Did Mayweather Harm or Help the sport of boxing

[Razcal26]

Like i said in my original post he isn't the only one and risk vs reward has always been the case but he was the most successful guy doing it.

Just as a simple example the Floyd vs. Paquio fight in my mind hurt the sport as well, yes it was the biggest ppv but that doesn't mean that it was good for the sport, it was good for Floyd and Paquio's bank accounts but that fight turned fans away from the sport.

So the question is did Floyd help the sport or hurt the sport, i know he isn't the only one but he is the biggest boxing star in years thus he is the concentration of this conversation, just because others did it doesn't mean ****. Did Pablo Escobar help or hurt society? yes i know he isn't the only drug lord, but he is/was considered one of the biggest ones.

You're asking the the wrong question to the wrong people then.

I assume the majority of us here have a vast knowledge of the history of Boxing, we aren't casuals, this is our passion.

Hurt the sport because casuals aren't buying? The sport was hurt when fights were taken off TV and put on PPV. It takes a really huge draw for casuals to take interest in it and actually buy the PPV.

The late 90s early to mid 2000s, casuals weren't really watching Boxing unless it was Mike Tyson. No mention of;
Winky Wright
Mike MCcallum
James Toney
Tito Trinidad
Morales
Barrera
So many more.....

The casuals will tune in when they deem a certain fighter entertaining and they'll tune out when they don't. That has always been the case. The problem is that none of these current fighters (Not all of them, especially the HWs) have actually established themselves.

Someone said it best, "Everybody wants to be like Money May, but no one wants to put in the work PBF put in to get there."

[therealpugilist]

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.

Leonard revolutioniZED catchweights....two titles in one night and wasnt ranked in either weight class.....he a legend doe!!

[therealpugilist]

You're asking the the wrong question to the wrong people then.

I assume the majority of us here have a vast knowledge of the history of Boxing, we aren't casuals, this is our passion.

Hurt the sport because casuals aren't buying? The sport was hurt when fights were taken off TV and put on PPV. It takes a really huge draw for casuals to take interest in it and actually buy the PPV.

The late 90s early to mid 2000s, casuals weren't really watching Boxing unless it was Mike Tyson. No mention of;
Winky Wright
Mike MCcallum
James Toney
Tito Trinidad
Morales
Barrera
So many more.....

The casuals will tune in when they deem a certain fighter entertaining and they'll tube out when they don't. That has always been the case. The problem is that none of these current fighters (Not all of them, especially the HWs) have actually established themselves.

Someone said it best, "Everybody wants to be like Money May, but no one wants to put in the work PBF put in to get there."

Aint that the truth. Before he was a household name he already had a hall of fame resume....undefeated titles at 4 divisions over a dozen title defenses


all they see is the money and flash now, but in the late 90s and 2000s, big names were ducking him, Lampley ruined his post fight interviews with negativity, and he usually had a megawatt smile and tried to say the right thing. He couldnt get the fights he really wanted because Arum was in the way. There is no coincidence that once he wasnt with Arum the ODLH fight was made immediately, when Cotto was a free agent the fight was made immediately.

He did a lot to help the sport, more good than bad. besides fighters wanting astronomical numbers but not putting in the work or beating the competition required to attain that money

When he became his own boss, his career sky-rocketed. Whats more American than that? controlling your own destiny

[NUCLEAR]

Mayweather made boxing laughable for the casuals.

[therealpugilist]

fighters like whom?

he beat them all....Canelo was number 1 at 154 and Pac, Mosley was number 1 at 147

unless we missed something?

[The Big Dunn]

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.

The suggestion that Floyd hurt the sport is utterly ridiculous. You are blaming him for the actions other men have taken simply because you do not like him.

What is worse, is your post shows a severe lack of historical knowledge about the sport. As others have pointed out, this isn't anything new.

[The Big Dunn]

You're asking the the wrong question to the wrong people then.

I assume the majority of us here have a vast knowledge of the history of Boxing, we aren't casuals, this is our passion.

Hurt the sport because casuals aren't buying? The sport was hurt when fights were taken off TV and put on PPV. It takes a really huge draw for casuals to take interest in it and actually buy the PPV.

The late 90s early to mid 2000s, casuals weren't really watching Boxing unless it was Mike Tyson. No mention of;
Winky Wright
Mike MCcallum
James Toney
Tito Trinidad
Morales
Barrera
So many more.....

The casuals will tune in when they deem a certain fighter entertaining and they'll tune out when they don't. That has always been the case. The problem is that none of these current fighters (Not all of them, especially the HWs) have actually established themselves.

Someone said it best, "Everybody wants to be like Money May, but no one wants to put in the work PBF put in to get there."

Someone said it best, "Everybody wants to be like Money May, but no one wants to put in the work PBF put in to get there."

This right here 100000000000000000000000000000000%. Everyone wants to go to heaven but no one wants to die.

[HanzGruber]

Why do people only remember the last 5 years of his career and not the first 15? He paid his dues and got to a point where he could call his shots. Hell even the guys he fought these last 5 years all of you still said he was gonna duck them. Then they fight and become bums overnight

[therealpugilist]

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.

no fighter in history has fought every good or great fighter in their era. Both Margarito and Williams took loses when Mayweather was making his name at 147. Margarito lost to williams when Mayweather just won the lineal title, and Williams lost to Quitana the same year Mayweather beat ODLH and Hatton. Both of those guys are gonna be in the HOF...WHERE is Margo and Williams gonna be? Message board legends. The fights made more money and the Hatton and ODLH were more proven than those guys in 06-08

I respect your honesty. PBF put in a lot of work before he doned the Money moniker


He took a lot of risks in his career just to see inferior fighters make more money. Guys like Naseem Hamed and Gatti are hall of famers and were exciting but they were NOT on the same street talent wise as floyd

He a title in his 18th fight...thats a huge risk


He was lineal champion in 4 divisons and twice at welterweight.....those are 4 out 5 divisons where he fought the highest ranked opponents and after his return in 09, all his opponents were former or current world champions or hall of famers.....you dont see the risk in that? Name another fighter who has done that....Dude ended his career defeating 13 world champions/titlist in a row.....when someone like GGG gets mad respect and hype and has only fought 3 titlist and only fought in one division


He took control of his career and got all the fights we wanted.....I was a big fan of Mosley in the 90s and when he was at 135 and PBF was at 130 that was one of the biggest proposed fights but Mosley chased Oscar


He did a lot to help the sport, what hurts it, is people trying to mimick Money Mayweather without putting in the work of pretty boy floyd.


He earned everything he got.

[therealpugilist]

Why do people only remember the last 5 years of his career and not the first 15? He paid his dues and got to a point where he could call his shots. Hell even the guys he fought these last 5 years all of you still said he was gonna duck them. Then they fight and become bums overnight

Canelo, Pac, Mosley, ODLH, Hatton...I remember being on here and ESB and he was afraid of all of them and wouldnt beat the...now they were cherrypicks lol