Love Him or Hate Him: Floyd Mayweather JR is Still the Best

i didn't write this and i dont agree with many things. but post your opinion Love Him or Hate Him: Floyd Mayweather JR is Still the Best By Andrew Seidman-December 30, 2008 Since Floyd Mayweather, JR., had become the pound for pound best boxer in the world, he also became the pound for pound king at upsetting boxing enthusiasts worldwide. The hate all began after he dismantled boxing’s favorite son, Arturo Gatti. Once he became the bad guy in that fight, it would be very evident that he would be boxing’s bad boy for the rest of his career. One thing we need to realize is that marketing yourself is probably more important in boxing than actual skill. Seriously, how else does Paulie Malignaggi get a million dollar paycheck against Ricky Hatton in Vegas? No one should fault Mayweather for his smack talk. At the end of the day, it pays bills. If you really want to take a historical look at it, Muhammad Ali was the first athlete ever to get a million dollar paycheck. Just a thought, but I’m sure his sharp tongue had something to do with that. People hated Ali at the time. When we look back in history, many considered him “The Greatest.” After the massacre of Gatti, it would be time for Mayweather to move up in weight. A fight with Sharmba Mitchell, Zab Judah, and Carlos Baldomir were considered by no one to be his toughest fights. I would consider Sharmba Mitchell good enough for his first fight at welterweight, so no one should knock him for that. A fight with Zab Judah was a fight that had to happen for fans and enthusiasts alike. Fights like that sell themselves. Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto wanted nothing to do with Mayweather at this point. The great welterweight Kostya Tszyu wanted no part of him either. Then came the screams and chants for Antonio Margarito. While he had yet to really make a big run on the big stage of boxing, his hype was through the roof. The biggest name he had on his list was Kermit Cintron, who Mayweather, JR., called an “ESPN knockout artist.” Bob Arum who brilliantly navigated Margarito’s name through the boxing press would publicly make an offer to Floyd of $8 Million to fight his guy. This is when the “Mayweather is ducking Margarito” talks came in. At first I paid it no mind, until I realized that people who barely pay attention to boxing were repeating these statements. People often forget that Carlos Baldomir was the true champion of the weight class. After beating Zab Judah, and Arturo Gatti, he was the true champion of the division. Baldomir had beaten two fighters consecutively with more notable names that Margarito had beat in his entire career. Mayweather made more money fighting him then he would have got to fight Margarito. Now I’ll admit that Mayweather on the same stage as Baldomir was a complete joke. Few wasted their time or money on that PPV, yet it was still the right decision for Mayweather. In all honesty, Margarito was nobody at the time. Outside true boxing enthusiasts, no one knew who Margarito was. For Mayweather, JR., to fight him would be like taking a harder job for less money. Would any of you do that? Mayweather, JR., said Margarito had not beaten anyone and he was right. Margarito would barely get past Joshua Clottey. Then he lost to Paul Williams. Mayweather has reached the top stage in boxing. At the time, Margarito had not yet arrived in many people’s eyes. In the Pretty Boy’s closest fight, he took the rematch with Jose Luis Castillo and won handedly. Has Margarito even mentioned a rematch with Williams or Clottey yet? In all honesty, I have no doubt that if Margarito could pay the type of money Oscar De La Hoya or Ricky Hatton paid, Mayweather, JR., would fight him. Not only would he fight him, he would beat him. There are two things that stood out when I first heard Cotto was fighting Margarito. The first is that if Muhammad Abdullaev could stay in Cotto’s face all fight than Margarito is going to give him hell. The second thing I realized is that Cotto’s boxing stance was a perfect fit for Margarito’s style. Cotto often leans forward, with his hands high and elbows out. Most of his chin is exposed to uppercuts. It would become quite evident to me that if Cotto did this then Margarito’s machete like uppercuts would eventually land with a devastating effect. So why am I talking about this? Mayweather, JR., won’t do any of those things. Landing a punch on Mayweather’s chin is like trying to seduce a Nun. If you think chasing him around for 12 rounds will