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By Jacob Mackberg - Everybody in boxing, from the writers, commentators, "experts", and fans, has an opinion, usually a very strong one, on Floyd Mayweather. If you want to get an intense debate going in boxing circles, just mention his name, and you are sure to find sentiments ranging from him being the best boxer alive, to him being an over-rated loud mouth who hand picks opponents and refuses to fight anyone worthy.
I'm always astonished by the intense reactions Floyd Mayweather brings out in people, but I think it's time to get away from biased opinion and time to focus on the facts, and look at what has actually happened in an objective light.. Objectivity is the foundation of intelligence, and it would appear that objectivity has been lacking in the endless Floyd Mayweather debate.
Let's start off by looking at what has actually happened in Mayweather's career. He started out at 130 pounds at age 19. Two years later, he became champion by dominating and knocking out Genaro Hernandez in eight rounds. He successfully defended his title eight times. Three of those eight victims would later go on to win world titles.
Floyd then moved up to challenge Jose Luis Castillo for the 135-pound title. What we know, mostly because we have heard it over and over, is that it was his toughest fight, and he might even have been given a gift. What is not trumpeted so often or as loudly, is that he fought with a bad shoulder. Or the fact that he gave Castillio an immediate rematch, which he won convincingly.
The lack of objectivity concerning Floyd Mayweather first reared its head following the first Castillo fight, with many believing that the way to beat Floyd was to apply relentless pressure, and conveniently forget that he was injured and had no such problems in the return match when he was healthy.
It was that very instance that lead to Ricky Hatton getting knocked out silly, including getting his head bounced off the turnbuckle five years later. In light of Mayweather being in a WWE Wrestlemania match, the irony does not fail to escape or humor me.
Continuing to move up in weight, he moved to the 140-pound limit, with a solid win over DeMarcus Corley. Two fights later and it was on to his first pay-per-view fight and division title against Arturo Gatti. We all know what happened. It was a masterclass clinic. It was the worst beating I have even seen taken by a man who entered the ring as a world champion.
I've seen guys knocked out in the first, but this fight was six rounds, six rounds in which the champion did absolutely nothing that conveyed a sense of being the world champion. However, for Mayweather, it was his first fight on the big stage and he delivered.
At that time, Ricky Hatton had just beaten Kosta Tszyu, and was rightly seen as the true 140-pound champ. He beat the man who beat the man. There was talk of a Mayweather-Hatton fight, and with Cotto in the mix, the junior-welterweight division had three young, dominating, marquee fighters. Fans were salivating at the possibilities.
Those dream matchups were not to be, or so it seemed, when Mayweather moved up again in weight to 147, his second weight-division climb in two years. There were people saying he was ducking both Hatton and Cotto, and was not interested in a real challenge.
His first fight at the weight was against Sharmba Mitchell, and in some circles, he was heavily criticized for "taking an easy fight". Those who leveled those claims didn't seem to have a problem with Kosta Tszyu fighting Mitchell twice, or take into account it was Mayweather's first fight at 147, and third weight class in two years.
He then began negotiations to fight "Super" Zab Judah for all the 147 pound marbles. Judah was fresh off a knock-out win over Cory Spinks, and was the linear champ. No one had ever questioned Zab's skill, it was his mental game that has always been suspect. After the Spinks win, it seemed as if he had finally put it all together, and had become the fighter most had long felt he had the potential to be.
So Floyd and Zab agreed to fight. Zab would have a routine tune-up and they would get it on. But even the best laid plans can go awry, and an unfocused Zab lost his belt and linear-champion status to Carlos Baldomir. Bet you didn't see that coming.
Funny thing, this sport of boxing though. Seems like Carlos couldn't pay a sanctioning fee, so he never got the belt he fought for and seemingly won. Where does that leave Floyd Mayweather?
Since the Judah fight was already planned, he went through with it and that decision lead to all kinds of criticism of him and the organizations that refused to give Baldomir the title. Let's stay focused on what actually happened.
