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Floyd Mayweather Jr. Full Steam Ahead
TUE June 28, CARL RICE - When I was watching Floyd Mayweather land everything but the kitchen sink against Arturo Gatti this past Saturday (although Gatti, at the end of the fight, looked as if he was being hit with porcelain rather than fists), I couldn’t help but think about Albert Einstein. You know, the E=MC² guy? A part of the Theory of Relativity was that with every action there is an opposite and equal reaction. Just how does this fit into the scheme of boxing? Because everyone was wondering why Gatti was not just coming straight at Mayweather, as I did early on. But then I though of the axiom...
Every action has a reaction.
Gatti chose to box with Mayweather because it would not give Floyd as many chances to counterpunch. Even so, anytime he would throw a punch, Mayweather would counter with something much more effective and hurtful. He attempted to cover up from Mayweather’s advances but Floyd’s quickness got through the defense. When Gatti would get Mayweather on the ropes, he would slide and land at least two punches on the way out. In the 6th round, you could almost see Mayweather’s thought process. “OK, I’ve toyed with this guy enough; it’s time to get him out of here!” Mayweather was already landing at will but he was landing even more at must to the head and especially to the body. At the end of the round, Gatti stumbled back to the corner and McGirt showed he was truly Gatti’s buddy and stopped the warrior from taking anymore unnecessary punishment.
Just imagine what would have happened if Gatti would have been letting his hands go more? Yes, he would have had a better chance of catching Mayweather with something big, but if he missed, it would have been even more costly and he probably would have been stopped earlier in the fight. As it was, I felt bad for Gatti. Here was a man that has meant so much to boxing and it appeared he was being thrown to the wolves. Even the De La Hoya fight wasn’t like this. At least he landed punches against De La Hoya; I don’t even see what Compubox was counting because I saw maybe 2 punches land for Gatti all night. But I was drinking so maybe I missed a few.
All in all, Mayweather really didn’t prove anything in this fight that wasn’t already known, which is that he is a truly gifted boxer that looks to prove himself in every fight. He is now the paper champion of the WBC but now that he’s put Gatti to bed, Floyd and fans alike can start looking toward the biggest fights that can be made right now, not just in the 140 class but in all of boxing. Floyd may not be #1 pound for pound, but he is by far the most skilled fighter in the world right now along with being a close #2.
Bernard Hopkins is still #1 pound for pound in my book because he’s been champ so long and as stated earlier, Mayweather’s detonating of Gatti didn’t prove anything. But Hopkins won’t be in the game too much longer as this will be his last year boxing and he has a stern test in front of him next month against Jermain Taylor. Then there’s Winky Wright…Many people would say he’s the best or number 2 on the pound for pound list, but what did he do to get there? He beat Shane Mosley twice, which is a noteworthy accomplishment but Shane was the much smaller man coming up in weight. And his 12 round pounding of Trinidad would be impressive if De La Hoya and Hopkins hadn’t already laid out the gameplan. Trinidad was taylor made for Wright, just as Mayorga was for Trinidad.
So, as Floyd contemplates what’s ahead of him, let’s look at what’s out there for him to consider and how these scenarios may play out:
Mayweather v Hatton
This is one of the biggest fights that can be made in boxing right now. People can complain about the way Hatton went about his business against Tszyu with all the roughhousing, but this is boxing, not ballroom dancing. A fight sometimes gets rough; Tszyu should know after tossing Sharmba Mitchell around the ring like a salad in their first fight. Against Hatton, Tszyu was the tackling dummy. It was disappointing to see Tszyu quit, although there have been reports that Tszyu suffered some “brain bruising”. This seems to be an attempt to serve as a rational as to why Tszyu quit more than a medical thesis, especially after there have been conflicting reports about the bruising. But nonetheless Hatton did what he had to be to become the champion at 140.
This would be a fight between two very good young men, but I see this as somewhat or a mismatch as well. Hatton will come at Mayweather for 3 minutes of every round, but he faces the same disadvantages Gatti faces. He would be shorter and have a much shorter reach, which would allow Mayweather to use his jab effectively and strike Ricky from a distance. Hatton would of course do what he does best to get inside and land those body shots, but Mayweather has proven to be a sharp counterpuncher on the inside and would be able to slide away for the most part. There’s always a chance that he could get caught, more of a chance than it could have happened with Gatti and there is no doubt that his chin, body, and will would be tested, but Floyd is much more skilled that Tszyu or any of the other fighters Hatton has faced and wouldn’t get caught very much. Mayweather KO 10 Hatton.
