Floyd Mayweather Jr. Avoids The Best Fighters

[#1Assassin]

what a piece of **** article. some ppl really have no shamemaking up things like that and some ppl are ignorant enough to believe it which is just as bad.

the only fighter floyd ever avoided is stevie johnston. FACT. ppl throw in names like kostya but floyd tried to fight him and moved up in weight for the sole purpose of fighting him, its not his fault hatton upset him and made him retire.

but as you know any and every fighter floyd hasnt fought he ducked, when you think about it do they even have to be a fighter?

doesnt matter if they are in a different weightclass or even a different era. he ducked kostya, margarito, clottey, lennox lewis, corrales, jack johnson, eder jofre, my grandmother who died in the 80's, a tuna sandwitch, a dozen microwaves and some bugs.. floyd ducked them all cuz he knew they wouldve knocked him out cold and made him chicken dance at the same time.

[S IP U IR S xII]

Eh....It's not the same Margarito though....I don't think Floyd will duck this version of Marg...Not only would he fight him if it made sense but would beat him...

However, the 2004-2007 version on the other hand...

I agree. Margs back then had all types of momentum, and was the hottest thing at the time. Really think that Margs along with his constant pressure would give Floyd fits. Wish it would've happened.

[WESS]

He could have fought both, but lets ignore the fact that turned a career high payday to fight arguably the best fighter in his division at the time.

I agree with you about the topic. Floyd COULD have fought Marg, but didn't. I never liked Marg or thought he was anything special BUT with his granted chin that just keeps on coming, would have been a very interesting fight for a fighter like Mayweather. Why he never fought him is still in question and I wouldn't argue if someone felt Floyd "ducked" him.

I don't know about that other dude you spoke of. Only fighter I wouldn't argue and say Floyd actually ducked is Margarito but I also know Floyd was trying to get out of his top rank contract. Did that have anything to do with it? Who knows.

However it would have been a great fight at that time. The fact remains though, rank wise in the WW division, Mayweather fought the 2 of the top 3 WW's right off the bat back when moving up into the division. People really like to ignore that.

[jrosales13]

Why are u acting like Floyd and Top Rank have a long history making fights together? As if this most likely didn't have anything to do with it.
Margarito has a similar style to Castillo except is no where near as good. Why would there be any reason to think that he would've ducked Margarito?



Just curious, if that is your definition, then who do you consider Pac ducking?

Pac ducked Joan Guzman(instead fought Barrera for more money), JMM ducked the rematch with Pac, Pac ducked the 3rd fight with JMM(claiming business is finished, but still fought him 3 years later?). Pac ducked Mosley, Pac ducked Berto(fought Mosley instead), P-Will(fought Margarito instead) Raheem, and Floyd. Matter of fact I guess these are not ducks...He just went on a different route that I wanted him to go.

In 2005 and 2006 was Floyd not doing business with Top Rank...Why are you acting like if he wasn't? Whether or not he could have beat him is irrelevant...The fact is that he avoided the hell out of him...And, Stevie Johnston.

[jrosales13]

I like that revisionist history, nobody especially *******s who only just started following boxing was clamoring for a cheatto fight back then..

See this is how I now how to separate someone who might not have been following the sport or was just a casual fan to someone who actually followed the sport back then.

People think that no one was clamoring for a Floyd-Margarito fight because of the Brian Kenny interview. But, yes believe it or not there were others clamoring for such a showdown back then.

I've been a Floyd Mayweather Jr. fan for ten years, ever since he dismantled Genaro Hernandez for his first world title. I marveled at how easily he destroyed Diego Corrales; I was enthralled by his toe-to-toe war with Jesus Chavez. Floyd was under-paid and underrated--I couldn't wait to see him flaunt his skills against a box-office draw.

Today, my boy stands at the cusp of greatness; four million per fight, two successful pay-per-views and the top slot on every pound for pound list. The man who once called a six-fight, twelve million dollar deal from HBO a "slave contract" is now their poster boy. Like so many of his predecessors, however, he's forgotten how he got there. But I haven't. I haven't forgotten how he manhandled Augustus, Corrales, Hernandez and Chavez in a span of about a year. Then fought Jose Luis Castillo. Twice.

That version of Mayweather is fading fast. This Pretty Boy is a businessman; one who'll take on a pug coming off a loss rather than fight the one who handed it to him. The 2006 Floyd will weigh all options, at least until someone other than Antonio Margarito makes himself available.

The first act was forgivable. Baldomir upsetting Mayweather seemed unlikely. Zab's loss to the Argentine didn’t derail the anticipation of the all Hip-Hop showdown. But the snubbing of Margarito is inexcusable and I am tired of conjuring up reasons to explain away Floyd's recent actions.

What am I supposed to tell his doubters now? Floyd's got a November date and can't seem to find a partner. Shane Mosley has declared he would need at least two fights at 147 before tackling Floyd. Ricky Hatton's new excuse is Oktay Urkal (although he should be giving Luis Collazo a rematch as Floyd did with Castillo). Miguel Cotto has some healing to do. Cory Spinks? The winner of Baldomir-Gatti? I'll let someone else attempt to justify that one.

That eight million pound elephant in the living room is getting awfully hard to ignore. Why won't Floyd fight Antonio Margarito? Some say it's because Margarito is more lore than legend. Who has he beaten, they cry? I once used that argument until I forced myself to face reality.

FACT: Antonio Margarito is the longest reigning champion at welterweight.

The Tijuana native hasn't lost at 147 in ten years, since dropping a decision to Rodney Jones at the ripe old age of 18. His only defeat in that time was when he moved up a division to fight Daniel Santos in the Boricua's backyard--a technical split decision after nine. He performed admirably, out-brawling and, at times, outboxing Santos with his underrated jab and combinations.