Floyd fought a focused Zab Judah, who gave an excellent account of himself for about four or five rounds. Then Floyd picked him apart and was on his way to what I believe was a stoppage victory, and then Judah fouled him with a low blow, and all hell broke loose. Everyone in both corners lost it, except for one man, Floyd Mayweather.
When the smoke cleared, Floyd's trainer, uncle Roger Mayweather, was ejected, and eventually Roger, Zab, and Zab's father and trainer Yoel, would end up with suspended licenses. After that fight, Floyd fought and virtually shutout Carlos Baldomir to become the linear 147-pound champ. His trainer happened to be in jail at the time, and oh yeah, Baldomir weighed 163 on fight night.
Meanwhile, Miguel Cotto continued to impress at his new weight, knocking out good fighter after good fighter, showing some vulnerablity a la the Ricardo Torres fight, but improving, and most importantly, winning.
In my opinion it is impossible to be a boxing fan and not be a Miguel Cotto fan. He is that good, and embodies everything we love about fighters. Not to mention he now has great skills to match his toughness and grit.
Ricky Hatton had a different experience. He fought Luis Callazo, and squeaked out a decision many felt he did not deserve. It seems like the guy who relies on strength and pressure was not strong enough to handle the pressure at 147, at a time when Mayweather and Cotto were shining. He quickly went down to a weight were he would be able to bully smaller men, but not before making the most revealing statement ever made about the world of talent that divided him from Floyd Mayweather.
Right after the Collazo fight Hatton said, quote, "I am not ready for the likes of a Mayweather".
Unfortunately for his pride (and noggin), but fortunately for his wallet, he lost that objectivity, objectivity that came in the form of a 147-pound reality check. Little did he know then, objectivity would be partialy restored 19 months later.
As Cotto kept moving forward and Hatton moved back down, Mayweather got himself the biggest fight in history, a fight no boxer would turn down. Oscar De La Hoya, the "Golden Boy", and most lucrative opponent and future hall of famer. In all of the drama building up to the fight, what often gets left out, perhaps deliberately or just over shadowed by the other headlines, is that that fight might never had happened.
I'm always astonished by the intense reactions Floyd Mayweather brings out in people, but I think it's time to get away from biased opinion and time to focus on the facts, and look at what has actually happened in an objective light.. Objectivity is the foundation of intelligence, and it would appear that objectivity has been lacking in the endless Floyd Mayweather debate.
Let's start off by looking at what has actually happened in Mayweather's career. He started out at 130 pounds at age 19. Two years later, he became champion by dominating and knocking out Genaro Hernandez in eight rounds. He successfully defended his title eight times. Three of those eight victims would later go on to win world titles.
Floyd then moved up to challenge Jose Luis Castillo for the 135-pound title. What we know, mostly because we have heard it over and over, is that it was his toughest fight, and he might even have been given a gift. What is not trumpeted so often or as loudly, is that he fought with a bad shoulder. Or the fact that he gave Castillio an immediate rematch, which he won convincingly.
The lack of objectivity concerning Floyd Mayweather first reared its head following the first Castillo fight, with many believing that the way to beat Floyd was to apply relentless pressure, and conveniently forget that he was injured and had no such problems in the return match when he was healthy.
It was that very instance that lead to Ricky Hatton getting knocked out silly, including getting his head bounced off the turnbuckle five years later. In light of Mayweather being in a WWE Wrestlemania match, the irony does not fail to escape or humor me.
Continuing to move up in weight, he moved to the 140-pound limit, with a solid win over DeMarcus Corley. Two fights later and it was on to his first pay-per-view fight and division title against Arturo Gatti. We all know what happened. It was a masterclass clinic. It was the worst beating I have even seen taken by a man who entered the ring as a world champion.
I've seen guys knocked out in the first, but this fight was six rounds, six rounds in which the champion did absolutely nothing that conveyed a sense of being the world champion. However, for Mayweather, it was his first fight on the big stage and he delivered.
