Floyd Mayweather JR: The End of the Pound for Pound King
By Geno McGahee
Floyd Mayweather, JR., and Manny Pacquiao are unanimously considered the two best pound for pound fighters in the game today. A collision course between the two has been on the verge of happening on two occasions, only to fall apart shortly after, once based on the reported concerns of Floyd that Manny was using steroids, and the second time Floyd seemingly just didn’t want the fight.
As much as I typically disagree with the PacNuts and their screams that Floyd is afraid to face Pacquiao in the ring, they may not be that far off the mark here. I still don’t like the way that they and several groupie journalists suck up to him unconditionally, but the point that has been made is beginning to seem more and more plausible.
When you look at the recent activity that has gone on in the life of Floyd, there are signs of a mental breakdown and it is all related to this fight or non-fight with Pacquiao. At one time, there was no real challenger out there for Floyd…well, there wasn’t enough public appeal to make the fight. Anotnio Margarito was ignored by Floyd and the public didn’t mind because he wasn’t seen as much of a threat. Carlos Baldomir was selected instead.
Mayweather cannot pick a guy like Baldomir now. He cannot ignore Manny Pacquiao. This is the fight that the public wants and it was a fight that I think Floyd wanted but some things have changed, and I believe a lot of it has to do with his perception of Pacquiao.
There was a time when I considered guys like Ricky Hatton and Diego Corrales too big for Pacquiao, but he has grown well into the higher divisions and has brought his power with him. In fact, he flattened Hatton with ease and would have done the same to Corrales had they ever met. Pacquiao is as strong and as effective as he’s ever been and is a legitimate threat to Mayweather’s undefeated record.
As you look at the Mayweather/Pacquiao non-fight as a whole, there are certainly some indications that Floyd was looking to find away around fighting Manny and still beating him.
Juan Manuel Marquez was a way to beat Manny without beating him. When Floyd returned to the ring, he chose Marquez, the man that gave Pacquiao hell on two occasions and figured that should he have a field day with him, dominate him, and get the win, that would settle the argument. He easily beat the man that nearly beat Manny twice. Unfortunately for Floyd, it didn’t work. Those with any boxing knowledge knows that style makes fights and Marquez had zero chance because he is a counter-puncher and too small to fight effectively with a guy like Floyd. Marquez had to become the aggressor and paid for it. He was out of his element and Mayweather got a good win, but it proved nothing in regards to Pacquiao.
Steroid allegations came along to prevent the first encounter. Now, I’m not willing to say that Manny has not used them but I certainly am not going to say that he did either. If they are baseless, then this is another sign that Floyd does not want the fight. If he can convince the media, the people, and everyone else that Manny has been juicing to gain an edge, then most will dismiss him and keep Floyd at the top because he has gained everything justly. Pacquiao has never been proven to be on PEDs, and there may still be some questioning this matter, but when it comes down to it, the allegations stalled. The fight collapsed, and both fighters moved on.
Floyd would take on a shot Shane Mosley while Manny would take on a strong but limited Joshua Clottey. Both men walked away with impressive decision wins, leading to negotiations again for a showdown. With woman-beater Roger Mayweather in trouble, Floyd had no trainer and the negotiations fell through, leading to the disgusting PPV featuring Pacquiao facing Antonio Margarito.
With Manny moving on and Floyd taking more time off, some of the fans have shifted over to the Filipino boxer as the best in the game, and this is seriously hurt the psyche of Mayweather. What those that post on message boards and other community areas fail to realize is that they are not just posting to the author or to each other. They are posting to the world and Floyd reads what they post and it has gotten under his skin. It has bothered him so much that he released a video with some racist rants about what he would do to Pacquiao should he get him into the ring and so on and so forth. But all of that doesn’t matter. People are exhausted and don’t want any more talk. They want action and if Floyd keeps teasing the fight and not getting it done or at least trying to get it done, the fans will lose interest.
The racial remarks brought a swift backlash from the public and media toward Floyd and he quickly apologized, and I do think that it was sincere, but I also think it’s a clear sign of a mental breakdown. Floyd has never been questioned and has never had a challenger like Pacquiao before. When you add that he has been hurt by Zab Judah and DeMarcus Corley, two southpaws, the potential for an upset are there. It’s a lot for Floyd to digest and I believe that we are seeing fear for the first time in the career of Mayweather. This doesn’t mean that he won’t fight Pacquiao and it doesn’t mean that he is hiding under his bed, but he is not nearly as confident as he has been with guys like Ricky Hatton and Marquez. There is some doubt.
Moving on to the domestic abuse of an ex-girlfriend…there’s nothing much worse then a woman beater. According to reports, Floyd slapped and kicked his ex-girlfriend while his young child watched on and then stole her phone. Considering Floyd’s run as a good guy in boxing without much bad stuff going on outside of the ring, this certainly gives more merit to the idea that he is very bothered by the current state of his boxing career. Boxing is a sport that is all about mentality and Floyd needs the recognition that he is the best, but now he has to fight for it in what some believe to be a pick’em fight. This is new territory for him and he’s not reacting well.
There is only one thing that can settle this situation and that is a Mayweather/Pacquiao showdown. Unless Margarito pulls the upset and plasters Pacquiao out of there, the collision should be coming soon. Although I have heavily favored Floyd from jump to take Pacquiao apart, I’m beginning to have some doubt of my own. I still favor him to win, but I think that it may be a much more interesting fight then I first thought. Let’s hope that it eventually gets worked out. I don’t think that Floyd can move on with his life if it doesn’t.