by David P. Greisman
He was a champion beyond brimming with confidence and charisma – his personality seemed exaggerated to some, entertaining to others. The man interviewing him would inspire rants and riffs. He would exchange banter, send out sound bites and keep those watching at home glued to their seats.
Muhammad Ali’s greatness was made in the ring. His celebrity grew on the television screen, largely in interviews with Howard Cosell.
“Ali and Cosell worked the way comedy teams always worked,” Dave Kindred wrote in his introduction to “Sound and Fury: Two Powerful Lives, One Powerful Friendship,” a dual biography that examines the professional and personal interaction between the two.
Cosell served as the straight man for Ali to deliver his routines. But each benefited from the relationship, and each appreciated the other.
“Cosell loved Ali, the rebel with a belief, and Ali loved Cosell, the cranky old white guy brave enough to stand with him in the storm,” Kindred wrote.
Like Ali, Floyd Mayweather Jr. is overflowing with confidence, self-assuredness at times bordering on cockiness. His greatness in the ring is unquestionable, a product of his stellar offensive ability and his superlative defense. It is because of his greatness that, on camera and in interviews, he can be put on the defensive to the point of being offensive.
“You can be my Howard Cosell and I can be Muhammad Ali if you want to,” Mayweather said in a February 2006 interview with Brian Kenny, the ESPN anchor and host of ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights.”
“You want to be Howard Cosell?” Mayweather asked.
Kenny declined. That didn’t mean an end to their back-and-forth. Kenny and Mayweather have shared a screen again since then, the anchor asking questions, the boxer battling via verbal volleys.
They tangled again last week. As with a pair of past Mayweather outbursts, this one requires interpretation and adjudication, sorting fact from fiction via a sort of printed mediation.
We go to the scorecards:
Round One – Mayweather’s Pound-For-Pound Status
Mayweather: “I’m not no former number-one pound-for-pound fighter. I’m the best fighter in the sport of boxing. No one has dethroned me.”
Kenny: “You retired. You want to be champion emeritus forever?”
Who’s right: Kenny.
Yes, Mayweather’s retirement lasted less than a year. And yes, Mayweather, when he steps in the ring against Marquez on July 18, will have only gone 19 months between fights. But two factors work against Mayweather: time, and his own words.
Pound-for-pound status is both mythical and hypothetical. There is no official championship, just contemplation of which fighter has shown himself to be the best.
Various writers have various criteria. I favor rankings that don’t just consider what a fighter has done, but what a fighter has done lately – their consistency and their activity.
Mayweather hasn’t fought since December 2007. And he retired, announcing (for the third time) that he was leaving the sport. Few believed him, but that doesn’t change the simple fact that he retired. When he did, that meant he gave up his top spot in pound-for-pound rankings.
There has to be a time limit. Mayweather couldn’t reclaim his pound-for-pound status after, say, a four-year retirement without coming back and earning it.
The good news is this return gives him the opportunity to do exactly that.
Round Two – Kenny’s Qualifications
Mayweather: “I already forgot who I’m talking to. I’m talking to Brian Kenny. A guy who never laced up gloves a day in his life, who don’t know nothing about boxing.”
Kenny didn’t respond to Mayweather’s deriding his credentials, though he did defend himself against similar insults back in 2006.
Who’s right: Kenny.
Mayweather tried the same line of logic against HBO commentator Larry Merchant in a post-fight interview in November 2006 following Mayweather’s decision win against Carlos Baldomir.
“Larry Merchant is just a commentator,” Mayweather said at the time. “He don’t know nothing about boxing.”
Hogwash.
There is plenty that those who haven’t fought will never understand quite as well as those who have stepped in the ring. That doesn’t mean a commentator can’t capably break down the action in the ring, and a commentator, even one who has never fought, can easily opine on the maneuverings of fighters, managers and promoters outside of the ring.
Most of Mayweather’s fans don’t box either. Do they know anything about boxing?
Round Three – Mayweather as Cash Cow
Mayweather: “What these fighters done since I’ve been gone together in pay-per-view, out of all the fighters, haven’t topped what I’ve done in two fights.”
And later… “It took me two times. 3.5 million homes. Me.”
Kenny: “With Oscar De La Hoya, though.”
Who’s right: Both.
Mayweather became a pay-per-view draw seemingly just by proclaiming himself so. He headlined his first pay-per-view in June 2005 against Arturo Gatti, and only one of his next five fights was not on pay-per-view.
Some perspective is in order, though. Mayweather, for all his talent, had difficulty filling arenas for much of his career. Gatti was the box-office draw, as was De La Hoya.
Gatti-Mayweather engendered 365,000 pay-per-view buys, according to BoxingScene’s own Robert Morales, writing for the Long Beach Press-Telegram (the source for all of the following numbers for Mayweather fights, too). Mayweather’s bout with Zab Judah pulled in 375,000 buys. His bout with Carlos Baldomir sold 300,000.
