Mayweather isn't a big welter

[Main Source]

I'll keep it short because there isn't really much discussion.

Why do a lot of you think that Mayweather should fight guys like Martinez, Canelo and Trout who come in at 165-170 on fight-night? Trout pushed Cotto around like he was made of paper.

Even your (our) late hero Emanuel Steward said that Floyd was a small welterweight. He said it on two occasions - once against Hatton and once against Mosley.

The first apparent indication is that Floyd comes in at 151, at max - and that's for a middleweight fight.

What makes you think that Floyd belongs in the middleweight division?

[Rip Chudd]

He is a small welter, that I will admit. But if he doesn't want to fight the likes of Canelo or Trout or even Martinez then he shouldn't campaign at Junior Middle. Pretty simple.

[IronDanHamza]

He's not a big WW but that doesn't mean he shouldn't move up and face bigger challenges. Fighters of the past haven't been big for a weight but have moved up and sometimes even won at higher weights than it seemed they could go.

I'm not saying Mayweather should fight at 160 or is obligated to but I don't see why not if he feels he can win. I personally think he could beat Martinez at 160.

It's not like he hasn't faced bigger men than him before. He's done it on many occasions.

And as for 154, if he can fight Cotto and Oscar at 154 then he can fight anyone at 154. If you make the weight you make the weight.

Cotto and Oscar are both bigger than Mayweather anyway so it's not like he can't face other big Jr MW's.

[Doctor_Tenma]

I'll wait for Freedom to come in here and mention Floyd's reach.

[BennyST]

He's not big at 147 but he's not small either. He's just sort of in the middle to lower these days. Certainly has never struggled because of any size issue and has never really had any size disadvantage at all anyway, apart from Oscar at 154 when he had only been at 147 for a short while.

It's like saying Duran was small at 147. He faced bigger guys than Floyd did, he was shorter, with less reach and started at a much lower weight too, and was already showing signs of being flabby and soft at 147 (apart from against Palomino and Leonard) but while he certainly wasn't an average solid guy there, he wasn't small either.

For a guy that's 5'8" with a 72" reach, 147 is not out of his depth at all. His one downfall was that he didn't have a big, solid frame to go with his height and reach. He's developed into a solid, pretty averaged sized 147 pounder now IMO.

[Biolink]

He is a small welter, that I will admit. But if he doesn't want to fight the likes of Canelo or Trout or even Martinez then he shouldn't campaign at Junior Middle. Pretty simple.

I'd hardly call two fights within 5 years of each other a campaign. Unless you are talking future tense.

[Rip Chudd]

I'd hardly call two fights within 5 years of each other a campaign. Unless you are talking future tense.

Yeah maybe I shouldn't have used the word "campaign". I should of said "If you want to steal a title at the higher weight, then don't be surprised when other legit guys at that weight want to fight you"

[Derranged]

By today's standards he's an average welterweight at best. Not small but not big. It amazes me how many people demand that he moves up to middleweight.

[IronDanHamza]

By today's standards he's an average welterweight at best. Not small but not big. It amazes me how many people demand that he moves up to middleweight.

By today's standard he's probably a slightly small WW.

Other than Pacquaio and Marquez, he's the only WW who walks around and comes to the ring around the WW limit.

Not sure on Guererro's fight night weight, actually.

[New England]

I'll wait for Freedom to come in here and mention Floyd's reach.

72 inches, dog.

those are some long arms.


floyd is ducking wladimir.



on the real, though, guys: great fighters fight guys who are larger than they are. they always have. they always will. being larger is an advantage. if you are so good that you need to fight guys larger than you are to be competitive it is not a bad thing.

micky walker used to fight heavyweights.


bring on the junior middleweights. canelo and trout are the two best in the world at the weight class / who are that size. floyd is the size of a WW, but he's the top ranked jr MW in the world, and i'd tab him to beat everybody else at the weight.

if he beats them, and the money is right, he can fight martinez. you really can't accuse the man of "ducking" somebody in that situation.