FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR: HATED AND UNDERRATED
By Darrell La Montre
http://boxingtalk.com/pag/article.php?aid=22636
In light of Manny Pacquiao’s latest, too-close-for-comfort victory over rival Juan Manuel Marquez and Amir Khan’s controversial razor thin loss to Lamont Peterson (a fight I scored 114-111 for Khan), it’s time to shift the spotlight to undefeated all time great and this author’s pound-for-pound #1 fighter, Floyd Mayweather Jr. Recently, I received severe criticism from Floyd fanatics for criticizing Mayweather’s reluctance to face Pacquiao thus far and for having missed multiple threats throughout his career. The reason why I have been extremely frustrated with Mayweather is because of how great he truly is. Throughout the years, I have grown increasingly annoyed at having to defend his avoidance of certain fighters I was certain he could defeat. Rather than focus on the fighters he hasn’t faced that I believe he could have defeated, I now want to give the man his due by putting the focus on fighters he did face and his amazing skill set.
This is necessary in light of two fighters who fought recently and are (or least were) viewed by many as serious threats to him: Amir Khan and Manny Pacquiao.
First, Mayweather is not a beloved man due to his behavior outside the ring. Burning hundred dollar bills during the Great Recession, going on racist diatribes in Youtube videos, calling his father a “faggot” on an episode of 24/7, allegedly beating up the mother of his children, etc. These are definitely not ways to endear yourself to the public and to help booster your own claim of being the “best ever”. As humans we are all flawed, but fighters like Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali, and Ray Leonard were angels compared to Mayweather. Having stated that, inside the squared circle, Mayweather is a true master. He is a defensive genius who can fight going forwards, backwards, laterally, inside, outside. He can beat you in his hometown, in your hometown, if you are a southpaw, a boxer, a puncher, a speedster, taller. He is so head and shoulders above his contemporaries that when he gets hit once or twice or loses a round here and there, it is met with utter shock.
Think about it ---are we shocked when Pacquiao gets hit? What about Khan? Regardless of how you scored the fight, were you shocked when he got tagged by Peterson and lost rounds? I believe the way we react to a fighter’s setbacks and circumstances throughout his fights is a sign of how we view his greatness. Take Roy Jones for example. In his prime, for Roy to get hit with a flush shot and/or to lose a round was very surprising. To see him get knocked out by Tarver in the rematch was stunning. Why was it so stunning? Because he was that damn great! Mayweather is that damn great. Why were we so shocked when Mayweather got hit flush and hard by Mosley a couple times during the second round of their fight? Because it was the great Mayweather that it happened to!
Going back to the beginning of his career, I knew Mayweather was a special fighter. I could not believe others couldn’t see it. First they thought former WBC junior lightweight champion Genaro Hernandez would be too much for the talented, but “green” Floyd. Mayweather beat him easily to win his first world title at age 21. The next “test” was Angel Manfredy. I thought at the time “are you kidding me?” Mayweather stopped him in the second round. The next mountain to climb was the late Diego Coralles. I distinctly remember being told by posters on a boxing forum I still post on that I was “insane “ and a “moron” for suggesting that Mayweather would dominate the slower, one dimensional Coralles who was actually favored to beat Floyd. Mayweather did just that, dropping Diego five times and stopping him in the tenth round of arguably one of the greatest performances in boxing history.
After two close fights with a prime Jose Luis Castillo to win the WBC [and world] lightweight title, the next fighter who many respected writers and “experts” thought had a legit chance of putting a blemish on Floyd’s record was a pre-shot Oscar De La Hoya. De La Hoya in his prime was an excellent fighter and has one of the best resumes in boxing history in terms of quality of opposition, but I was very surprised people thought he could defeat Mayweather barring the unlikely scenario of him landing a big left hook against a defensive genius. The fact that the fight ended in a split decision win for Floyd and not a unanimous one is a testament to the number of inept judges in the sport.
