Fight Lover's Forum 01.08.10: Offering Some Kind Words About Mayweather, Seriously

Posted by A. Shakoor on 01.08.2010

I'm so disgusted about how Mayweather has manipulated this bloodtestgate episode. I'm going to switch gears to change my hateful energy. Instead of a nasty, insulting rant, I'm offering some love. Serenity now. Also, check out a brief thought on Mosley v. Berto.



After hammering Floyd "Money" Mayweather Jr in my last couple of columns, I decided to start the new year off by throwing a little bit of love Pretty Boy Floyd's way. I must refocus my rage, and cleanse myself so to speak. I'm absolutely biased regarding my clear views concerning bloodtestgate. Floyd is wrong, period. Check out my last two columns in the archives if you need to understand why.

However, despite my views about the man's character and personality, I am aware that he has a few fans who virtually worship the guy as a hero or "Stone Cold" Steve Austin type anti-hero. I also completely respect Floyd's ability in the ring.

This column will also be PG, in stark contrast to the last two. Let's start the lovefest. I'll try to be nice, really.

Outside the Ring

- Floyd has a marvelous smile. Combine that with his rare, pleasant personality, and Floyd had true crossover superstar potential. I mean Floyd could have been his generation's Sugar Ray Leonard and more–if he wanted to.

-Floyd is the dominant figure in American boxing. That's a testament to how well Mayweather has marketed himself as a heel, in conjunction with his talent. Floyd is a guy few love, and many love to hate.

-Floyd is a major attraction on HBO's World Championship Boxing. The premier network for boxing has a mutually beneficial relationship with Floyd as a cash cow. I guess we should credit Floyd for not bolting to Showtime, considering how he believes the broadcast team is racist, and Emanuel Steward is an "Uncle Tom". How Floyd perseveres through such oppression, I'll never know.

-Despite Floyd's ex-con dad, and rough background where he was surrounded by violence, Floyd has kept a relatively clean criminal record for all of his 32 years. Even though he was accused of attacking the mother of two of his children in a nightclub in 2003, and was tied to a recent shooting earlier this year at a skating rink, Floyd has been Teflon when it comes to the accusations.

-Floyd is very charitable with his time and money. I often get press releases reminding of this, and I have made sure to publish his deeds on this very site. Good for Floyd to make sure the world knows all the good that he does.

-Unlike Wesley Snipes and the late Leona Helmsley, Floyd realizes that you don't screw around with the IRS. When Floyd got a few million dollars behind on his tax debt, he was humble enough to obtain a loan from his business partner, Golden Boy, and paid it off. Smart move.

-Floyd will not allow himself to be bullied into taking fights he doesn't want to take. He's his own man. Whether it was a pre-cheat revealed Margarito, Miguel Cotto, or an aggressive, demanding Shane Mosley, Mayweather will fight whoever he wants and whenever he wants. It doesn't matter how uncompetitive, old or small the fighter. He won't be bullied into guilt. He's shameless.

-Floyd takes an interest in being part of his children's lives and prides himself in being a better father than Floyd Sr. was to him. This is very commendable of him Period

Inside the Ring

Floyd Mayweather is one of the greatest fighters of all-time by any measure. At 135 and below, he fought the best each division had to offer, and only struggled during his first fight with Jose Luis Castillo. His destruction of Diego Corrales at 130–when Corrales looked like a smaller Thomas Hearns in talent–was the best performance of his career. It was a beautiful display of power, handspeed, and defense.

Mayweather is probably the greatest defensive fighter I've seen in my lifetime. He has amazing reflexes, and executes a smooth, old-school shoulder roll. Floyd doesn't run or dance. He stays in front of you and makes you miss. He simply outclasses fighters. The only types of fighters that give him problems are the bigger, stronger, types who keep him on the ropes, maul him up, and pound him all over. See Castillo and De la Hoya For whatever it's worth, Manny Pacquiao isn't that type of fighter. Not saying who would win a Manny v. Floyd fight for my purposes here. I'm just stating facts.

Floyd always keeps his cool in the ring, and maintains a sense of being in control. During the chaos of his fight with Zab Judah, after intentionally being hit below the belt, he was the only person involved that kept a level head. He was actually a calming peace maker. He took control after the "in-ring brawl break", and dominated Judah down the stretch.

Going into his fight with Ricky Hatton, it was believed that the smaller, thuggish, Hatton would rough Floyd up with his apish tactics and occasional fouls; ultimately taking Floyd out of his game. Instead, Mayweather refused to be bullied, and actually displayed some roughhouse moves of his own as he began to potshot his way to victory. Let me also add, his knockout punch with the check-hook leading Hatton into the turnbuckle in comical fashion, was one of the most spectacular and entertaining of the decade.

Floyd has decent power for a pure boxer; and that's what he is–a pure boxer. 25 KO's in 40 bouts is impressive; particularly when we look at the quality of some of the KO victims. I strongly disagree with the criticisms Floyd received from writers like Dan Rafael for failing to knock out Juan Manuel Marquez. On a few different occasions, Floyd unloaded some vicious combinations in deliberate precise fashion. Marquez wouldn't drop. Why get wilder and overly aggressive against one of the best counter-punchers in the sport when you're way ahead on the cards? That wouldn't be wise at all. Floyd is a boxer, and if you look at the likes of Pernell Whitaker, or even the great Willie Pep, Floyd's KO percentage is excellent for a pure boxer.

Floyd Mayweather has never lost a fight, no matter what you think about his opposition.
Whether it's Paul Williams, Manny Pacquiao, or dozens of others, most all great fighters have had off nights and lost to inferior opposition. But not Mayweather. There's something to be said for that.

There you have it. I gave some love for Floyd Mayweather. If my tone seems different in certain parts, it is what it is. Take any explicit or implicit points however you feel. This is just how I feel about the guy. I'm trying real hard to be nice and cleanse my venom. Serenity now, serenity now. Notice I avoided the blood test stuff, because I've already hammered it to death.

But Speaking of Blood Tests


Shane Mosley and Andre Berto are fighting in a welterweight unification bout on January 30th. They've got a little bit of a feud going on that started on Twitter. Isn't it kind of interesting that Andre Berto isn't demanding any type of Olympic style blood testing for this bout? I mean Shane Mosley is a known, admitted, former user of performance enhancing drugs. He used them leading up to his second bout against Oscar De La Hoya, and he was victorious by outworking Oscar down the stretch to win a very, very close decision. He admits to taking the PEDs, though claims to not know exactly what was given to him at the time. He's linked to Bay
Area Laboratory Cooperative (BALCO); the notorious PED manufacturer of the past 15 years. Why isn't this fight under the umbrella of PED allegations, blood test demands and drama? Just sayin...