At that time, Ricky Hatton had just beaten Kosta Tszyu, and was rightly seen as the true 140-pound champ. He beat the man who beat the man. There was talk of a Mayweather-Hatton fight, and with Cotto in the mix, the junior-welterweight division had three young, dominating, marquee fighters. Fans were salivating at the possibilities.
Those dream matchups were not to be, or so it seemed, when Mayweather moved up again in weight to 147, his second weight-division climb in two years. There were people saying he was ducking both Hatton and Cotto, and was not interested in a real challenge.
His first fight at the weight was against Sharmba Mitchell, and in some circles, he was heavily criticized for "taking an easy fight". Those who leveled those claims didn't seem to have a problem with Kosta Tszyu fighting Mitchell twice, or take into account it was Mayweather's first fight at 147, and third weight class in two years.
He then began negotiations to fight "Super" Zab Judah for all the 147 pound marbles. Judah was fresh off a knock-out win over Cory Spinks, and was the linear champ. No one had ever questioned Zab's skill, it was his mental game that has always been suspect. After the Spinks win, it seemed as if he had finally put it all together, and had become the fighter most had long felt he had the potential to be.
So Floyd and Zab agreed to fight. Zab would have a routine tune-up and they would get it on. But even the best laid plans can go awry, and an unfocused Zab lost his belt and linear-champion status to Carlos Baldomir. Bet you didn't see that coming.
Funny thing, this sport of boxing though. Seems like Carlos couldn't pay a sanctioning fee, so he never got the belt he fought for and seemingly won. Where does that leave Floyd Mayweather?
Since the Judah fight was already planned, he went through with it and that decision lead to all kinds of criticism of him and the organizations that refused to give Baldomir the title. Let's stay focused on what actually happened.
Floyd fought a focused Zab Judah, who gave an excellent account of himself for about four or five rounds. Then Floyd picked him apart and was on his way to what I believe was a stoppage victory, and then Judah fouled him with a low blow, and all hell broke loose. Everyone in both corners lost it, except for one man, Floyd Mayweather.
When the smoke cleared, Floyd's trainer, uncle Roger Mayweather, was ejected, and eventually Roger, Zab, and Zab's father and trainer Yoel, would end up with suspended licenses. After that fight, Floyd fought and virtually shutout Carlos Baldomir to become the linear 147-pound champ. His trainer happened to be in jail at the time, and oh yeah, Baldomir weighed 163 on fight night.
Meanwhile, Miguel Cotto continued to impress at his new weight, knocking out good fighter after good fighter, showing some vulnerablity a la the Ricardo Torres fight, but improving, and most importantly, winning.
In my opinion it is impossible to be a boxing fan and not be a Miguel Cotto fan. He is that good, and embodies everything we love about fighters. Not to mention he now has great skills to match his toughness and grit.
Ricky Hatton had a different experience. He fought Luis Callazo, and squeaked out a decision many felt he did not deserve. It seems like the guy who relies on strength and pressure was not strong enough to handle the pressure at 147, at a time when Mayweather and Cotto were shining. He quickly went down to a weight were he would be able to bully smaller men, but not before making the most revealing statement ever made about the world of talent that divided him from Floyd Mayweather.
Right after the Collazo fight Hatton said, quote, "I am not ready for the likes of a Mayweather".
Unfortunately for his pride (and noggin), but fortunately for his wallet, he lost that objectivity, objectivity that came in the form of a 147-pound reality check. Little did he know then, objectivity would be partialy restored 19 months later.
As Cotto kept moving forward and Hatton moved back down, Mayweather got himself the biggest fight in history, a fight no boxer would turn down. Oscar De La Hoya, the "Golden Boy", and most lucrative opponent and future hall of famer. In all of the drama building up to the fight, what often gets left out, perhaps deliberately or just over shadowed by the other headlines, is that that fight might never had happened.
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