The next “dangerous” opponent for Floyd was then undefeated 140 pound champion and potential Hall of Famer Ricky Hatton. Hatton in his prime was a very good fighter who used suffocating pressure, fast feet, and excellent body punches to defeat multiple European fighters and the great Kostya Tszyu. Tszyu is one of the fighters that I believe Mayweather dodged and should have made a strong effort to fight. Do I believe Floyd would have won had they fought? Yes I do, but that’s no excuse for him to not have faced the man. You don’t build a legacy off of not facing guys many believe you would have most likely beaten or simply going on to beat guys who beat the man you ducked. Back to Hatton, after a few rounds Mayweather began to figure him out, beat him at his own game on the inside and knocked him out in the tenth. It’s very easy for people to play revisionist historian and to say “I knew he would destroy Hatton”, but at the time I vividly remember that many respected people were giving Ricky a great chance of winning that fight.
After taking two years off when the welterweight division was at its deepest (again, I will never defend that kind of behavior), Mayweather came back and looked phenomenal dominating future Hall of Famer and Pacquiao’s biggest rival Juan Manuel Marquez. After Marquez, he faced a fighter that many thought would give him a lot of trouble: future Hall of Famer Shane Mosley. Even though Mosley was older and was coming off a long layoff, he had looked fantastic against Antonio Margarito and many people thought Mosley could be the first to defeat Floyd. Remember the title of the fight was “Who R U Picking?” Aside from the second round where Mosley had his one and only good moment, Floyd put on yet another virtuoso performance and was the aggressor throughout the fight which along with dominating the fight, shocked many people but not me.
After Mosley, Floyd faced Victor Ortiz who was 10 years younger and coming off his biggest career win over an undefeated champion (Andre Berto). Again, it’s easy now to say “I knew he would easily beat Ortiz” but at the time Ortiz was viewed as a big threat because of the fact that he had knocked down every opponent he had faced up until that point and was coming off a great win over a young, strong opponent. Despite the crazy ending, Floyd made Ortiz look like an amateur and once again dominated an opponent who was viewed as a real threat.
Considering all that he has accomplished, being 42-0 through 5 weight divisions, and proving that he can still dominate despite being in his mid 30’s and having taken multiple long breaks between fights, I don’t think he is recognized for the truly great fighter that he is. Case in point is the mere suggestion that a very talented but green and highly flawed fighter like Amir Khan can beat Mayweather. Are you kidding me? Even the great Manny Pacquiao for all his accomplishments has never appeared to me to be the guy capable of knocking Floyd off his throne. I am even beginning to think Floyd might be able to defeat world middleweight champion Sergio Martinez.
Mayweather has actually become underrated! Yes, I said it ---Floyd Mayweather is underrated. If he were rated properly he would be viewed the way he deserves to be: the current generation’s Pernell Whitaker. He is basically an orthodox Pernell Whitaker with slightly more power, more athleticism and less risk tolerance. Regardless of whether you think he would have defeated or even faced Whitaker, he is at least as gifted as Whitaker was. Whitaker would have faced all the guys Mayweather missed and probably beaten them, but that doesn’t mean Floyd doesn’t belong in the same sentence in regards to talent. Would you have suggested that Whitaker would have possibly lost to an aging Mosley, Hatton, Ortiz or Khan?
It’s frustrating as hell to know in your heart what a fighter is capable of, but due to his unwillingness to risk his undefeated record and his ignorant and unlikable persona watch him go from what he could be to what he has become. Floyd’s greatness will only truly be appreciated after his career has been over for a while in much the same way that unpopular and less gifted Larry Holmes became more respected as the years went by. It’s human nature not to give a man his just due when you don’t like him on a personal level, and conversely to give a person too much credit when you do like them. I know I will be accused of overrating a fighter I believe to be underrated. That is to be expected in light of the current sentiment regarding Floyd. You may like Pacquiao more than Mayweather, but that doesn’t mean he is on his level. Hopefully I will be proven correct if and when they fight. Until then and for years to come, Floyd will continue to be hated and underrated.
