Did Mayweather Harm or Help the sport of boxing

[Irony123]

I am not going to beat around the bush, I don't like Mayweather and in my personal opinion he helped in perpetuating the risk/reward model because he was so successful at generating the highest reward possible for the lowest risk possible. He did take risks and he fought good fighters but there were many instances where he didn't fight the best fighters at the divisions he was in and took on lesser fighters. Due to his success a lot of fighters are starting to implement this strategy or so it seems (Canelo vs. Kahn anyone?). i just recently looked at the top 10 super welterweights and to my surprise most of them haven't fought in 3-5 months and have no fights lined up. These are top guys, Charlo brothers, Lara, Andrade, Vanes (though vanes is a bad example because he has fought majority of the top super welterweights) etc.

I can't blame Floyd for applying the basic human instinct of taking the least amount of risk for the highest reward. We all do it, however as a fan of a sport, i want to see the best fight the best and usually that doesn't always translate for fighters as the risk and reward don't match. The reason why i bring Mayweather to the conversation is because he was the one and only guy who successfully executed this strategy to the extend that he did and was the fighter who earned the biggest financial rewards, no one will remember 20 years from now the small things like the catchweight vs. Canelo or the gloves vs. Maidana, or why the fight with Margarito and Paul Williams didn't take place etc. But they will remember that he beat Paquio, and moved up 5 weight classes and made the most money.

Some time ago Floyd said he did a lot of the sport, in my eyes he did more damage than good. Floyd is a great boxer and has top notch skills but he did more harm to the sport than good. There are others fighters who in my opinion did harm to the sport but Floyd did something that would negatively effect the sport for years to come, other fighters negative effects would end or have ended ie Wlad Klitschko hurt the sport as due to his extremely boring fighting style he turned off many fans, and he was my favorite fighter pre-Emanuel Steward.

This thread isn't to debate how good Mayweather is or how he would or could have beaten fighters he didn't fight. Its a simple question of did Floyd help the sport or make it worse.

[Razcal26]

Well, the things you listed that he did to DAMAGE the sport are things that have been going on since the late 70s so................... don't how I can blame him for something that was going on before he stepped into a pro ring.

The other fighters are realizing that they should be getting paid for their services. They see Ali, Tyson, Holyfield etc. They don't want to end up like that and then sit back and wonder what it was all for.

The sport of Boxing has ALWAYS been damaged (it was terrible behind the scenes in the late 80s early 90s), the only difference is that we as fans have a lot more coverage than before.

A perfect example is the whole catchweight thing. Sugar Ray Leonard did WAY worse than anything I've seen recently, yet nobody here gives a damn because they either don't know or just don't care because it is Sugar Ray Leonard.

[-PBP-]

Before Floyd there was Oscar De La Hoya, Roy Jones Jr and Sugar Ray Leonard. Risk/reward management was not invented by Floyd Mayweather.

Sugar Ray Robinson didn't fight Charley Burley, Jack Johnson didn't give a title shot to Sam Langford... Why?? Risk/reward

[Razcal26]

Before Floyd there was Oscar De La Hoya, Roy Jones Jr and Sugar Ray Leonard. Risk/reward management was not invented by Floyd Mayweather.

Sugar Ray Robinson didn't fight Charley Burley, Javk Johnson didn't fight Sam Langford... Why?? Risk/reward

Preach.

I swear, sometimes, I wonder how new a lot of people are to the sport of Boxing.

[Lester Tutor]

I miss the days of HBO just praising Floyd saying he's ''such a talented'' kid. Somehow some domestic abuse kicked in the media world, as if Lampley never hit a chick, or even Merchant for all we know...

For me personally Mayweather Jr. represents a man who learned a lot in life and only wanted respect for his accomplishments.

[Eff Pandas]

The risk reward model has been around since well before Floyd was born & I could never dog a fighting for taking advantage of anything to make more money for themselves & their family in such a dangerous sport where everyone is only looking out for themselves. Having said that I thought Floyd was fighting top 5 guys in his division for the last decade or so of his career (minus Berto who even I was disappointed with as a Floyd fan) which isn't something I think you can find very many guys doing in boxing history & for sure not in this era.

As to the overall question I think anyone who brought as much money to the sport of boxing is clearly & without question been more helpful than harmful for the sport.

[Larry the boss]

Helped it

1- FIGHTERS ARE GETTING PAYED MORE

2-DRUG TESTING IS BETTER

3-HE HELPED SEVERAL FIGHTERS BECOME STARS

[about.thousands]

Amazing to me that people think Mayweather/Haymon did so much to ruin the sport of Boxing. Boxing used to be ran by the mob who did way worse! What about the people responsible for putting boxing on premium cable and PPV causing it to become a niche sport. How much harm did they do to the sport? Mayweather brought more eyes to the sport than anyone is the last 30 years. Even more than Mike Tyson.

[Larry the boss]

Well, the things you listed that he did to DAMAGE the sport are things that have been going on since the late 70s so................... don't how I can blame him for something that was going on before he stepped into a pro ring.

The other fighters are realizing that they should be getting paid for their services. They see Ali, Tyson, Holyfield etc. They don't want to end up like that and then sit back and wonder what it was all for.

The sport of Boxing has ALWAYS been damaged (it was terrible behind the scenes in the late 80s early 90s), the only difference is that we as fans have a lot more coverage than before.

A perfect example is the whole catchweight thing. Sugar Ray Leonard did WAY worse than anything I've seen recently, yet nobody here gives a damn because they either don't know or just don't care because it is Sugar Ray Leonard.

Before Floyd there was Oscar De La Hoya, Roy Jones Jr and Sugar Ray Leonard. Risk/reward management was not invented by Floyd Mayweather.

Sugar Ray Robinson didn't fight Charley Burley, Javk Johnson didn't fight Sam Langford... Why?? Risk/reward

Preach.

I swear, sometimes, I wonder how new a lot of people are to the sport of Boxing.

preach i swear these posters just started watching boxing

[Larry the boss]

The risk reward model has been around since well before Floyd was born & I could never dog a fighting for taking advantage of anything to make more money for themselves & their family in such a dangerous sport where everyone is only looking out for themselves. Having said that I thought Floyd was fighting top 5 guys in his division for the last decade or so of his career (minus Berto who even I was disappointed with as a Floyd fan) which isn't something I think you can find very many guys doing in boxing history & for sure not in this era.

As to the overall question I think anyone who brought as much money to the sport of boxing is clearly & without question been more helpful than harmful for the sport.

100 percent correct and somehow some way that gets bashed