Mayweather v Cotto
Miguel Cotto has a perplexing problem. He is being cast as the next Felix Trinidad at a time when Puerto Rico needs it most. The problem is that Cotto is not Trinidad. He does not really possess that one punch KO power that Tito had. He’s a good boxer that punches when he has to, but should probably be at 147. Cotto has several good wins on his record, the biggest probably being his last fight with Mohamed Abdulaev. He showed patience, good boxing skills, accuracy, ring generalship, and the ability to fight off the ropes. But he took some shots unnecessarily and at times looked vulnerable to the pressure of his conqueror in the amateurs. But he dealt with the heat, stayed in the kitchen, and eventually made Mohamed retire after having his left eye closed. Cotto’s other good wins are Demarcus Corley (although the fight was stopped prematurely), Victoriano Sosa, Randal Bailey, and, it seems, Carlos Maussa.
Cotto is not ready for Mayweather yet; he needs more seasoning before taking a challenge like that. During the PPV fight, when the cameras showed him, he looked a little concerned. Like “I hope I don’t have to fight this guy anytime soon”. Furthermore, Arum does not seem very anxious to make this fight happen for at least another year and a half. But the forces that be, money, may force this fight to happen before it’s in Cotto’s best interest. People are questioning Cotto’s chin after being checked by Corley, but it was a shot to the temple and those are discombobulating shots to take. But he sturdied himself and soon after righted the ship and got back to the business at hand. Plus, he would come in the ring with a weight advantage and he’d hold it better than Gatti did. But Mayweather has seen everything and he would take Cotto apart, albeit slowly, to win a lopsided decision or, it he catches Cotto completely off guard, by KO early, al la Margarito v Cintron.
Mayweather v Judah
This fight would be HUGE if Floyd unified the titles at 140, making this a battle between two undisputed champions, 2 of the best 5 fighters in the world, and would be very close and competitive. However, it would probably be a pretty dull fight because both are fast counterpunchers and would be a little wary of the other. Judah is an excellent boxer with good power, which he showed in his fight with Tszyu (before getting shocked with the right hand) and after stopping Cory Spinks earlier this year. Judah seems much more focused at this point of his career and although these two are friends, both have stated that the money has to be right to make this fight…there’s no doubt that it would be.
These guys have excellent speed and footwork and Zab may be just a shade faster than Mayweather, but Floyd puts together better combinations. And Zab’s chin has shown some chinks in its armor, while people will go on and on about how Corley showed that Floyd has no chin. This is a fight that will be won by the smarter fighter, the one who uses his speed along with good combinations and decision making. It’s a tough fight to call right now, but I’ll man up and make a pick…right now I’d have Floyd winning a close decision. This is based on who I think can be more focused before and during the fight. Mayweather has shown that he is unflappable while Judah has shown that he can sometimes lose focus, even during fights.
Mayweather v Mosley
This would be one of the toughest fights for Mayweather. Mosley presents some things that Mayweather has not seen before: someone with fast hands, smart in the ring, throws good combinations, has also dominated a weight class, and has incredible will and focus. Mosley at 147 is a tough fighter with power and will be tough for anyone to beat at this weight. Mayweather and Judah have been tag teaming Mosley by taunting him and calling him “Sour” Shane Mosley and Sugar Shane Nosely, respectively. Funny stuff, but it’s a lot different in the ring. Mosley has had his struggles, being defeated by a tall welterweight in Vernon Forrest and by a bigger, stronger man in Winky Wright at 154. But Shane at welter is strong and long.
Mosley would be the bigger man in reach and height, can be assumed he’d be stronger, and will have fought premiere names in the division at these higher weights. However, Mayweather would probably have the speed advantage, though not by much. Shane, like Mayweather, is a very skilled and technical fighter, but Mosley would be able to fight his fight like he did at lightweight and this would lean the fight in his direction. It would not be a blowout like Shane was used to in lightweight, for Mayweather would win some rounds. But in the end, it would be Mosley having his hand raised in victory and have the fans clamoring for a rematch.
Mayweather v De La Hoya
There’s no reason to expect that this fight would ever happen. Although Mayweather has stated that he’s like to put his boxing skills against Mayweather Sr.’s training skills, it’s difficult to think that De La Hoya would entangle himself in this family affair. The promotion of the fight would have nothing to do with De La Hoya and would be focused on Mayweather Jr. v Mayweather Sr. Besides that, De La Hoya has nothing to gain by fighting Mayweather, except millions of dollars, which sometimes seems to motivate De La Hoya more than anything else, even though he could build a house made of money at this point.
But just for fun…this is an interesting fight because although one would have to assume that Mayweather Sr. would not like to see his son lose a fight, he’d have many of the secrets to the younger Mayweather’s style (the style that he has been implementing with De La Hoya) and would like to exact a little revenge for his son kicking him out of his house. De La Hoya would have size and strength over Mayweather Jr., but Floyd would have the speed advantage, which is customary in most of his fights. I think this event would push Floyd but at the same time it’s difficult to think of the psychological effect it would have on him and his corner to see Floyd Sr. in the opposite corner. This would disadvantage Floyd Jr. more since he’s the one who would have something to think about, whereas De La Hoya is free to just fight. I’d give De La Hoya the decision because he’d train hard for a tough Mayweather and would be out to prove something. Floyd has tremendous skills but there would be a lot of emotion in this fight, more than he’d ever have to deal with and it could overwhelm him in the end.
