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Five Reasons Mayweather Vs Judah Does(n't) Matter
FRI April 7, CARL RICE - Have you heard? Apparently, Floyd Mayweather had a conversation with Brian Kenny on ESPNews and…this is where the conversation turns into an opinion. In other words, an individual will take the conversation as they want to frame it and convey their personal opinion. I will try to convey the conversation without any bias:
Kenny aggressively asked questions to Mayweather, questioning why he would choose to fight Judah when he just lost and asked why he wouldn’t he just fight the legitimate champion in Carlos Baldomir. The conversation then turned to how Mayweather v Judah could possibly be considered a championship fight. Though he asked valid questions, he seemed to be more aggressive in this interview than other situations.
That is my unbiased opinion; here’s my opinion: Kenny overstepped his bounds. He knows that Mayweather v Judah is a much bigger fight than Baldomir v Mayweather. And even though his own network has shown “championship fights”, he was the last person to attack Mayweather. However, this conversation did bring about a valid question, which is why should this fight be taking place? There are valid reasons for why this fight should and should not matter to boxing fans. In this piece I explore those reasons.
This fight doesn’t matter because
1)…Baldomir is the real Welterweight Champion of the world. There is no questioning this and any other fight cannot be called a fight for the Welterweight Champion of the World. Thus, regardless of who wins the Judah v Mayweather fight, they will still be a titleholder and will need to see Baldomir if they want a championship fight. Plain and simple.
2)…this is exactly what boxing doesn’t need. Boxing’s biggest problem is that no one knows who the champion is. This case is obvious in the case of Judah; Baldomir only paid for one sanctioning fee, the WBC, and so the other titles were supposed to be made vacant. But because there is a lot of money on the table, the IBF decides to allow Judah to keep the belt and to collect a nice juicy fee. Many people would want to see the fight if not for the farce of calling this a championship fight. But making it seem like a championship fight insults the intelligence of fans.
3)…the best fight to be made at 140-147 is Mayweather v Hatton. Depending on whom you believe either Mayweather or Hatton is lying. Mayweather says that he’s offered the fight to Hatton and his people turned it down, whereas Hatton says he wants to fight Mayweather but wasn’t talking about fighting Mayweather next. In any case, any fight other than this isn’t worth $50.
4)…Judah doesn’t deserve a fight of this magnitude. As a professional boxer, it is a fighter’s responsibility to come in at his best, in good shape, and ready to fight. Understandably, things happen and since boxers are human, it is normal to have everyday life affect your work. But Judah, being the Undisputed Welterweight Champion of the World, has more responsibility than other champions and titleholders. To come in the ring and blame the promoter is insulting to fans and embarrassing to Judah. He should have to wait in line to fight big fights and certainly doesn’t deserve a big payday against the pound for pound champion.
5)…Mayweather is just going after the money. This point is one of haterarde. Mayweather is a polarizing individual; either you like him or you don’t. If Mayweather thought about the fans, he would fight Hatton or Cotto. And he certainly should be looking toward Baldomir since he is the Champion. But there’s nothing wrong with trying to get money, even if it isn’t in the fan’s or the sport’s best interest.
This fight does matter because
1)…who the hell is Baldomir? Yes, he beat the Champion and that makes him the Champion. But everyone concedes that Judah was not at his best. Judah at 100% is one of the very best fighters in the world and his lapse in preparation should not take away from a great fight.
2)…although this isn’t a Championship fight, it is for a title. Everyone knows how this works; there are 4 recognized titles and there has been for a long time, so why attack this fight as if it is the first time a situation such as this has occurred. In fact, Hatton is fighting for a title at 147 and no one is saying anything about his not fighting Baldomir. Perhaps it’s race, or maybe Hatton is more likable, but whatever the case, there is a double standard. And there is always the unification bout.
3)…Baldomir v Mayweather is not the best fight that can be made at Welterweight. Not even close. Baldomir hit the lottery and is now trying to cash in the ticket. It’s totally believable that Baldomir priced himself out of the Mayweather fight. And his people made it clear that they were not trying to fight Judah again. So now it looks like Baldomir is going to go after the next big money guy in his range, Arturo Gatti. If Gatti were to win (as it is believed), how credible would it be for Gatti to be the Champion in the same weight class as Mayweather? Why isn’t this being talked about?
4)…Judah is going to come in this fight in the best condition of his life. This is Judah’s time to shine and he knows that if he beats the pound for pound best fighter in the world, he steps in line for superfight after superfight. He has Hatton, Mosley/Vargas, De La Hoya, Cotto, and a rematch with Mayweather…in other words, millions of dollars. It’s true that was the case against Baldomir, but that was the fight leading to the fight, not the fight itself. He, perhaps, is the worst at keeping his concentration, but this is the fight he’s wanted and now he’s got it and he’ll be ready.
5)…this is a pretty damn good fight. No one can deny that this is a fight that everyone wanted to see. This is a magnificent matchup between two young, fast, and flashy fighters. Sure, it would be better if this was for the Welterweight Champion of the World, but it’s not. But that doesn’t change the fact that this is a superfight.
Two young fighters in their prime; both with speed, both with power, both boxers. Most will say that when two boxers get together, it’s typically a boring fight. But both of these fighters have a great deal to gain and lose. Both want to prove a point and whether the hate espoused between these two if real or not, they want to look impressive. So on Saturday, either we’ll have a fighter back in the game after a terrible loss or a pound for pound champions cementing his status. In any case, this fight is one many boxing fans want to see.
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