By Darrell La Montre
http://boxingtalk.com/pag/article.php?aid=22636
In light of Manny Pacquiao’s latest, too-close-for-comfort victory over rival Juan Manuel Marquez and Amir Khan’s controversial razor thin loss to Lamont Peterson (a fight I scored 114-111 for Khan), it’s time to shift the spotlight to undefeated all time great and this author’s pound-for-pound #1 fighter, Floyd Mayweather Jr. Recently, I received severe criticism from Floyd fanatics for criticizing Mayweather’s reluctance to face Pacquiao thus far and for having missed multiple threats throughout his career. The reason why I have been extremely frustrated with Mayweather is because of how great he truly is. Throughout the years, I have grown increasingly annoyed at having to defend his avoidance of certain fighters I was certain he could defeat. Rather than focus on the fighters he hasn’t faced that I believe he could have defeated, I now want to give the man his due by putting the focus on fighters he did face and his amazing skill set.
This is necessary in light of two fighters who fought recently and are (or least were) viewed by many as serious threats to him: Amir Khan and Manny Pacquiao.
First, Mayweather is not a beloved man due to his behavior outside the ring. Burning hundred dollar bills during the Great Recession, going on racist diatribes in Youtube videos, calling his father a “faggot” on an episode of 24/7, allegedly beating up the mother of his children, etc. These are definitely not ways to endear yourself to the public and to help booster your own claim of being the “best ever”. As humans we are all flawed, but fighters like Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali, and Ray Leonard were angels compared to Mayweather. Having stated that, inside the squared circle, Mayweather is a true master. He is a defensive genius who can fight going forwards, backwards, laterally, inside, outside. He can beat you in his hometown, in your hometown, if you are a southpaw, a boxer, a puncher, a speedster, taller. He is so head and shoulders above his contemporaries that when he gets hit once or twice or loses a round here and there, it is met with utter shock.
Think about it ---are we shocked when Pacquiao gets hit? What about Khan? Regardless of how you scored the fight, were you shocked when he got tagged by Peterson and lost rounds? I believe the way we react to a fighter’s setbacks and circumstances throughout his fights is a sign of how we view his greatness. Take Roy Jones for example. In his prime, for Roy to get hit with a flush shot and/or to lose a round was very surprising. To see him get knocked out by Tarver in the rematch was stunning. Why was it so stunning? Because he was that damn great! Mayweather is that damn great. Why were we so shocked when Mayweather got hit flush and hard by Mosley a couple times during the second round of their fight? Because it was the great Mayweather that it happened to!
Going back to the beginning of his career, I knew Mayweather was a special fighter. I could not believe others couldn’t see it. First they thought former WBC junior lightweight champion Genaro Hernandez would be too much for the talented, but “green” Floyd. Mayweather beat him easily to win his first world title at age 21. The next “test” was Angel Manfredy. I thought at the time “are you kidding me?” Mayweather stopped him in the second round. The next mountain to climb was the late Diego Coralles. I distinctly remember being told by posters on a boxing forum I still post on that I was “insane “ and a “moron” for suggesting that Mayweather would dominate the slower, one dimensional Coralles who was actually favored to beat Floyd. Mayweather did just that, dropping Diego five times and stopping him in the tenth round of arguably one of the greatest performances in boxing history.
After two close fights with a prime Jose Luis Castillo to win the WBC [and world] lightweight title, the next fighter who many respected writers and “experts” thought had a legit chance of putting a blemish on Floyd’s record was a pre-shot Oscar De La Hoya. De La Hoya in his prime was an excellent fighter and has one of the best resumes in boxing history in terms of quality of opposition, but I was very surprised people thought he could defeat Mayweather barring the unlikely scenario of him landing a big left hook against a defensive genius. The fact that the fight ended in a split decision win for Floyd and not a unanimous one is a testament to the number of inept judges in the sport.
