By Roberto Elmore: After Manny Pacquiao made easy work of Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito, the howls of “Floyd ducked both of these fighters” reemerged. Many of these claims have been opinionated and have not yet seen proof of these allegations. I did write an article stating that Mayweather side stepping Margarito was a good move. And financially it was back then. But upon my return to the article, I found facts that will support this article. Now, I know there will still be many who will contest these facts and continue with their barrage of name calling. But it’s not my job to control opinions; just give the facts and let the readers decide. But I want you to pay close attention to the quotes and who’s saying what.
After Mayweather defeated Zab Judah, he was offered 8 million to fight Antonio Margarito on August 12th 2006. Leonard Ellerbe had this to say after the Judah fight.
Floyd is not 100 percent healthy,” Ellerbe said. “He has a bruised right hand. His hand is not broken. It’s bruised, but it’s a bad bruise. He wants to go into any fight 100 percent healthy. If Antonio Margarito happens to be the best available option when he is healthy, so be it”.
“We are not turning down Margarito. I want to make that crystal clear. When and if he is the best available option for Floyd’s next fight, that’s the direction he will move in.” If you noticed, that was Ellerbe speaking. Not Floyd. Let’s move on.
Bob Arum, Mayweather’s promoter at the time said that Mayweather preferred to await the outcome of the May 6 Oscar De La Hoya-Ricardo Mayorga fight instead of committing to Margarito because he would prefer to fight De La Hoya.
Arum stated that Mayweather would have fought Margarito for the 8 million, but he wanted a guaranteed 10 million to fight Miguel Cotto and Ricky Hatton. Arum only guaranteed him 7 million. And for those who don’t know Cotto and Hatton were at the Mayweather-Gatti fight and Cotto was ranked number 5 by the ring at the time (Proof: Listen to the commentary Jim Lampley at the end of round 5) . Cotto had just moved up to the 140 pound weight class and he didn’t make an offer to fight Mayweather after the Gatti fight.
Arum said Mayweather also asked for $20 million to fight De La Hoya, a fight Arum said he wasn’t interested in participating in. “That’s not in the cards,” Arum said. “He wants $20 million for the De La Hoya fight? It’s not there. Sometimes, my man, you gotta know when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em. We’ll talk about things down the road.” Notice this part Arum was talking.
Source for the entire article: (Mayweather turns down 8 million to fight Margarito; author: Dan Rafael, it was updated on April 12th 2006)
Face time: Mayweather had nothing to gain from fighting Margarito financially. There was no reward for this. There might have been a risk (but I can’t say what would have happened because it didn’t happen). Mayweather went on to fight the Carlos Baldomir for a dollar more 8,000,001, but he was the lineal welterweight champ. But Oscar had both risk and reward and we saw the results. Several people have fought and beat Margarito and their careers haven’t gone anywhere (Paul Williams, Shane Mosley). If anyone can provide me with a web sight, newspaper clipping, anything that has facts on it, I’m open to it. Peace.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=mayweather%20didnt%20duck%20margarito&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CEUQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.************.com%2F2010%2F12%2Fmayweather-didnt-duck-margarito-or-cotto%2F&ei=0ODwT8T4JYmw8AT_qqGFDQ&usg=AFQjCNGXrRasRD9DrULKaQcMWMv7udRGng
Floyd not making any effort and not going out of his way to make a fight equals the same as ducking as does retiring.
In the same way if SRL, hadnt of fought Duran, Hearns and Hagler, SRL would be viewed with suspicion. What makes Floyd so special that he dont need to follow in the footsteps his forebearers did?
He ducked many challengers, not just marge and cotto.
I think Floyd was happy to let the Margarito fight go past him and not happen, just like he didn't want to get in the ring with Pacquiao after Cotto got taken apart.
No doubt Arum used it to Margaritos advantage and to try and demean Floyd after he left and there is also no doubt that Judah and Baldomir were better business moves, but also no doubt in my mind Margarito was the bigger threat to Floyd.
Call it what you will, and Im a big fan of Floyd, but he didnt want those fights.
Forget what Arum said and let’s use some common sense here.
Floyd was under Arum when he fought Judah. If Arum wanted Mayweather-Maragrito he could have made it happen then. But he knew Margarito was a nobody and wasn’t beneficial to Floyd Mayweather so he choose the Judah fight and rightfully so. When Floyd fought Judah instead of Baldomir is when the myth Mayweather is ducking true WW bagan. Flashback, Brian Kenny blasted Mayweather on ESPN for ducking true WW like Baldomir and even Hatton. And now we all saw what Floyd did to both,
So after the Judah fight, Mayweather wanted the BIG money fight and guarantees of 10 million, a figure which Pacman still doesn’t get. Mayweather knew Arum would screw him over and left his contract. Bob Arum still owes Mayweather hundreds of thousands from the Judah fight and they went to court.
So Mayweather left Arum with money being owed to him. This is when Arum offered Mayweather 8 million to fight Tony, he knew Mayweather would turn down the fight and thus started the hype the most feared man in boxing for Tony. Around this time, Tony/Arum offered Winky a mere 4 million; this was when Winky was P4P number 6. So basically he created hype around Tony because Mayweather didn’t want the fight based on financial reasons. Arum knew this fight would never happen because Mayweather would never do business with him.
