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Good prospects are ten-a-penny in boxing. There’s always talk of a new kid that excelled in the amateurs; another with great speed; another with great power, and so it goes. Beyond that is an elite breed that are truly groomed for stardom. These fighters do everything with such class and precision in the ring, and just happen to have the right look, say the right things at the right times outside of it, leaving an impression that germinates throughout boxing until their names become synonymous with success and anything less is unacceptable.
Whatever remains of boxing’s ailing heart, it beats strongest in America; therefore, it’s no coincidence that the vast majority of these individuals have come in the form of African-American fighters over the last twenty years. The latest incarnation is Floyd Mayweather, Jr. Before him: Roy Jones, Jr.
Quite apart from the rap star lifestyle and multimedia business ventures indulged in by both men, the similarities between these two as fighters are uncanny: Both achieved Olympic success; have struggled to escape the shadows of their Fathers; captured championships at multiple weights, and enjoyed a favorable relationship with HBO.
The strength of comparisons between the two leads one to believe that perhaps the best indicator of what is to become of Mayweather - the fighter set to carry boxing into its next decade - might be learned by analyzing Jones - the fighter that led boxing through its last decade.
Their career paths have already begun to bear more than a little resemblance.
Where HBO once let Jones get away with murder on their airways, Mayweather now sits pretty, as he calls himself, dictating multi-million dollar fights with fighters that essentially don't belong in the ring with him.
Just as Jones once showed dominance in his early career in taking championships from the like of Bernard Hopkins at middleweight, and then James Toney at super middleweight, so Mayweather stamped his authority in the super featherweight and lightweight divisions against champions such as Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo.
Evident in both of their career choices is the trend of having proven their brilliance early on before beginning to seek out trinkets instead of real challenges.
Jones spoke of fighting the world heavyweight champion in Lennox Lewis, but instead negotiated his way towards paper WBA titlist John Ruiz. Jones won the title and lauded it as a massive part of his legacy before to the light heavyweight division. But it was not a mission accomplished; it was an insignificant exercise for Jones in which he was all but shielded from Ruiz's roughhouse tactics by a ridiculously over zealous referee in Jay Nady.
Mayweather had the chance to become the definitive 140-pound champion, and yet, never fought a significant fighter at that weight. He has repeatedly chosen to deny Antonio Margarito a fight in favor of nonsensical challenges such as Sharmba Mitchell and the evermore undeserving Zab Judah.
In essence, Jones began a trend over ten years ago that set a dangerous precedent for future champions, and one that Mayweather has relished as Jones' successor. HBO has allowed both men to get away with avoiding real fights in favor of showcasing the most extreme blend of skill and speed available.
If the trend is to continue down its logical path, Mayweather will find himself increasingly alienated from the harsh terrain that a real fight presents, and one day, when he least expects it, a fighter of lesser opportunity but greater hunger will be standing over him with his arms raised.
Whatever remains of boxing’s ailing heart, it beats strongest in America; therefore, it’s no coincidence that the vast majority of these individuals have come in the form of African-American fighters over the last twenty years. The latest incarnation is Floyd Mayweather, Jr. Before him: Roy Jones, Jr.
Quite apart from the rap star lifestyle and multimedia business ventures indulged in by both men, the similarities between these two as fighters are uncanny: Both achieved Olympic success; have struggled to escape the shadows of their Fathers; captured championships at multiple weights, and enjoyed a favorable relationship with HBO.
The strength of comparisons between the two leads one to believe that perhaps the best indicator of what is to become of Mayweather - the fighter set to carry boxing into its next decade - might be learned by analyzing Jones - the fighter that led boxing through its last decade.
Their career paths have already begun to bear more than a little resemblance.
Where HBO once let Jones get away with murder on their airways, Mayweather now sits pretty, as he calls himself, dictating multi-million dollar fights with fighters that essentially don't belong in the ring with him.
Just as Jones once showed dominance in his early career in taking championships from the like of Bernard Hopkins at middleweight, and then James Toney at super middleweight, so Mayweather stamped his authority in the super featherweight and lightweight divisions against champions such as Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo.
Evident in both of their career choices is the trend of having proven their brilliance early on before beginning to seek out trinkets instead of real challenges.
Jones spoke of fighting the world heavyweight champion in Lennox Lewis, but instead negotiated his way towards paper WBA titlist John Ruiz. Jones won the title and lauded it as a massive part of his legacy before to the light heavyweight division. But it was not a mission accomplished; it was an insignificant exercise for Jones in which he was all but shielded from Ruiz's roughhouse tactics by a ridiculously over zealous referee in Jay Nady.
Mayweather had the chance to become the definitive 140-pound champion, and yet, never fought a significant fighter at that weight. He has repeatedly chosen to deny Antonio Margarito a fight in favor of nonsensical challenges such as Sharmba Mitchell and the evermore undeserving Zab Judah.
In essence, Jones began a trend over ten years ago that set a dangerous precedent for future champions, and one that Mayweather has relished as Jones' successor. HBO has allowed both men to get away with avoiding real fights in favor of showcasing the most extreme blend of skill and speed available.
If the trend is to continue down its logical path, Mayweather will find himself increasingly alienated from the harsh terrain that a real fight presents, and one day, when he least expects it, a fighter of lesser opportunity but greater hunger will be standing over him with his arms raised.
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