
Mayweather is beginning to attract an audience that matches his skills and now the other fighters in other divisions can’t ignore him. Judah, who made a paltry sum in fighting Spinks in his last major fight, needs Mayweather to enhance his own reputation. Spinks is the best fighters that Judah has beaten and a win over Mayweather will augment his own standing. This fight is a natural, and one that may be the easiest to put together. Both men need each other to test their own greatness.
Look for Judah and Mayweather in early 2006 but if Mayweather wins, he still has plenty of opponents from 140 to 154 pounds. Mayweather has now come to the crossroads of his career, where he either becomes a great fighter worthy of being a legend or just another good fighter.
