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Muhammed Ali was rambunctious… Roberto Duran was vulgar….
Sugar Ray Leonard was flashy… Mike Tyson was captivating… Oscar De La Hoya was
America’s sweetheart…. But regardless of each of these fighter’s differing
personalities, they always laid their heart out in the ring.
That’s why it’s hard for Floyd Mayweather Jr. to capture the
hearts of boxing fans… because he doesn’t offer his own.
He’s become the ultimate villain in boxing. Now becoming a villain can usually be synonymous
with becoming a superstar similar to entities like the New York Yankees, Miami
Heat and the Dallas Cowboys. But what
makes Floyd different, is that the majority of people who choose to watch his
fights do so with the hope of seeing the undefeated fighter lose.
Outside the ring and from a marketing standpoint, he’s
everything you’d want from a fighter. He’s
brash, cocky, hard-working and his team does an impeccable job marketing
fights.
Unfortunately, his personality inside the ring doesn’t fit
the trademark of what made this sport so amazing.
Floyd is one of the most intelligent fighters in
history. His defense is legendary and
his footwork leaves fighters two steps behind.
There’s no denying his skills. He’s
the best fighter in the game. Now only
if he gave us his heart in the ring.
I’d be somewhat okay with the crop of fighters he’s faced in
the past nine years if he would have taken some chances and went for the
kill. But Floyd doesn’t FEEL it’s
necessary to put himself in danger by unleashing his offense at the expense of
his defense. And that’s fine. It doesn’t change the fact that he’s a great
fighter and the top fighter in the sport today.
It’s time we accept Floyd for what he is and realize that he’s
not going to change.
He’s not got gonna fight Manny Pacquiao while he’s still
close to the top of his game. He’s not
gonna move up in weight to fight the likes of Sergio Martinez, GGG or Peter
Quillin. He’s not gonna put himself in
position to possibly lose.
He is what he is…. A great fighter that mastered the game of
marketing and realized that with his fighting style and in-ring personality,
the only way to sustain his place at the top of the boxing was to exploit his
undefeated record.
Floyd’s a victim of his own anointment.
If he didn’t thrive on being the #1 money generator in the
sport, then he’d be just another great fighter and wouldn’t receive a fraction
of the hate. He’d be this generation’s
version of Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker.
I attest that Floyd Mayweather Jr. was the wrong fighter to
take the throne of boxing… but at the same time, there wasn’t anyone else to
take his place. Until there is, we all
as boxing fans need to accept Floyd for what he is and love him or hate him,
but appreciate his greatness.
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