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by Cliff Rold - Maybe it’s what Floyd Mayweather hinted at in the aftermath of his first fight with Marcos Maidana. Maybe he’s so good that he can choose to make a fight exciting, that he let Maidana test him.
That he did it for the fans.
Maybe.
The broader picture of boxing history says that’s unlikely.
Floyd Mayweather is 37 years old. Young for an accountant, it’s getting up there for even the finest prizefighters. Archie Moore, George Foreman, and Bernard Hopkins, all men who competed successfully, as they get closer to and past the age of 40, found it harder as the clock ticked. Sugar Ray Robinson still had some good wins left in him as he approached 40 as well. He took some losses a sweeter Sugar would not have.
Their like is few and far between.
Rather than choosing to be fan friendly last time, Mayweather might be at a point where he’s going to be fan friendly whether he wants it or not against the sort of anarchic, hellbent for leather style Maidana represents,
It’s a matter of the right kind of aggression versus age and aging legs. Father Time always arrives. Sometimes, he wins.
One of the more shocking examples in recent years came at Flyweight in 2012. While 35 has always been old in the lower divisions, Thailand’s Pongsaklek Wonjongkam was riding a high during his second reign at 112 lbs. A good boxer with some pop, excellent speed, and combination punching at prime, Wonjongkam was still competing at a high level. After breaking the consecutive defense record of Miguel Canto in his first go as champion, Wonjongkam had managed an upset of undefeated Koki Kameda to regain his second title and defended successfully against a hot Edgar Sosa in October 2011.
In March 2012, matched with journeyman Sonny Boy Jaro, it looked like the sort of stay busy paycheck defense lots of fighters take on. It was anything but. Unable to evade the attack of a Jaro whose best chances were to land heavy hands, Wonjongkam took a beating from the opening round and was dropped several times before being stopped in round six. [Click Here To Read More]
That he did it for the fans.
Maybe.
The broader picture of boxing history says that’s unlikely.
Floyd Mayweather is 37 years old. Young for an accountant, it’s getting up there for even the finest prizefighters. Archie Moore, George Foreman, and Bernard Hopkins, all men who competed successfully, as they get closer to and past the age of 40, found it harder as the clock ticked. Sugar Ray Robinson still had some good wins left in him as he approached 40 as well. He took some losses a sweeter Sugar would not have.
Their like is few and far between.
Rather than choosing to be fan friendly last time, Mayweather might be at a point where he’s going to be fan friendly whether he wants it or not against the sort of anarchic, hellbent for leather style Maidana represents,
It’s a matter of the right kind of aggression versus age and aging legs. Father Time always arrives. Sometimes, he wins.
One of the more shocking examples in recent years came at Flyweight in 2012. While 35 has always been old in the lower divisions, Thailand’s Pongsaklek Wonjongkam was riding a high during his second reign at 112 lbs. A good boxer with some pop, excellent speed, and combination punching at prime, Wonjongkam was still competing at a high level. After breaking the consecutive defense record of Miguel Canto in his first go as champion, Wonjongkam had managed an upset of undefeated Koki Kameda to regain his second title and defended successfully against a hot Edgar Sosa in October 2011.
In March 2012, matched with journeyman Sonny Boy Jaro, it looked like the sort of stay busy paycheck defense lots of fighters take on. It was anything but. Unable to evade the attack of a Jaro whose best chances were to land heavy hands, Wonjongkam took a beating from the opening round and was dropped several times before being stopped in round six. [Click Here To Read More]
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