The next “dangerous” opponent for Floyd was then undefeated 140 pound champion and potential Hall of Famer Ricky Hatton. Hatton in his prime was a very good fighter who used suffocating pressure, fast feet, and excellent body punches to defeat multiple European fighters and the great Kostya Tszyu. Tszyu is one of the fighters that I believe Mayweather dodged and should have made a strong effort to fight. Do I believe Floyd would have won had they fought? Yes I do, but that’s no excuse for him to not have faced the man. You don’t build a legacy off of not facing guys many believe you would have most likely beaten or simply going on to beat guys who beat the man you ducked. Back to Hatton, after a few rounds Mayweather began to figure him out, beat him at his own game on the inside and knocked him out in the tenth. It’s very easy for people to play revisionist historian and to say “I knew he would destroy Hatton”, but at the time I vividly remember that many respected people were giving Ricky a great chance of winning that fight.
After taking two years off when the welterweight division was at its deepest (again, I will never defend that kind of behavior), Mayweather came back and looked phenomenal dominating future Hall of Famer and Pacquiao’s biggest rival Juan Manuel Marquez. After Marquez, he faced a fighter that many thought would give him a lot of trouble: future Hall of Famer Shane Mosley. Even though Mosley was older and was coming off a long layoff, he had looked fantastic against Antonio Margarito and many people thought Mosley could be the first to defeat Floyd. Remember the title of the fight was “Who R U Picking?” Aside from the second round where Mosley had his one and only good moment, Floyd put on yet another virtuoso performance and was the aggressor throughout the fight which along with dominating the fight, shocked many people but not me.
After Mosley, Floyd faced Victor Ortiz who was 10 years younger and coming off his biggest career win over an undefeated champion (Andre Berto). Again, it’s easy now to say “I knew he would easily beat Ortiz” but at the time Ortiz was viewed as a big threat because of the fact that he had knocked down every opponent he had faced up until that point and was coming off a great win over a young, strong opponent. Despite the crazy ending, Floyd made Ortiz look like an amateur and once again dominated an opponent who was viewed as a real threat.
Considering all that he has accomplished, being 42-0 through 5 weight divisions, and proving that he can still dominate despite being in his mid 30’s and having taken multiple long breaks between fights, I don’t think he is recognized for the truly great fighter that he is. Case in point is the mere suggestion that a very talented but green and highly flawed fighter like Amir Khan can beat Mayweather. Are you kidding me? Even the great Manny Pacquiao for all his accomplishments has never appeared to me to be the guy capable of knocking Floyd off his throne. I am even beginning to think Floyd might be able to defeat world middleweight champion Sergio Martinez.
Mayweather has actually become underrated! Yes, I said it ---Floyd Mayweather is underrated. If he were rated properly he would be viewed the way he deserves to be: the current generation’s Pernell Whitaker. He is basically an orthodox Pernell Whitaker with slightly more power, more athleticism and less risk tolerance. Regardless of whether you think he would have defeated or even faced Whitaker, he is at least as gifted as Whitaker was. Whitaker would have faced all the guys Mayweather missed and probably beaten them, but that doesn’t mean Floyd doesn’t belong in the same sentence in regards to talent. Would you have suggested that Whitaker would have possibly lost to an aging Mosley, Hatton, Ortiz or Khan?
It’s frustrating as hell to know in your heart what a fighter is capable of, but due to his unwillingness to risk his undefeated record and his ignorant and unlikable persona watch him go from what he could be to what he has become. Floyd’s greatness will only truly be appreciated after his career has been over for a while in much the same way that unpopular and less gifted Larry Holmes became more respected as the years went by. It’s human nature not to give a man his just due when you don’t like him on a personal level, and conversely to give a person too much credit when you do like them. I know I will be accused of overrating a fighter I believe to be underrated. That is to be expected in light of the current sentiment regarding Floyd. You may like Pacquiao more than Mayweather, but that doesn’t mean he is on his level. Hopefully I will be proven correct if and when they fight. Until then and for years to come, Floyd will continue to be hated and underrated.