Mayweather v Harris
I hope you all know I’m just kidding about this fight, but I had to mention it because I think a lot of people confuse Floyd’s trash talking with Vivian’s. Mayweather is a bold guy who always has spoken him mind. He has talked boldly about numerous opponents but has come through each and every time. He has stated that he wanted to fight the best and has backed up his talk with actions. Harris, on the other hand, was completely unknown to anyone until he upset Diosbelys Hurtado in 2002 to win the WBA title that was meaningless because Tszyu, at the time, was the WBA Superchampion (whatever that means).
So this momentous victory seemingly gave Harris the right to state that he’s the best in the division now and furthered his cause by taking on the top of the 140 class like Souleymane M’baye, and Oktay Urkal, whose claim to fame was not getting stopped by Tszyu. Oh, that’s right, they weren’t the top of the class and he only averaged 1 fight a year.
Over that 3 year span, he’s called out every top fighter at 140, was turned down by his mandatory, Miguel Cotto, but was given the chance to fight Hatton in England for $750,000. Harris thought this was robbery, although it was more than he had ever made and this would be a chance to get his name out there. He turned it down and ended up fighting Carlos Maussa for about $75,000. This would be Harris chance to back up 3 years of bumping his gums about how he was the best, although Maussa was viewed as nothing more that a tune up to fight the winner of the main attraction. So what does the best fighter at 140 do? After calling Mayweather a “faggot” at the press conference, after saying that all the top fighters are running from him, after saying that he’s being ducked by the champions, he gets KOed by Maussa in the 6th round after looking winded after 3 rounds. Even during the fight I was wondering what Floyd would have done with all of Harris’ wide, wild looping shots.
He then has the audacity to say about Maussa after the fight “Since he beat Vivian Harris, he’s the best at 140.” WHAT? Talk about delusions of granger! Even Manny Stewart looked extremely disappointed while he was being interviewed, perhaps because Vivian made him look stupid as well. Stewart had been singing Harris’ praises to anyone who could hear and also stated that fighters were avoiding him. I’m guessing that we won’t hear much from Harris anymore, at least until he does something to back up all of his talk. I’m wondering if Cotto, who stopped Maussa 2 years ago, is wishing he would have taken that fight against Harris now.
Combinations
I’ve been doing a lot of reading of newspaper and internet articles to see if how all the writers that said Gatti would win and how they would look at and talk about the fight. As expected, all those who said Gatti would win didn’t even mention that they blew the pick, but they were calling Gatti not only a C level fighter, but an F level fighter. It’s ironic that boxing writers disrespect fighters at every turn but if a boxer does it, it becomes intolerable. It’s even more ironic how writers are trying to overcompensate for their own lack of judgment and professionalism. Now, after the fact, Gatti wasn’t anything anyway, Floyd didn’t prove much, his chin still didn’t get tested, everything except they blew it. Man up! Admit when you’re wrong. So much was made about what Floyd said about Gatti, but only a sentence or less would mention how gracious Floyd was in victory. But what made me smile was watching Larry Merchant attempt to goad Mayweather into saying something negative by calling him a “paper champion”. A true statement, but still disrespectful after the display he put on. But Mayweather just flashed his smile and went on, knowing that he played the media and got paid in the process.
It seems that 140-147 have moved into the spotlight as it did in the 80’s. Just as they had Leonard, Hearns, Hagler and Duran, today’s boxing fans are treated to Mayweather, Judah, Mosley, and Hatton. It would be lovely to see these days all fight each other just as their predecessors did. People can talk about how boxing is fading but that’s only perception based on the dearth in the heavyweight division. The reality is that boxing is stronger than it has been since Sugar Ray retired; the television show “the Contender” may have been a commercial flop, but in boxing numbers, the millions of people that did watch is more than usually watch any given boxing card, and with the fighters becoming more recognized, their fights will draw attention to a greater audience. These smaller guys are making people forget there even is a heavyweight division.
I love Roy Jones. He’s my favorite fighter and it really hurt to see him get KOed by Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson. It makes me nauseous to hear Jim Lampley and Merchant make snide comments toward Jones, especially after considering that these two have never boxed and have probably never been in a fight that didn’t involve food. And I do not want my last vision of Roy to be him laid out on the canvas while Johnson was on raised shoulders in a B-Boy stance. But I do not want to see Roy come back “for the fans” as he puts it. I want to see him come back because he wants to get back those losses and because he commits himself 100% to boxing and gets himself into the best shape of his career. If he wins or loses is irrelevant; if he comes in the ring in tip-top condition and loses, it’s obvious that his time has passed. If he gets in there and beats Tarver, he will have redeemed some of his lost stature and will prove that he is indeed one of the best. But coming back for a big PPV or ego from being out of the spotlight for a while is not only disrespectful to boxing but it’s disrespectful to himself.
Please submit any questions and comments to crice@talkingboxing.com
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