wear him down you’re mistaken. Mayweather is no Miguel Cotto, and fighting with the ropes against his back is natural to him. Cotto built his record going forward and being aggressive, asking him to fight going backwards for a 12 round fight against Margarito was suicide. The idea that Mayweather will get tired is crazy. Have we ever seen any evidence of this? Have you ever seen The Pretty Boy waste even a breath of air? Another thing we should also note about that fight is that if Cotto can stand in front of Margarito with his hands down and slide multiple punches from the Tijuana Tornado then Mayweather, JR., will be nothing less than a shadow in that ring. We should also speak about Miguel Cotto. How can you not be a fan of this guy? We need be a bit more serious with ourselves here though. Are we saying Miguel Cotto can beat him because he actually has a chance or because it’s something we want to see? Everyone would love to see that fight, but saying Cotto can beat Mayweather is crazy. What can Cotto do that would give Mayweather any trouble? If you think Cotto can storm in the way he did against underrated Carlos Quintana, then your mistaken. Mayweather is way too skilled and fast for Cotto. Cotto’s best weapon, his left hook would be useless against him. I dare you to find a fight where Pretty Boy gets hit with a flush left hook. If Cotto decided to try and stand in the middle of the ring and get technical with Cotto, he would fair maybe a slight bit better than Arturo Gatti. Cotto is a hell of a fighter and is always exciting. At the end of the day he just isn’t on Mayweather level. The holes that Cotto has shown in his technique would get exposed quickly and often. Ever since his chin has been labeled as suspect, he and his promoter did all they could not to say Pretty Boy’s name. Paul Williams is probably the toughest fight of all these guys for Mayweather. He is in amazing condition and has very fast hands. He stands 6’1” (some say he might be taller) and has a reach longer than Ali. With his frame, the sky is the limit to what weight classes he can fight at. A southpaw who can throw a 100 punches a round. There is no doubt he is dangerous to any fighter in the welterweight division and only time will tell how many more weight classes his name will appear in. A guy like Paul Williams can spoil your boxing. It’s pretty simple actually. That with his size and freakish nature, he can work so hard for a majority of rounds that he will win the fight. As a Mayweather fan I often said Paul Williams was his most dangerous fight and still believe that today. Then I saw him fight Carlos Quintana. Carlos Quintana is probably the most underappreciated fighter in the welterweight division. He is extremely skilled and many people throughout the boxing world thought he would beat Miguel Cotto. When Carlos Quintana fought Paul Williams I saw some of the weaknesses in Paul Williams’s abilities. We often forget that Paul Williams started boxing late, and had a limited amateur career. He was pushed quickly through the pro ranks and burst onto the scene almost out of nowhere. If Paul had that much trouble with Quintana, Mayweather will show him angles and hit him from directions that will drive him nuts. There is no amount of training camps that can teach Paul Williams 1/4th of what Mayweather, JR., knows. When Williams fought Quintana for the first time I saw a guy who had no idea how to handle a fighter who knew how to use their legs. The Punisher’s face was being used as a human yo-yo, attached to Quintana’s left hand. Williams looked like a C rated fighter who for the first time found out that boxing has techniques that freakish athletic abilities can’t overcome. Obviously we all knew Williams came back and knocked out Quintana in stunning fashion. The way he did it said to the boxing world, “I know you were ready to call me a bust, but not so fast.” He should be commended for that. I’ll be the first to admit that in the first fight Williams looked hesitant. But some of the technical decencies’ still stand out no matter what the case was. The only way we will really know about any of these guys chances against Mayweather is if they fight him. That will only happen if they can bring up their market value to the point that the money would bring the “Pretty Boy,” back. As time passes I believe and hope that Mayweather will come back once he sees a major fight. History is full of fighters who retired and took personal time while they waited for the boxing world to build new stars for them to come back and fight.