After stopping "Six Heads" Lewis in '03, Margarito fell to the greater war between promoter Bob Arum and archrival Don King. King, in his infinite wisdom, ignored HBO's push for a Margarito-Ricardo Mayorga showdown in favor of one with another stable-mate, the aforementioned Spinks. Spinks then lost to the title to...you guessed it. Another King fighter.

This brings us to today. Guess who's still around?

FACT: Foe for Foe, Margarito Is The Division's Best Fighter

It’s easy to pick apart a fighter’s resume. I’ve even heard some lambaste Mayweather’s as if he were a fraud. They may not be dazzling, but Margarito's victories at 147lbs. are far more respectable than the other champions. Kermit Cintron and Hercules Kyvelos, two undefeated up and comers, were dispatched inside five. Antonio Diaz, Danny Perez and Six Heads weren't puffed up either. Mayweather has been at welter for less than a year, I would argue. But it would be a crime if he left without handing Margarito the same opportunity Arturo Gatti gave him.

FACT: Styles Make Fights

Nothing on Ricky Hatton's resume suggested he could beat an accomplished champion like Kostya Tszyu. But those who saw Tszyu's battering at the hands of Vince Phillips knew the chances of an upset were high. Hatton combined his mauling style with Phillips' perfect blueprint to stop Tszyu in eleven.

Mayweather has made some of the world's best look like amateurs. But he struggled against Jose Luis Castillo twice, almost staining his pristine record the first time. Yeah, I know he won the second fight handily but do you remember how insecure he sounded asking his corner if he was winning? The similarities between Margarito and the pre-Mayweather Castillo are astounding: Two 28 yr. old fighters from Mexico with four losses a piece; battle-tested champions with the size, strength and skill to hammer any pug in their weight class. Castillo used his strength advantage to keep the smaller Mayweather pinned against the ropes while pounding him with body shots and uppercuts.

Ultimately, Floyd's craftsmanship has always shone through. I don't know if Margarito is as refined. However, he's no John Ruiz--talent and technique won't be enough to overcome his size advantages. As all of Tono's opponents learned, he possesses enough skill to draw you in a war with him, rather than forcing the issue. Would Mayweather be able to do what he did to Castillo against a natural welter?

I don't want to sound skeptical but my customized chinchilla trunks are perilously close to becoming Salvation Army material. I hope my boy isn't avoiding Margarito. But I’ve grown weary waiting. A young, hungry champion--a man after his own heart--is calling him out and a fight on November 4th can still be made. The other opponents have bowed out; even Mosley believes Floyd should fight Tono. And he has eight million reasons to do it. Isn’t a career-high payday a sound business decision?

I still favor Mayweather to beat anyone in the division, including Margarito. He's far more skilled and, properly settled into the weight, should be able to handle Tono's onslaught. But not without a fight. And that's what I want to see, not Mayweather-Spinks, Mayweather-Cintron or any of the other names that have been bandied about lately.

Silence the critics or increase the doubters.

What's it gonna be, Floyd?

http://www.fight beat.com/article_detail.php?AT=107

That's an example of how people were clamoring for such a showdown.

P.S Thit writer is a very underrated boxing journalist...IMO the best journalist that most of boxing fans have never heard of.

[WESS]

Pac ducked Joan Guzman(instead fought Barrera for more money), JMM ducked the rematch with Pac, Pac ducked the 3rd fight with JMM(claiming business is finished, but still fought him 3 years later?). Pac ducked Mosley, Pac ducked Berto(fought Mosley instead), P-Will(fought Margarito instead) Raheem, and Floyd. Matter of fact I guess these are not ducks...He just went on a different route that I wanted him to go.

In 2005 and 2006 was Floyd not doing business with Top Rank...Why are you acting like if he wasn't? Whether or not he could have beat him is irrelevant...The fact is that he avoided the hell out of him...And, Stevie Johnston.

What about Nate Cambell soup!

[jrosales13]

What about Nate Cambell soup!

You name them, he ducked them.

[AKATheMack]

I dont know that he avoids the best, but Ive been disappointed with him for several years now. I was giving him credit for facing Ortiz, but he took the easy way out instead proving his critics wrong. Nobody was calling for a JMM fight. Hatton was a good win, but never really stood a chance. De La Hoya was a good test and before that he didnt fight anyone who could test him since Castillo. I also dont understand how Pac looking bad reflects poorly on Pacs fans, it just shows that the whole nobody gains weight and looks good without roids argument was total BS and that Floyd put an obstacle in the way of a Pac fight that should have never been there.

[thatnickuh]

There are only 2 fighters, that I can say Floyd truly avoided. That was Margarito and Stevie johnston after that...Floyd didn't avoid anyone....Anybody else anyone names a case can also be said they avoided Floyd.

For whatever reason, Floyd wanted no part of Margarito and Stevie.

I see that people are still spreading that Mayweather ducked Margarito" lie huh? I thought that it was clear by now that Arum admitted that Mayweather agreed to fight Margarito if Arum would guarantee him $10mill for Cotto and Hatton plus a fight with DLH?

Nevermind, someone already checked you.

[jrosales13]

I see that people are still spreading that Mayweather ducked Margarito" lie huh? I thought that it was clear by now that Arum admitted that Mayweather agreed to fight Margarito if Arum would guarantee him $10mill for Cotto and Hatton plus a fight with DLH?

Nevermind, someone already checked you.

Again, what does he getting x amount of money in future fights have to do with turning down a career high payday against arguably the best fighter in the division at that time?

Or better yet, why not fight Margarito and then buy out the contract and go on to fight Oscar for all that money?