At the time, those weren’t bad numbers. They weren’t great numbers.
De La Hoya-Mayweather paired the biggest star with arguably the best fighter in boxing. The 2.44 million buys that fight received broke all records and gave Mayweather a chance to capitalize through De La Hoya’s popularity.
Mayweather did just that. His bout with Ricky Hatton engendered 900,000 buys in the United States and 1.4 million buys in the United Kingdom.
Pacquiao’s bout with De La Hoya pulled in at least 1.25 million buys. Not bad for a fighter whose previous pay-per-view outings had always been in the 300,000 range. And not bad against a De La Hoya whose box office presence was diminishing but who could still draw crowds and casual viewers.
Pacquiao also capitalized on De La Hoya’s popularity. His recent knockout of Hatton sold between 825,000 and 850,000 buys in the United States. In a tough economy, that’s a significant number.
Round Four – The Timing of Mayweather’s Comeback
Kenny: “Why not wait one more weekend?”
Mayweather: “I don’t have to wait for nobody. I move whenever I want to move.”
And later, Mayweather: “Marquez is the guy who called me out.”
Kenny: “Why not face the guy who won the Pacquiao-Marquez fight?”
Who’s right: Mayweather.
I erred here, too. When the news first came out that Mayweather would be holding a press conference, presumably about his return, on the day of the Hatton-Pacquiao fight, I noted that I thought the timing of Mayweather’s announcement would trump the biggest fight of the year and would be nearly as bad as when agent Scott Boras announced, during game 4 of the 2007 World Series, that Alex Rodriguez would opt out of his contract with the New York Yankees.
Here’s what I wrote later:
“Given a week to think about it, I believe now that the timing of Mayweather’s announcement wasn’t necessarily about ego. Mayweather’s first bout back, which will come July 18 against Juan Manuel Marquez, will be promoted by Golden Boy Promotions. Golden Boy was one of two promoters heading the Hatton-Pacquiao card.
“It is in Golden Boy’s best economic interest to latch the newsworthy announcement of Mayweather-Marquez onto a bout that was the biggest event so far this year. And with a mass of media members already in Vegas, it made even more sense to do the press conference then and there.”
Round Five – Who’s the Boss?
Mayweather: “Bob Arum is Manny Pacquiao’s boss. Floyd Mayweather is his own boss.”
Kenny: “If you’re the cash king, you can make the call.”
Who’s right: Neither.
Yes, if Mayweather and Pacquiao are ever to meet, it’s possible that Mayweather and his former promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank Inc., can work out the issues between them. After all, Arum and Golden Boy Promotions quashed their own long, bitter feud. Barring that, it’d probably take a lot of money to pacify both sides. Pacquiao-Mayweather would indeed make a lot of money. But it’d take both sides choosing money over their principles. That said, it wouldn’t be the first time.
As for Mayweather’s claim that he’s his own boss: What does it say that when Mayweather came back, he chose to sign with Golden Boy Promotions? What happened to Mayweather Promotions? Will it continue to be another shell company propped up by a legitimate promoter?
Still, Mayweather does control his own destiny.
Round Six – Who Was More Impressive Against De La Hoya and Hatton: Pacquiao or Mayweather?
Mayweather: “Me, of course.”
Kenny: “He [Pacquiao] barely lost a round to both guys.”
And later… “He fought the last two guys you fought and did a better job with both of them.”
Who’s right: Kenny by an edge.
Mayweather beat them before Pacquiao did. One would be hard-pressed to find a damaging blow De La Hoya landed against Mayweather, and Mayweather negated Hatton’s game before scoring the highlight reel knockout.
Pacquiao whitewashed De La Hoya and Hatton in entertaining style.
Each got the victories. Pacquiao got his in a fashion that, from opening bell to Michael Buffer announcing the official result, made viewers want to see him again.
Round Seven – Facing A Lighter Fighter
Mayweather: “Marquez and Pacquiao can fight and it’s no problem. I’m too big for Marquez but I’m not too big for Pacquiao?”
Kenny: “You’re the welterweight champ. This guy’s the lightweight champ.”
Who’s right: Mayweather.
Mayweather distracted from his point by suddenly acting like a child, clapping and demanding Kenny answer questions in a reversal of roles.
Both Marquez and Pacquiao are naturally smaller than Mayweather, who turned pro as a junior lightweight and rose up through heavier divisions. Marquez and Pacquiao fought each other at the 130-pound limit just 14 months ago.
It’s exciting for elite, lighter fights to challenge elite, heavier fighters. The heavier fighter shouldn’t be criticized for facing a top opponent. That said, he is expected to win.
