By Michael Marley
Even Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s worst critics must admit that his Tuesday tweet about returning to the ring on Sept. 17 is giving boxing a surge of electricity.
Among those energized by Mayweather’s saying he will test Andre Berto conqueror and hard-hitting southpaw Vicious Victor Ortiz - is St. Louis-based trainer/manager Kevin Cunningham. The ex-cop is busy prepping his star, Devon Alexander, for a comeback bout against banger Lucas Matthysse. (They fight June 25 in St. Charles, MO.)
“Floyd is still the biggest star in our sport,” Cunningham said. “I think his return is great for boxing. Pacquiao has been carrying the sport by himself. Pacquiao has been doing great but we need more than one big star. Look, Victor Ortiz deserves this fight after beating Berto the way he did, he earned this.
“Ortiz has earned the right. I do think Floyd choosing a southpaw shows he will go after Pacquiao. I give Ortiz a chance if he goes in with same mind set that he did against Berto. If Victor does that, then it will be an interesting fight.”
Fil-Am matchmaker Joe Quiambo, who heads the table at promoter Lou DiBella’s midtown office, thinks that if Mayweather is looking ahead to fighting Pacman he should have tabbed DBE promoted middleweight king Sergio Martinez as his next foe.
“With Martinez, he is more like Pacquiao, he has that darting in and out style as a southpaw, he’s more like Manny,” Quiambo said.
“I think Mayweather will stink the joint out against Ortiz. Mayweather will play it safe in this fight because he knows Ortiz brings some danger. But Victor is a hot name after beating Berto and he is lefthanded so it makes sense from Floyd’s point of view. Mayweather may fool the public into thinking this is an indication he’ll take on Pacquiao but he’s not fooling me.”
New York-based manager Jose Nunez (top IBF lightweight contender Argenis Mendez, returning from exile Joan Guzman) is an unabashed Mayweather groupie so his reaction is not surprising.
“Wow! I hope it’s true, I hope that Mayweather is not just blowing smoke. I thought he was going to fight the white kid (lefty Paul) Spadafora. I think HBO would accept anybody to fight Floyd because of Floyd’s star power,” Nunez said.
“As far as Pacquiao-Mayweather, it will finally go down. It’s good, man, Mayweather’s return to the ring is just good news for boxing.”
Orlando Cuellar, astute trainer of “Road Warrior” Glen Johnson and others, also sees Mayweather’s comeback as a tonic for the sport-business.
“Mayweather is just so hard to hit,” the Florida-based Cuellar said. “He’s so hard to hit that nobody, with the possible exception of Pacquiao who throws a lot of punches, can beat him.
“The maturity, the experience, it’s all on Mayweather’s side as Victor is young (25), still in the developing stages.
“I think Mayweather looked at Pacquiao against Mosley and was not impressed. Pacquiao was not his usual self in that fight. Maybe they figure Manny is slowing down or has too much on his plate with the politics and the other stuff he does. But as for Mayweather picking a lefthanded opponent, it could be that he is looking ahead to fighting Manny next year. That could very well be, that’s my view on it.”
Mayweather's back and the boxing world, by and large, welcomes his return.