Same thing applies to Cotto. Arum told Cotto to never call out Mayweather because the fight was never going to happen under him. And what happened when Cotto left Arum. Fights Mayweather and gets his biggest pay day of all time.
Funny how things worked out for Mayweather for the better finally and legacy wise
flawless post.................
Hindsight is 20/20 but dude would have probably been cheating, whats the beef? He lost to P.Will shortly after and we all know how that went afterwards. I'd have preferred a P.Will fight tbh. I thought the Zab fight was also better since Zab could match him in terms of athletic ability. That fight was quite the spectacle, can't be mad at that lol
Anyway, yeah. I've kind of always criticized Floyd but that's one I give him a pass on...seeing as how everything turned out.
Hardly. Because like the De La Hoya fight or any fight, people would cry about it and claim that he was sh*t or cherry picked, old, past it etc etc..
Margarito would have just been another fighter on the list. Just like Gatti's name who people like to talk sh*t about now. Or even Hatton. Same sh*t different day. Bob didn't want to give Floyd what he wanted which was the fight but more money. Bob didn't want to make it that bad. Just like he didn't want to make the De La Hoya Mayweather fight back then or the Mayweaher Pac fight right now.
Maybe to idiots, yes. But idiots will always be idiots.
Everyone with sense and no bias would consider it a great win and rightfully so.
Beating Margo 2006-2008 would have been Floyd's best win to date.
I like Mayweather, I buy his PPVs and respect his legacy...but just admit it guys. Floyd didn't want anything to do with a bigger, stronger JLC fight (in his mind).
Castillo, Oscar and Corrales >>>>> Marg
That's what it boils down to.
I understand why he didn't take the fight. It's not difficult to understand.
I get why he didn't.
But, as a fan, and most fans back then, we wanted to see that fight. It was available and for whatever reason he took different routes.
People try and revise things now but Margarito would have been a great win for Mayweather's legacy back then.
Hardly. Because like the De La Hoya fight or any fight, people would cry about it and claim that he was sh*t or cherry picked, old, past it etc etc..
Margarito would have just been another fighter on the list. Just like Gatti's name who people like to talk sh*t about now. Or even Hatton. Same sh*t different day.
Bob didn't want to give Floyd what he wanted which was the fight but Floyd wanted more money. Bob didn't want to make it that bad. Just like he didn't want to make the De La Hoya Mayweather fight back then or the Mayweaher Pac fight right now.
Beating Margo 2006-2008 would have been Floyd's best win to date.
I like Mayweather, I buy his PPVs and respect his legacy...but just admit it guys. Floyd didn't want anything to do with a bigger, stronger JLC fight (in his mind).
I don't think so.
I still think Castillo would be his best win to date. IMO. But sure, 06 Margarito would be up there.
And I don't know about the last part but I do agree he avoided the fight for whatever reason and I've always felt that way.
And everyone knows I'm a big Floyd Mayweather fan.
That's what it boils down to.
I understand why he didn't take the fight. It's not difficult to understand.
I get why he didn't.
But, as a fan, and most fans back then, we wanted to see that fight. It was available and for whatever reason he took different routes.
People try and revise things now but Margarito would have been a great win for Mayweather's legacy back then.
It would have been a good win at the time. Greatly enhanced after the events of July 2008 and the subsequent handwrap scandal
People try and revise things now but Margarito would have been a great win for Mayweather's legacy back then.
Beating Margo 2006-2008 would have been Floyd's best win to date.
I like Mayweather, I buy his PPVs and respect his legacy...but just admit it guys. Floyd didn't want anything to do with a bigger, stronger JLC fight (in his mind).
This thread reminded me of Hattons and Cottos faces during the Floyd/Gatti fight
I love both Ricky and Miguel but they wanted nothing to do with Floyd. Absolutely nothing
For the most part Im agreeing with you. I also believe that Mayweather knew that Margo would be a tough fight and as you said wanted gaurantees for the risk. Its just that as a boxing fan thats a fight I wanted.
That's what it boils down to.
I understand why he didn't take the fight. It's not difficult to understand.
I get why he didn't.
But, as a fan, and most fans back then, we wanted to see that fight. It was available and for whatever reason he took different routes.
People try and revise things now but Margarito would have been a great win for Mayweather's legacy back then.
all the man asked was for guarantees on his next fight and he didnt get it with Arum.yet got it when he left.thats good business sense
For the most part Im agreeing with you. I also believe that Mayweather knew that Margo would be a tough fight and as you said wanted gaurantees for the risk. Its just that as a boxing fan thats a fight I wanted.
Outside of the remaining pac-tards that still show face on here, most everyone knows this. Yet lets all take in the fact that Bob didn't want the De La Hoya fight yet some of these clowns think that he actually wants the Mayweather Pac fight? lol
Like I said YEARS ago, Bob has been making fights for decades and when he's ready to make the fight, it will happen. Not even Floyd can stop him from making it. Especially when Floyd's been trying to make the fight since 2009 when Pac initially ducked out to fight a Top Rank bum named Clottey.
At the end of the day, Cotto was a better fighter this past May 5th than he was when sitting with Ricky Fatton thinking that he doesn't want anything to do with Floyd. Margarito has always been sh*t and is now a disgrace to boxing. Something I always thought of him from day one anyway.
Arum didn't think Floyd was worth 20 million for a fight with Oscar
He was wrong
Leaving Arum was the best decision of Floyds career
No question.
Bob was bitter before Mayweather became a Superstar.