By Kevin Kincade
Nature or nurture: that argument is addressed in scientific circles whenever the question of “why” is brought up concerning an individual and his/her actions. Is it genetics or environment, God-given talent or finely honed skills? The truth of the matter is, more often than not, it’s a little of both. When one hears the name, Mayweather, the image of a champion prize fighter comes to mind; a highly skilled technician who possess all that one could hope for in a boxer: speed, fluidity, defensive expertise, power, and the killer instinct to use it.
However the name Mayweather does not belong solely to Floyd Jr. He had three to come before him who paved the way for his success. They were impressive in their own right; but showed more flaws in their ring armor than “Pretty Boy” has yet to divulge.
His father was a pretty good welterweight, who just happened to come along at a time when the 147 Lb class was loaded with talent. He finished his career with a record of 30-6-1 (20KOs), with two of those losses coming to future Welterweight King Marlon Starling, and one to a young “Sugar” Ray Leonard. Very few fighters are destined to become champions and even fewer are destined to become legends of the ring. Most boxers come and go without anyone noticing they were ever there. The elder Floyd was one of those fighters who was well above average and might have even been a champion in another time; but due to the cruel timing Fate often incorporates into the great scheme of things, it wasn’t meant to be.
However, just because one doesn’t reach the very pinnacle of the sport, it doesn’t mean that one has failed. It merely means that one’s path for purpose lies along a different course. Floyd Sr. found his true calling lay outside the ropes, teaching others and passing along the skills and tricks of the trade to a younger generation.
Roger was the next Mayweather to try his hand in the pro-ranks. Not surprisingly, his style was similar to his brother’s. The patented stance with the right hand up by the cheek, left hand cradling the stomach, to ensure greater snap in the jab and protection from the left hook; the use of the left shoulder against the incoming right hand. Unlike Floyd, though, Roger had tremendous power in his right hand; and put it to good use whenever his opponents got careless.
Another trait that solely belonged to Roger was his chin. Unfortunately for “The Black Mamba”, the concrete in his right hand seemed to have been removed from his jaw, making him susceptible to any boxer with even a hint of knock-out power. Despite this dangerous flaw in his physical make-up, Roger’s heart and skill were enough for him to eventually capture championship gold and write his name in the history books; and do so in a time when the lightweight classes were streaming with talent.
Mayweather fought in a time when names like Julio Caesar Chavez, Pernell Whitaker, “Rockin’” Rodney Moore, Meldrick Taylor, Vinny Pazienza, Harold Brazier, & Rafael Pineda were in their primes. Roger’s final record of 59-13 (35KOs) is compiled of a virtual who’s who of the 1980’s and ‘90’s 130 Lb to 140 Lb roster. Roger Mayweather ducked no opponent throughout his entire career and is one of the better fighters to have ever laced up gloves.
“Jazzy” Jeff Mayweather is the youngest of the three Mayweather brothers and finished his pro career in 1997 with a respectable record of 34-10-5 (10KOs). Obviously, he didn’t possess older brother, Roger’s kayo punch, which was his Achilles hill against top-flight competition. Skill-wise, Jeff was just as slick as both Floyd and Roger and also turned away no challenge. His resume is littered with contenders of the past such as Todd Foster, Joey Gamache, Jesse James Leija, & Israel Cardona. He even fought (and lost) to a young 4-0 Oscar De La Hoya.
Maybe if Jeff had had a little more pop in his punches, he would have followed older brother, Roger to championship gold. As it is, he didn’t; and found, like his brother Floyd, reward in passing along his knowledge to a younger generation.
All three brothers shared a couple of traits: a slick as goose grease boxing style and the misfortune of being just a notch below the most talented fighters of their time. All three faced former Olympic competition and all three lost.
For Floyd Sr., it was none other than “Sugar” Ray Leonard, who was 13-0 at the time. For Roger, it was a young 11-0 Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker….and for Jeff, a young extremely talented Oscar De La Hoya. All three were very good fighters; but “very good” is unfortunately forgotten all too often in the world of professional boxing.
Enter the evolution vs. environment question and Floyd Mayweather Jr. As of this writing, Jr’s record is without blemish at 35-0 (24KOs); and those wins are over the best the junior lightweight and lightweight divisions have to offer. Floyd has reeled off wins over the likes of Genaro Hernandez, Angel Manfredy, Diego Corrales, Jesus Chavez, & Jose Luis Castillo, among others. He also systematically dissected Arturo Gatti in front of “Thunder’s” adopted hometown crowd and stopped Sharmba Mitchell like he was nothing. Without a doubt, the former bronze medalist is the best pound-4-pound fighter in the world today and one cannot ignore the talent in his gene pool nor the collective knowledge “Pretty Boy” must have absorbed as he was growing up around the brothers three.
