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I think this applies to every top fighter who's fought in the past 50-60 years.
Top Fighters at one point or another are criticized (heavily or not) for not fighting a particular fighter. But in the case of Floyd, he was destined to be one of the top fighters in the sport from early in his career, and or even becoming the very best in his era. But with high notoriety also comes high scrutiny. Floyd's a great fighter, but he also chooses his path wisely. He looks at the big picture, and if a certain fight doesn't fit into his plan, then the fight won't happen. I don't think he's truly ducked someone because he was afraid of them, but the reality is...that Mayweather is a brand, make no mistake about it, and he'll do whatever it takes to keep that brand going. Right now he's a the pinnacle of his career physically and publicly and now is when he's also meeting his toughest challenges (Mosley, and presumably Pacquiao). I think deep down, beneath the character he portrays on TV, he knows himself that this part of his career is going to define him as a fighter for years to come.
He may have never fought Cotto, Margarito, Clottey, etc, but fighting and beating Mosley and Pacquiao would be career defining wins that a win over Cotto or Marg couldn't trump (at least in today's scheme of things).
Top Fighters at one point or another are criticized (heavily or not) for not fighting a particular fighter. But in the case of Floyd, he was destined to be one of the top fighters in the sport from early in his career, and or even becoming the very best in his era. But with high notoriety also comes high scrutiny. Floyd's a great fighter, but he also chooses his path wisely. He looks at the big picture, and if a certain fight doesn't fit into his plan, then the fight won't happen. I don't think he's truly ducked someone because he was afraid of them, but the reality is...that Mayweather is a brand, make no mistake about it, and he'll do whatever it takes to keep that brand going. Right now he's a the pinnacle of his career physically and publicly and now is when he's also meeting his toughest challenges (Mosley, and presumably Pacquiao). I think deep down, beneath the character he portrays on TV, he knows himself that this part of his career is going to define him as a fighter for years to come.
He may have never fought Cotto, Margarito, Clottey, etc, but fighting and beating Mosley and Pacquiao would be career defining wins that a win over Cotto or Marg couldn't trump (at least in today's scheme of things).
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