Floyd Mayweather, JR is Looking to Go Cherry Picking Again!

By Simon “Simon Says” Traversy

Introduction

The so-called ‘’Fight of the Century’’ is officially in the books. Floyd “Money” Mayweather, JR. won yet another unanimous decision. Nothing  surprising there and nothing extraordinary on Mayweather’s part. What he did during the fight was what everybody and their sister expected. At times he boxed beautifully, smoothly moving laterally and picking his shots with marksman-like accuracy; at times he held or hopped on the bicycle just enough to put the brakes on Pacquiao (and the fans) whenever he felt that Filipino was coming on. We were Jack’s complete lack of surprise. Pacquiao was the one who surprised us actually. Not only with his performance but with all the shenanigans which ensued afterwards. During the fight, Pacquiao didn’t follow the game plan which was as simple as 1,2,3. He was supposed to attack from angles to avoid being countered or held. He didn’t do that. He was supposed to outwork Mayweather.

He didn’t do that. He was supposed to keep him pinned in the ropes or in a corner where Mayweather wouldn’t be able to move freely. He didn’t do that [enough]. He was supposed to stay on his buttocks like flies on fecal matter the same way Maidana and De La Hoya did. He didn’t do that. Well, he had his moments, just like Mayweather had his, but those were too few and far between. Mind you that I was rooting for Pacquiao but unlike Holyfield, I didn’t disagree with the final decision. I mean don’t get me wrong, the fight didn’t live up to expectations, but I didn’t disagree. Then there was this story about the shoulder injury blablabla yadi yadi da. Bottom line: 48-0.

The Rock

So Floyd  “Money’’ Mayweather, JR. is a win away from tying Rocky Marciano’s undefeated record of 49 victories and no defeats. All kinds of rumors were flying around as to whom Mayweather would choose as his future opponent. There were rumors about a Pacquiao rematch, but Pacquiao is now out of commission for at least a year following shoulder surgery. Marquez expressed his interest to fight Mayweather again, only this time under better, more favourable conditions. Thurman called out Mayweather recently; a call which was answered back with cricket sounds. Kell Brook was also mentioned (that would’ve been a good one), oh and Amir Kahn has been crying himself to sleep every night for over a year and half now, desperately hoping to fight Floyd.

Mayfield or Berto???

Look I don’t want to spit in Andre Berto’s face (or Mayfield’s). Everybody who laces them up and enters the ring with honorable intentions deserves respect. In fact, in many ways, I have more respect for lesser fighters and journeymen than A-listers. They often get screwed over during contractual negotiations and almost always end up with the short straw and pocket change. They take fights at the last minute with little preparation [which is considered the key to success], and when they actually do well against all odds, they often get robbed blindly by the judges who simply follow the script. And that’s not even mentioning the fact that they risk the same kind of injuries as any other fighter (actually they are more prone to them given all the disadvantages and handicaps they have to cope with). And then Mayweather announced that he had his eye on Andre Berto or Mayfield as his next potential opponent; two fighters far from being considered a threat to Mayweather’s unblemished record. Based on general principal, I hope Berto (or Mayfield) wins and I’m sure he’ll do his homework and leave no stone unturned. But it’s very unlikely.

Like I previously mentioned, for all the flaws he may have and all the hatred he can attract, Mayweather never took his opponents lightly or neglected his training (or diet for that matter). He’s one victory away from tying Marciano’s record, two from beating it, so he’s certainly not going to start slacking off now. And because he’s as loaded as Midas, he will train in far more favorable conditions as well (you all saw Mayweather’s 40K cryotherapeuty tub versus Andre Berto’s Rudy-like garbage can filled with ice). Finally, Mayweather has the pull, the mojo, the connections, and the hometown advantage to make sure to handicap his opponent as much as possible, whereas Berto is coming off a rocky streak (3-3 in his last 6 fights) to say the least. Sure Berto has the extra incentive but let’s face it, Berto (or Mayfield) is simply a lesser fighter than Mayweather. Again I’m not trying to crucify the guy; in fact I really hope he proves everybody wrong (myself included) and eats his spinach that day, but that being said, on paper, it’s not even a subject worth debating.

You Can’t Have Your Cake and Eat It Too

Champions always try to validate their greatness by boasting and showing off. They always do just about anything to stand out and separate themselves from the rest. I agree with that attitude only in action; not in words. Now a few months before the Mayweather- Pacquiao fight was finally announced, Mayweather claimed that he was not only more than willing to take on the Pacman, but that he also wanted to take him on to prove that he was a far better boxer than him. I got no problem with that statement and some will say that the outcome of the fight proved that.

What I do have a problem with is Mayweather’s reply to the out roar following his next potential opponent. In a nutshell and according to Dan Rafael, Mayweather said that he didn’t understand the big deal contemplating a fight with Berto (or Mayfield) considering that Pacquiao fought Algieri a little less than a year ago. Sorry Floyd, it simply doesn’t work that way. You can’t claim that you’re in a league of your own and then use him as an excuse and scapegoat to bail you out of a tough spot. If you want to use the Pacquiao-Algieri excuse, then you can’t say that Pacquiao is not in your league; and if you still believe that you’re in a league of your own (which you are entitled to), then you have to answer the bell and respond accordingly to please the financial contributors (the fans).

Besides, the context was completely different: Pacquiao had already 5 losses then and was still rehabilitating from that crushing KO at the hands of Juan Manuel Marquez. He wasn’t trying to beat any record and he certainly didn’t claim he was a greater boxer than ‘’ The Greatest’’ himself. You can’t have your cake and eat it Floyd; even though you got away with that one more than once.

