Did Floyd "retire" in 2007 because he was shook by the 147 division heating up?

[-Kev-]

Floyd fought Cotto while he was #1 at 154 anyway.....I think it's funny people pretend that the Floyd/Arum business relationship had NOTHING to do with that fight not happening in 2008. People also seem to forget Cotto and Top Rank wanted nothing to do with that fight when both were also prime and top fighters at 140, after Floyd put it on Gatti.

Williams.....that wouldn't have meant s**t. Yeah he would have been a tough fight, but why would Floyd have fought him after he lost to Carlos Quintana, just two months after Floyd stopped Hatton???

Margarito...the opportune times for that fight were 2006 and than Late 2008 after he beat Cotto. As far as 2006 goes, Floyd didn't seem interested in that fight obviously. It wouldn't have been career defining by any means, I mean who had Margarito really beaten prior to that fight to make it that level of a fight??? But it would have been a solid/good win that would have looked good for him. You also have to be fully aware that Floyd was targeting just as good and just as big of fights in Oscar and Mosley at this time, which factored into it. Also, Floyd had said he'd fight Margarito if he could get guarantee's for Cotto and Oscar too, which Arum said he wasn't willing to do.

They feel he just had to crawl back to Arum after Arum talked all that crap about him after leaving. Floyd had to be the saint of the two and try to reconcile with such a bitter old man. Look how he talked about Cotto right after he left TR. How can you do business with a man like that? They will still argue that Mayweather should have fought Marg/Cotto, but they will not make any sense of it at all, as to how the hell were those fights going to happen unless Cotto and Margarito left TR?

Smiles in your face, shakes your hand, but talks trash for the interviews, tries to smear your name. These fools, Top Rank defenders act like Bob Arum wouldn't try smearing their favorite fighters too. De La Hoya, Mayweather, Cotto...Arum criticized all three of them as soon as they left. Obviously the hate is even stronger with DLH and Mayweather.

[ralph22]

In 07-08 cotto and williams were ***in monsters they were at theyre primes

[Phenom]

In 07-08 cotto and williams were ***in monsters they were at theyre primes

Cotto was never a monster in any point of his life


like never

[PAC-BOY]

wow what a lop sided Floyd Poll as usual :WORD:! Look at he 8 so far that dont think he didnt,,,,,,,

:AOR:-EX-, Brandish, DanboSmitty, DeadLikeMe, mrcupide2, Sammy2g3, TheBoxing****er, warp1432 :AOR:

[ADP02]

They feel he just had to crawl back to Arum after Arum talked all that crap about him after leaving. Floyd had to be the saint of the two and try to reconcile with such a bitter old man. Look how he talked about Cotto right after he left TR. How can you do business with a man like that? They will still argue that Mayweather should have fought Marg/Cotto, but they will not make any sense of it at all, as to how the hell were those fights going to happen unless Cotto and Margarito left TR?

Smiles in your face, shakes your hand, but talks trash for the interviews, tries to smear your name. These fools, Top Rank defenders act like Bob Arum wouldn't try smearing their favorite fighters too. De La Hoya, Mayweather, Cotto...Arum criticized all three of them as soon as they left. Obviously the hate is even stronger with DLH and Mayweather.

Those are just excuses.

Initially Margarito, Floyd and Cotto were all part of Arum's stable. It still didn't happen.

Manny faced Oscar as an example. It made money for Arum so it made sense! Same would apply if Floyd fought Margarito, Cotto, Manny and so on.

If Floyd didn't fight one guy, perhaps one can make a case but to constantly avoid fighting these guys then it just doesn't hold water and you just can't defend that no longer.

You just have to listen carefully during his interviews then go back and see who he fought and when he fought them. Meaning, were they ready or were they elite at the division they fought Floyd or out of prime fighters or just not good when they faced Floyd.

They don't call Floyd "money" for nothing.

[cupocity303]

How we have/had the debate about Floyd ducking Pac, we had this debate back in 2007 all over these forums...probably not as big as the Pac v Floyd debates but still very big. I honestly think, he saw Cotto as a legit threat, anytime he sees someone who is a legit threat I noticed he never ends up fighting them or ends up fighting them years after it should have happened.

He NEVER fought Margarito when that fight was hot in 2006.
He NEVER fought Cotto when Miguel was at his best in 2007.
He NEVER fought Paul Williams in 2007/2008 when he was on a tear and beating the likes of Margarito.
He NEVER fought Pac period even when there was a DISGUSTINGLY HIGH number offered.

I'm still a big Mayweather fan because of how clean and pure his boxing is but his legacy could have been so much better. I think he could have beaten most of these fighters maybe ALL but he didn't take those chances.

