Cocky, brash, arrogant, are but a few of the adjectives often ascribed to none other than boxing's premiere box office attraction, Floyd Joy Mayweather, Jr. or as he is known now, Floyd "Money" Mayweather. Once upon a time he was the brilliantly scrappy, "Pretty Boy" with the infectious smile, heralded by none other than then promoter Bob Arum, as "the greatest boxer he's ever seen." Now liberated with complete autonomy over his career, the still brilliantly scrappy, isn't regarded as very "Pretty..." but rather a pariah. As far as boxing goes Floyd Mayweather is anything but a pariah. His very presence in the sport has kept it relevant. His innate marketing genius is the reason why his pay per view fights are record breakers and why he has virtually transcended boxing; and he's done it all his way. His business model allows for him to rightfully enjoy unprecedented revenues from each and every bout he headlines. From his purse to the pay per view buys to the concessions and more, Mayweather embodies his moniker, Money. From a sport that leaves more of its participants with nothing more than hard memories, Mayweather, even more so than Sugar Ray Leonard before him, is the architect and face of the fiscally liberated athlete. More significantly, he has single handedly cleaned up the sport, by raising the standards of drug testing, by insisting his opponents, as well as himself be subjected to Olympic style testing. A point of contention for pugilistic simpletons the world over who are actually purchasing the illusion that Manny Pacquiao has the slightest chance at matching fisticuffs with Mayweather.
Allow me to offer this very down to earth assessment of what a Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight will look like. Manny Pacquiao, who is an all time great, deserving of every accolade and praise heaped upon him has been bestowed the great and wonderful fortune of excellent match making. Far too many a fan neglects the reality that boxing is first and foremost the business of sport, hence the term prizefighting. Therefore, when a trainer, promoter, manager, etc., are granted a talent as exciting as a Pacquiao, if you are wise, and we know Top Rank is, you groom and position that kind of talent to garner the biggest prizes imaginable for as long as you can. Pacquiao has been afforded the great luxury of facing off with fellow marquee and elite fighters who so happen to accomodate his style of fighting. Defenseless, motionless thumpers, who though well regarded, were there for the taking. Erik Morales, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito, Shane Mosley, are among the world class crop of foes who have become part of Manny Pacquiao's Greatest Hits reel. Names like that make for a Hall of Fame career. However, names like Juan Manuel Marquez remind us all that even Superman has his kryptonite. So it is with Pacquiao. Thus, as he did this past November 12th at the Grand MGM Arena and in their previous two bouts, Marquez reminded us all why Manny Pacquiao does not fair well vs. sound boxers. There is no boxer more revered for his pugilistic wizardry than Floyd "Money" Mayweather. Be it his defensive brilliance, his stellar counter punching prowess, his masterful ring generalship, his superhuman conditioning, and over all Einstein like boxing IQ, Floyd "Money" Mayweather is a living nightmare for the Filippino star and everyone from Freddie Roach to the upper echelons of Top Rank know it. The breakdown of this fight, if it should happen is quite clear. Save for a lucky punch from Manny Pacquiao, this will be a Floyd Mayweather showcase analogas to his fight with Arturo Gatti. If you're still unconvinced, think Felix "Tito" Trinidad vs. Bernard Hopkins or Winky Wright or even Oscar De La Hoya. The atmosphere and the thinking are the same as it was then. The whole world believing the near invincibility of Trinidad. Forsaking the dynamics of the Sweet Science for the high of sport's entertainment. I love a good thrill like the next fan, but, we must never lose sight of the reality that boxing has, is, and will always be a science; and the fighter who is most adept at the science is often the victor.
However, should this extravaganza take place the hype will be far more significant than the actual fight. Fueled by the almost universal anticipation of this event, the promotion and the sales for both ticket and pay per view buys will no doubt obliterate records. Yet, in my humble opinion (and I do hope I'm wrong) this massive event will never be. The fighters are hardly at fault. I don't doubt that they themselves want to make it happen. The hold up lies with the business of the sport. Handlers with their own secretive agendas much to the dismay of fans everywhere and to the detriment of the sport itself.
Copyright 2012
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