Jr. has had the benefit of the tutelage of his father and is currently being trained by his Uncle Roger. Under his dad, Floyd, predictably, was more of a defensive specialist than a predator; but under Uncle Roger, Floyd has really blossomed into the pound-4-pound threat that he is, incorporating some of the Mamba’s venom into his slickster’s style.
On April 8th, “Pretty Boy” Floyd will be squaring off against the highly touted former Welterweight and Jr. Welterweight Champion Zab Judah. Talent-wise, Judah is as fast as they come with more than enough power to do a foe in; but lacks the kind of mental discipline that Floyd has displayed throughout his career.
Floyd’s pedigree and mentorship more than prepares him for the challenge Judah presents. Zab is coming off a huge upset loss to the unheralded Carlos Baldomir in which he lost his 147 Lb crown. It’s hard to imagine Floyd taking any opponent lightly for if anything has been ingrained into his psyche, it is the true consistent professionalism that Floyd Sr., Roger, and Jeff all displayed throughout their careers. That fact alone gives Floyd Jr. the edge, to say nothing of his sniper-like accuracy, well-schooled and finely tuned defense, and the God-given power to hurt an opponent with any punch he throws.
All it takes for Mayweather to get his man out of there if for his opponent to have a mental lapse for just one moment, just one second over the twelve round course. If Judah has shown us anything, it is that he is prone to mental lapses; and that will be his downfall against the pound-for-pound best in the sport today. Even if Judah shows uncharacteristic discipline for the entire course of the fight, the odds are he still doesn’t have enough in his boxing bank to trump the full house in Mayweather’s possession.
Many fans are complaining about this fight taking place, given Zab’s recent defeat as if he doesn’t deserve the opportunity or payday. There is much complaining and bellyaching over this bout being on Pay-Per-View instead of regular Cable or Satellite. A regular gripe is also that Mayweather should have squared off against Ricky Hatton and settled the question of who was best at 140 before climbing up another weight class and challenging Judah. Patience, these things will come to pass in due time…..if Ricky Hatton is all he appears to be.
Make no mistake about it. Despite the billing of the Mayweather-Judah showdown as being for the IBF World Welterweight Championship, this bout is a title fight in no shape, form, or fashion. Judah lost the distinction of being a World Champion when he underestimated and lost to Carlos Baldomir, regardless of what the International Boxing Federation has to say about it.
A loss is a loss; and if the contestants are at or below the weight limit for a title bout, the winner is the champion. Anyone who says otherwise is either a fool or takes the fans for such.
Now, that being said, just because Judah is no longer a champion, it does not make this any less significant a bout. Mayweather effectively dominated the 130 Lb & the 135 Lb weight classes and Judah is a recently deposed champion at 147….and would be the favorite should he and Baldomir rematch. That means should Mayweather defeat Judah he would rightfully be the #1 contender for Baldomir’s crown.
Likewise, if Judah pulls it all together and actually defeats Mayweather, then he will have proved he is deserving of the accolades that have been steeped upon him throughout his entire career; something he has yet to do. In this bout we will see how good Judah truly is and how well Mayweather can handle fighting at a higher weight against a former World Champion…..or, to put is succinctly, boxing wins.
For those worried about and desiring a Hatton-Mayweather showdown, fear not; it will eventually happen if Ricky is all he’s cracked up to be and if Floyd keeps proving himself. Some things can not be avoided. Ali and Frazier had to meet as did Leonard and Hearns and Trinidad and De La Hoya. So too, if Ricky and Floyd continue their winning ways, they will eventually be staring across the ring from each other while the world holds it’s collective breath. Until then, just enjoy the build-up as both continue to rack up the victories.
For the time being, the focus should rightfully remain on Floyd and Zab. Jr. has already surpassed the fistic accomplishments of his dad and both of his uncles and he owes them a debt of gratitude for not only their genes but for the hours he spent hanging around them and soaking up every speck of knowledge that has compiled to make him the fighter he is today.
If it’s true that the sins of the father are visited upon the sons and daughters, then conversely, it must also be true that the sons and the daughters benefit from the hard work and hard learned lessons of the father. Surely there is no greater example of a family’s achievements and collective knowledge being funneled into the promise of a brighter tomorrow than the case of Floyd Mayweather Jr.
What’s in a Name? Everything.
Questions or Comments: kevin.kincade@citcomm.com