He will accept these types of challenges once his 0 has been taken away. Like RJJ, once these egomaniac's with a overblown opinion of themselves, take a legitimate loss; they start taking fight after fight to make up for lost times. He is basically semi-retired now and only wants to fight like an Delahoya-esque All-Star. Give him a loss and his activity will pick up while he is past his prime and sliding.

I yearn for that time to come. Heck he may even consider going abroad once the 0 has been taken away. I doubt that he has the type of quitters character that Tito and Hamed have, after they lost their first fight. But then again, they got dominated. It depends on how you lose.

[4Corners]

Why not in 2000? In 2001? 2002? Why not go for a fight with Tszyu instead of Bruseles?

Why fight a career featherweight who was fighting at lightweight at age 36 in 2009, and forcing him to move up to 147, rather than taking on one of the welterweights?

Why fight the smaller Hatton when same-size Mosley was calling him out in 2007? (Mosely was still very good then, as we saw in his fight with Collazo)

Floyd wasn't even in the same weight class those years.........Floyd didn't duck Tszyu, he actually was targeting the Tszyu-Hatton winner for Late 2005. When Hatton and his side made it known they weren't ready for the likes of Mayweather yet, he moved on to 147.

[4Corners]

Incredible:
1) So do you really think we are going to buy that today's version of Cotto held the same weight in boxing as the one from 2007/2008 (pre Margarito, Clottey and Manny wars)?

So a loss for Williams was enough not to fight him but he still fought this years version of Cotto who fought and lost several wars. No problem there. Right?

Arum wanted Cotto vs Floyd and said if there is anyone that can beat Floyd its going to be Cotto BUT Cotto was not ready yet and needed more time and experience and more development. Floyd is smart enough to see this so Floyd wanted a "young still developing lion". Where have we heard that before from Floyd? Same scenario, different fighters ....

2) P. Williams called out Floyd. Floyd never ever wanted Williams as that was not a good style for Floyd. Imagine a southpaw with a height and reach advantage that never stopped throwing? Williams was tall enough to go over the shoulder roll of Floyd's with his right .... so Williams had a visible target with both hands.

Everyone stated that Floyd was avoiding Williams back then. Everyone was.

3) Margarito shouldn't even be a question of "IF" it was a duck because it was an obvious one at that.


4) What does Margarito have to do with Cotto or Oscar? That is the lamest excuse one can think of. Besides, why would Arum not make Cotto fight Floyd? It was a question of when Cotto was ready but Floyd didn't want to confront that version of Cotto.

Floyd, Margarito and Cotto were all part of Arum's stable. Yet, Floyd fans are giving excuses as to why it wasn't made. Then later, Floyd didn't fight them because he was no longer part of Arum's stable. You can't have it both ways!!!

So are you telling me Floyd shouldn't have fought Hatton in Late 07', who was undefeated and Top 10 P4P, and he should have fought Williams, who had one legit one at that point. And Cotto lost to Pacquiao and Margarito, Williams lost to CARLOS QUINTANA.....that's a little different.

I'm saying Floyd still fought Cotto, while he was still a top fighter at that weight.

How do you feel personally about Pacquiao not fighting Joan Guzman, Zahir Raheem, Shane Mosley in 09/10, etc????

I love how people give Floyd grief for fighting Baldomir when Margarito was there, but then when you bring up Pacquiao could have fought Joan Guzman or Joel Casamayor in Mid 2008.....he ended up fighting David Diaz.....

[AztecWanker]

So are you telling me Floyd shouldn't have fought Hatton in Late 07', who was undefeated and Top 10 P4P, and he should have fought Williams, who had one legit one at that point. And Cotto lost to Pacquiao and Margarito, Williams lost to CARLOS QUINTANA.....that's a little different.

I'm saying Floyd still fought Cotto, while he was still a top fighter at that weight.

How do you feel personally about Pacquiao not fighting Joan Guzman, Zahir Raheem, Shane Mosley in 09/10, etc????

I love how people give Floyd grief for fighting Baldomir when Margarito was there, but then when you bring up Pacquiao could have fought Joan Guzman or Joel Casamayor in Mid 2008.....he ended up fighting David Diaz.....

I agree with the bolded. You can also say the same for Marquez. LW was hot in 08, you had Pac, JMM, Guzman, Valero, Katsidis, the 3 Diaz etc... Marquez fought Pacquiao, over and over and over.

[LeG00N]

yea except that Pacquiao didn't fight acouple fighter but after he fought Diaz he went up 2 weight classes to fight Oscar and Hatton at his best weigh

Marquez didn't fight acouple fighters but after Diaz he went up 2 weight classes to fight Mayweather



Mayweather ducked Margarito to fight bum ass Baldomir. Then retired when things got really hot.