Daddy & Marvelous Said Nay-Nay

Floyd Mayweather, SR., Floyd’s father said that he’d prefer to have his son retire than seeing him fight lesser fighters. Even Marvelous Marvin Hagler, considered by many as one of the best middleweights in boxing history [if not the best], didn’t hesitate to remind ‘’Money’’ that true champions fight the best instead of taking easy fights. But I guess none of them know sh*t about boxing, right?

A Growing Plague

This tendency to fight lesser fighters is really starting to become epidemic. Garcia fighting Salka instead of Peterson (Karma gave him a rain check later on though), Golovkin who’s been a mandatory WBC challenger since…forever (I think we were both still in our twenties), and now Adonis Stevenson who will take on a guy most fans had to google to give them an idea. Now why is this happening? Because we allow it to happen. Simple as that.

Money’s Haters: Floyd’s Safest Paycheck

They may not realize it, but Floyd’s detractors are his best ‘’fans’’ down the line; at least from a financial point of view (on par with his most faithful disciples of course). The casual Floyd fans might miss a fight and be okay with it knowing they can always watch the rerun on YouTube. The die-hard, hardcore fans will pay, watch and defend [on boxing forums during heated discussions]. However when it comes to haters, there’s no casual haters. They all seem to hate with the same fiery intensity. I’m always appalled to see them memorize every single little detail with eidetic precision; sometimes even putting the purist die-hard yea-sayers to shame. By paying, watching, and talking about it even if it’s to curse Mayweather and everybody even remotely associated to him, you’re spreading the epidemic…and you’re making him richer and more (in)famous.

The Recency Effect

Mayweather is a smart businessman. He knows that even though many fans and non-fans alike may bitch now, once he ties up Marciano’s record [or beats it], the general focus of the population will quickly shift from his weak choice of opposition to the new landmark in his career and the annals of boxing. Focusing and recalling on the last thing remembered is called the recency effect.

The Cure to the Epidemic

Luckily, there is a cure to this epidemic. You are actually that cure. So here’s what you are going to do: whenever you find out that a champion purposely chose to fight a B-level fighter to get off with the easy, embellish his record and personal stats, and cash in on an easy payday, you will send that information to the deepest corners of your subconscious and try your best to forget about it. Assuming the fight between Mayweather and Berto takes place on September 5th, well on September 5th, don’t buy the pay-per-view. If the fight is free, don’t watch it and change the channel. If you’re at a bar, ask the bartender to change the channel. If you happen to find a free live stream, don’t give in to the temptation [don’t watch it]. I’m especially talking to the reasonable Mayweather fans, the undecided, and especially the haters tempted to find out if the shoe will somehow finally fall. Go watch a movie, make sweet love to your better half (or better halves if you have some kind of arrangement), go on a road trip, get drunk, stare at the wall, ask you family doctor to put you in a provoked coma if you have to, but don’t watch the fight.

We [are] the Money, You be Pretty [boy]

All right Floyd, so you want to stick around a while longer? Fine. You want to stay and you want us to pay? Fine. But we’ll be the “money”, not you. The hell with your current moniker and present way of fighting; it has to go if you want us to stick around as well. The hell with the prolonged clinches which robs us of a round and a half in duration time. The hell with the bicycle rides at the end of championship fights to kill the clock (another round and half) and safeguard your lead. We want that hungry and aggressive kid who used to fight like James Toney and never left you off the hook once he slipped the initial punches; not the guy who can spend 20 seconds moving around the ring away from his opponent without ever throwing a punch. We want the guy who didn’t need to make gargantuan contractual demands or the constant help of an interventionist referee to win his fights. We want the exciting kid who went for the knockout instead of being content with lackluster UD victories. In other words: kill “Money” and resurrect “Pretty Boy”. Otherwise listen to your old man.

A New Hope…

Cherry-picking is plaguing the sport because the sport is plagued by spoiled brats, divas and prima donnas who fight and conduct their business the same way rock and rap superstars do. However, not all fighters are like that (thank God). There are still a few boxers who enter the sport with an old-school mentality; that is: the best fight the best, and/or the fans get the fights they want [to see].

The Golovkin-Lemieux fight is set and will certainly be an interesting one. Two guys who can punch a hole in a concrete wall, two who come to fight every time; two guys who understand that action speaks louder than words. Bring it on. Then there are growing rumors about a potential fight between Sergey Kovalev and Artur Beterbiev hopefully set in Moscow on Thanksgiving. Two guys with a history. Two guys with different cultural backgrounds. Two guys who don’t like each other. Two guys with nukes in their gloves. I’m salivating right now. I read a few articles on both match-ups (potential in the latter case) and you know what they all had in common? None of the fighters involved raised any financial issue whatsoever, and no fighter involved made ridiculous demands to handicap the other. GGG called out Lemieux after his victory against N’dam. Lemieux answered the call. Beterbiev has been poking Kovalev for quite some time now, so Krusher challenged King Artur to fight him in Mother Russia. Beterbiev obviously answered the call. And all parties involved in this vast equation seem more than willing to work together in unison in order to make this fight happen; a fight which could easily have the potential to be the fight of the year, if not more.

So that’s it for now folks. I obviously welcome your comments as long as they show open-mindedness, thoughtfulness, respect and constructiveness (and a command of English above that of a third grammar). Everything else will be ignored and sent to the deepest corners of my subconscious. On a different note, I’m currently finishing the third chapter on Cus D’Amato’s gym and legacy, so it should be ready by next week. Again I got very positive responses, even received a call from Rudy of Title Boxing Equipment looking to help out; so that’s simply awesome. Until then, Simon says: take care of yourselves and what’s around you…Oh and please, on top of boycotting Mayweather’s current choice of opponent, please boycott that jerk dentist from Minnesota who killed a lion for sport. That story just made me sick to my stomach.

Cheers…

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