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Floyd Mayweather Jr – Nothing Left To Prove
WED May 9, BUSTER PARIS - There’s 30 seconds left in the 11th round, the boos and uneasiness emanate from the crowd. Once again the “Pretty Boy” gets no respect even though a few moments ago he smirkingly stood his ground, stood toe to toe with the naturally bigger and stronger man and was able to take Oscar’s biggest punches and while receiving an onslaught of mad Mexican leather, Floyd was able to surgically pick any spot that he wanted to hit, and with laser like accuracy he would hit it.
But of course, it wasn’t good enough was it? It never is. No matter what he does it’s never good enough for us, and that’s why we don’t deserve him and that’s why he should tell us all to piss off and leave the sport of boxing quivering and longing for more of him.
Saturday – May 5th at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV the greatest fighter in the world today, “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather Jr. (W 38 - 24 ko's & L 0) once again moved up in weight and class to challenge a living legend – “The Golden Boy” Oscar De La Hoya (W 38 - 30 ko's & L 5) for Oscar’s WBC Light Middleweight (154 lbs) title & crown.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you have to know the Greek Tragedy like circumstances of the drama playing in the background – the heartbreaking storyline of Floyd Mayweather Sr. having to make ‘Sophie’s Choice’ between his son and his best pupil. There was also the Cain and Abel vibe between Sr. and his brother, Floyd’s Uncle and trainer, Roger Mayweather. Let’s not forget too the insertion of the outsider, Freddy Roach, to camp De La Hoya and the enormous pressure of this bout being promoted as the fight that was going to save boxing and there’s also the love triangle between Kelly, Dylan and Brenda … oh, sorry, wrong story line.
All of this dramatic pressure filled milieu aside, we’re talking about a very difficult fight for these two warriors. Floyd’s never faced anyone as strong and powerful as De La Hoya and Oscar has never faced anyone as fast, brilliant and awesome as Mayweather.
The fight itself was incredibly interesting, telling and proof positive that Oscar De La Hoya is a great Champion with boxing in his soul and that Floyd Mayweather is THE greatest fighter fighting today, and that we suck for always dumping on him and never giving him the full credit that he deserves.
The theme of the match was Oscar being the more aggressive fighter. He constantly kept bobbing in like Joe Frazier and kept coming at Floyd all night. He was the busier and more physical and aggressive fighter.
His faults were that he didn’t go after Mayweather’s body enough and that he barely used his jab. Every time he would employ the jab, he’d snap Floyd’s head back and open him up for a beating, but according to Oscar post fight, it was “one of those nights” and he couldn’t stay consistent with the jab.
Mayweather’s role was as spitefully playful prey. He would move away from De La Hoya, not run away, but use the ring and movements to do what Floyd does best, slip, avoid and absorb punches or simply not get hit, not be there when the punch lands.
Mayweather was the more accurate and sharper puncher and the biggest surprise of all was that his power shots were the more effective and damaging blows, more so than Oscars.
Floyd tried to do everything to preemptively silence his critics, he would continuously challenge De La Hoya and stand his ground allowing the two of them to scrap toe to toe, and they’d both slam away. Floyd would take some extremely brutal and harsh beatings against the ropes as well as taste Oscars left hook and other barrages of power punches and he would still be there when the leather stopped flying, proving he has a chin and can take a punch.
Mayweather’s only flaw was that he wasn’t able to figure Oscar out as easily as he had figured out Zab Judah (04.08.2006) and that he wasn’t able to make this fight look like it was incredibly effortless for him. He actually had to show up.
And all the Floyd haters will talk about how poorly he did because of that and how Oscar won the fight or that Mayweather didn’t do enough to “take the title away” from De La Hoya or that because it was a split decision that that means Floyd sucks or any and all the other crap and bile that is always spewed into the universe by those who hate Floyd Mayweather.
Well, enough is enough. Floyd won the fight. Judge Chuck Giampa had it 116-112 and Judge Jerry Roth had it 115-113 for Pretty Boy Floyd, while Judge Tom Kaczmarek had it 115-113 for The Golden Boy.
You can’t deny that Floyd won the fight, that he outfought Oscar and that he is the greatest fighter in the game today.
Let’s take a quick step back and revisit one of boxing’s most irritating and annoying questions: “Who has Floyd Mayweather Jr. faced?” – how does Oscar De La Hoya sound?
I can hear the haters clicking away and preparing the email to tell me all the horrible things about Floyd and how Oscar is a joke – or washed up, or whatever they need to get them through the night.
Here’s the truth of the matter, and the best way to put this, if Jesus Christ came back to Earth, he’d come back as Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the ring.
So, love him or hate – Floyd Mayweather Jr. is boxing's messiah, he is in the position and has taken the path to resurrect what some say is a dying or dead sport. He keeps moving up and keeps taking on impossible challenges and comes though with flying colors.
He is far more than just the pound per pound best, he is a pugilistic poet, a fistic artist and a Compubox composer in the ring. He is this generations Mozart – he is supernaturally gifted and extraordinarily talented in his craft. He is as good or even better than he says he is.
As he said on May 5th 2007, after he captured yet another division:
“…Team Mayweather, we did it tonight, we blessed from God and God don’t make no mistakes”
He’s right.
Buster Paris can be reached at: bparis@talkingboxing.com - and always enjoys receiving your thoughts, comments and questions
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