Mayweather was dead-on in pointing out the flaw in logic. He can and should face Marquez, just as he can and should face Pacquiao.
Round Eight – Pacquiao’s Past Pedigree
Mayweather: “Has Pacquiao been knocked out twice?”
Kenny: “A decade ago.”
Mayweather: “Have Pacquiao been out-boxed by Erik Morales?”
Kenny: “One fight he lost to him, yeah.”
Who’s right: Both, with an edge to Kenny.
Pacquiao has been knocked out twice: once in 1996, by Rustico Torrecamp, and once in 1999, by Medgoen Singsurat. And Pacquiao did lose to Erik Morales in the first bout of their trilogy, with all three judges scoring the bout 115-113 for Morales.
So what?
Pacquiao’s won 10 straight since that Morales loss, including two knockouts of Morales, decisions over Marco Antono Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez and early nights against David Diaz, De La Hoya and Hatton.
Those past losses don’t make Pacquiao any less of an all-time great. Fighters fight, and almost all of them lose. And in the past few years, Pacquiao has grown beyond the fighter who once got by with being one-dimensional and has grown into a well-rounded, complete boxer-puncher.
The “oh” at the end of a record isn’t everything. The quality of the wins mean as much, if not more, as the quantity of losses.
Round Nine – Why Not Mosley?
Mayweather: “I don’t fight for bragging rights. I proved myself.”
Kenny: “So why not fight Shane Mosley, who’s the welterweight champion of the world right now?”
Who’s right: Mayweather.
Kenny seemed to argue that other fighters are as deserving of facing Mayweather, if not more so.
There are indeed other fighters who it’d be great to see Mayweather face. But just because Mayweather’s facing Marquez now doesn’t mean those bouts won’t happen later.
Mayweather signed a five-fight deal with Golden Boy Promotions. Done right, this could build up anticipation for bouts with Mosley or Pacquiao.
Round Ten – Are Other Fighters Deserving?
Mayweather: “Who, Shane Mosley who’s got five losses? That’s the one you’re talking about?”
Kenny: “Shane Mosley, the guy who totally dismantled Antonio Margarito.”
Mayweather: “And he [Margarito] beat Cotto, and Cotto beat him [Mosley]. All these guys beat each other, but nobody’s beat Floyd Mayweather.”
Who’s right: Kenny, though Mayweather need not be criticized for not facing Mosley in his first fight back.
Fights are won and lost in the ring, not on paper. Mayweather can diminish a potential opponent as not being suited to be in the ring with him, but he doesn’t get credit until he actually proves them as being so. There’s a difference between being the best fighter in a division and showing it.
Since when did a loss mean a fighter wasn’t good enough for the undefeated Mayweather?
In his 39 wins, Mayweather’s only faced two top-tier undefeated opponents: Diego Corrales and Ricky Hatton.
Round Eleven – Is Marquez a Bigger Pay-Per-View Draw Than Mosley?
Mayweather: “He’s [Mosley’s] not a pay-per-view attraction.”
Kenny: “Shane Mosley’s not? Compared to Juan Manuel Marquez?”
Mayweather: “He [Marquez] got a country behind him. A country.”
Who’s right: Kenny.
Mosley’s bouts with De La Hoya and Fernando Vargas pulled in more pay-per-view buys than any of Marquez’s fights. One could argue, of course, that Mosley needed both De La Hoya and Vargas to reach those buy rates.
Mayweather needed De La Hoya and Hatton to reach his high pay-per-view buy rates. It waits to be seen whether Mayweather and Marquez can even approach those figures.
Round Twelve – Mayweather and Dodging
Mayweather: “I’ve never ducked or dodged anybody.”
Who’s right: Not Mayweather. Not quite, at least.
Accusations of ducking and dodging are tired and overdone anyway. That said, Mayweather did turn down $8 million to face Antonio Margarito in order to take a similar payday against Carlos Baldomir, who at the time was the welterweight champion.
Kenny spoke about the Mayweather interview last week.
“I really don’t go in with an agenda to nail Floyd Mayweather on anything, really. I just go in wanting to ask him about his fights and his career,” Kenny said in a podcast for ESPN.com. “There are questions that need to be asked.”
Mayweather-Kenny is no Ali-Cosell. But Mayweather still uses his interviews with Kenny to sell his fights. Mayweather wasn’t anywhere near as much of a draw until he started playing the role of a heel, the wrestling villain whose talk and actions make fans dole out their money in hopes of seeing them shut up and put in their place.
It doesn’t matter how much of what Mayweather says is true or accurate. For him, it only matters how much he gets to put in his bank account because of what he said.
The 10 Count will return in two weeks.
David P. Greisman is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. His weekly column, “Fighting Words,” appears every Monday on BoxingScene.com. He may be reached for questions and comments at fightingwords1@gmail.com