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By Lyle Fitzsimmons - Some love him. Many do not.
But when it comes to proclaiming excellence, Floyd Mayweather Jr. has usually gotten it right.
Not only have 48 opponents – 46 individuals, two of them twice – tried to defeat him and failed, but a precious very few have prompted any real concern from either the "Pretty Boy" or "Money" camps.
The conventional wisdom is that a two-time welterweight title claimant – namely Andre Berto – won’t prove to be his toughest test. So unless this Saturday fight night at the MGM Grand provides a shock, we'll have to remind ourselves of the rare moments there’s been actual professional duress.
Date: April 20, 2002
Opponent: Jose Luis Castillo
Result: UD 12 (116-111, 115-111, 115-111)
A rugged Mexican who'd held a 135-pound title for two years and had a nine-pound weight advantage in the ring on fight night, Castillo was on the wrong side of a boxing lesson for four rounds before his persistence and strength ultimately forced Mayweather to cede territory and fight his fight.
Post-fight statistics indicated Castillo threw 58 more punches and 46 more, which prompted HBO's unofficial judge, Harold Lederman, to suggest he'd won seven of 12 rounds, with one even.
It was the close call that's launched 20 subsequent blueprints: each insisting that Mayweather can be beaten by a foe who can simply make him fight for three minutes of every round. The two men met again eight months later – Mayweather's first career rematch – with the same unanimous decision result, though many more observers, including Lederman, agreed that Mayweather deserved it.
"I think (the judges) favor him. They didn't call the right decision," Castillo said after the first fight. "He felt my punches. He stood there and tried to trade with me, but I was punching too hard." [Click Here To Read More]
But when it comes to proclaiming excellence, Floyd Mayweather Jr. has usually gotten it right.
Not only have 48 opponents – 46 individuals, two of them twice – tried to defeat him and failed, but a precious very few have prompted any real concern from either the "Pretty Boy" or "Money" camps.
The conventional wisdom is that a two-time welterweight title claimant – namely Andre Berto – won’t prove to be his toughest test. So unless this Saturday fight night at the MGM Grand provides a shock, we'll have to remind ourselves of the rare moments there’s been actual professional duress.
Date: April 20, 2002
Opponent: Jose Luis Castillo
Result: UD 12 (116-111, 115-111, 115-111)
A rugged Mexican who'd held a 135-pound title for two years and had a nine-pound weight advantage in the ring on fight night, Castillo was on the wrong side of a boxing lesson for four rounds before his persistence and strength ultimately forced Mayweather to cede territory and fight his fight.
Post-fight statistics indicated Castillo threw 58 more punches and 46 more, which prompted HBO's unofficial judge, Harold Lederman, to suggest he'd won seven of 12 rounds, with one even.
It was the close call that's launched 20 subsequent blueprints: each insisting that Mayweather can be beaten by a foe who can simply make him fight for three minutes of every round. The two men met again eight months later – Mayweather's first career rematch – with the same unanimous decision result, though many more observers, including Lederman, agreed that Mayweather deserved it.
"I think (the judges) favor him. They didn't call the right decision," Castillo said after the first fight. "He felt my punches. He stood there and tried to trade with me, but I was punching too hard." [Click Here To Read More]
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