EST 1997 ST LOUIS MISSOURI			LIGHTS OUT VERSION 3.0

 

Floyd Mayweather is Greatness Defined

            Few names in the sporting world elicit as much excitement as the moniker of Mayweather. Some think that the crass, trash talking welterweight is simply boxing’s consummate antagonist to the throwback “good guy” fighters of yesteryear. Others think he is a gifted boxer with an even bigger gift of creating an emotional response from largely deteriorated pugilistic fan base. The smart folks, however, realize that Floyd Mayweather is in his simplest form – the greatest fighter that ever existed.

            Of course, those who are only casual boxing fans will immediately shout out the name Muhammad Ali – or Sugar Ray Leonard. Both of whom are A+ fighters and have legendary careers. Some historians will try to imply that fighters of the early 1900’s are superior, based on the bare-handed 100 round brawls that took place during those days. I have yet to see a video of Jack Johnson or John L. Sullivan that can prove to me that they possessed the speed and defense to compete with today’s journeymen. I am certain that they were entertaining, but that may have been the extent of it. Those fighters and their biographers did not have much to compare those guys to, so of course anyone with a high knockout percentage was considered a “great fighter”.

            Ali was made a legend first by his mouth, including dramatic predictions and militant, yet entertaining youthful taunts. His fights in the 60’s and 70’s remain staples in the libraries of every great boxing historian. Wars with Joe Frazier and George Foreman set a precedent for modern heavyweight boxing. He brought action to a typically boring division. Of course, he lost some of his best years after refusing military service – and his skills did decline upon release from prison, though he remained effective enough to win the NABF and defend it several times in the 1970’s. However, looking back at the later career of Ali, the names of many fighters do not stand out as memorable. In 1974, Ali destroyed George Foreman in what was to be known as the “Rumble in the Jungle”. This may have been his best effort – and this fight is always mentioned when Ali’s name is brought into a discussion.
           
            This is where I personally separate Floyd from Ali. Ali won many fights after taking unbelievable punishment in an attempt to wear his opponents down in later rounds. It worked with Foreman, and Norton and Frazier twice. Have you seen Ali lately? His lack of defense in those fights has made him a shell of the man he was in those days. By not having a solid guard he ruined himself. Rope-a-dope might have been an effective strategy for him during his career – but many of the opponents he defeated are able to sign autographs that don’t resemble EKG readout.

            Mayweather on the other hand is very difficult to hit with clean shots. He parries, blocks and deflects most shots thrown at him. His goal is NOT to get hurt while working. Instead of trying to tire his opponents with foolish trickery, he effectively counters and uses his extraordinary speed and graceful footwork to frustrate his opponents. After he has them confused, he can use his natural power to finish the job when he wants to.

            Sugar Rays (Robinson and Leonard) often draw comparisons to Floyd. If you look at the careers of Leonard and Mayweather, they are very similar record-wise, until you delve deeper into the quality of opponents both faced. While Leonard did fight contemporaries such as Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns and Roberto Duran, he also fought plenty of unknowns during his title reigns. Yes, many of those fighters had tremendous records, but many were simply regional champions who stayed well within their skill set. A fight with Leonard was a financial benefit – and a blemish to their record. For Leonard, he was able to add a 31-1 career fighter to his resume…even if the 31 victories were against local club fighters.
           
            On the other hand, Mayweather has spent the past 10 years taking on all comers. Sure, there have been some questionable fights against journeymen – Sharmba Mitchell comes to mind, but Mitchell was once a recognized American champion who beat guys like Ben Tackie and Lovemore N’dou. Some might say Gatti was too far past his prime during his chance with Floyd. Sure, but the public demanded that they meet…and Mayweather obliged.

            If you really look at Floyd’s record you might also notice that he beat Hall of Fame caliber fighters in Diego Corrales (twice), Jose Luis Castillo (twice), Zab Judah,
Oscar De La Hoya, a BIG Carlos Baldomir, Jesus Chavez, and most recently Ricky Hatton. Never at any time was Mayweather hurt during any of these fights – nor did he have to make up rounds in order to pull out a last second victory. The De la Hoya fight was a chess match, but Floyd was never behind more than a round. Oh yeah, and that was his first fight at junior middleweight.

            Floyd has been a champion in 5 weight classes, he is undefeated, and is nearing retirement. This leads me to my last point. Floyd is smart. He will not fight past his prime and embarrass himself the way that Leonard and Ali did. He is very conscious of his legacy – and will most likely do anything to make sure he is revered in boxing history books.

            There are arguments and other comparisons, sure. Regardless of his stature in the boxing community, there is not denying that Mayweather is currently the best pound for pound boxer as of January 1, 2008, He has some major decisions in the coming months. He says he will take off the entire year and possibly fight in 2008. By that time, the structure of his welterweight division could change. Currently, Miguel Cotto remains his biggest threat, though challengers such as Paul Williams will certainly make the case for a title shot.
           

If the Cotto fight takes place, there is no doubt it will be the most anticipated fight in this decade.  Millions of Pay-Per-View buys split down the middle…half wanting to see Floyd put on one last impressive performance, and the other half keeping their fingers crossed and praying that Floyd is carried out of the ring on a stretcher. It is a good time to be a boxing fan – and I feel fortunate to have witnessed the rise of Floyd Mayweather, the greatest boxer in the world – and quite possibly….ever.