Floyd Mayweather JR – Manny Pacquiao or Canelo Alvarez: BOXING UPDATE & NEWS
By Gina L. Caliboso
So, on May 4th, after the Mayweather JR., victory, my sister declared the edict – “We are never ordering a fight again! Don’t even bother asking. We are never going to order a fight again!”
Great. Thanks to Mayweather, the undefeated fighter of the moment, I can never, ever watch a PPV boxing event at my sister and brother-in-law’s house again. But as Floyd Mayweather, JR., showed mastery over his opponent Robert “Ghost” Guerrero resulting in a 12 round unanimous decision, let me again ponder about the state of the welterweight division as it is now. In yet another less than exciting boxing match that showcased a Mayweather victory with a few entertaining rounds and simply ended with Guerrero having a red face from Mayweather’s slick jab and cross.
As I write that intro paragraph in what has been just a few days, one fight has been announced: Manny Pacquiao vs. Brandon Rios and potentially, depending on the state of his hand, Mayweather vs. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. I honestly feel that now I’m getting a grip on my present, I can see potential matchups. How can I say this? Think about Yoda. Yoda had it right that the “future is always in motion.” And right now, the boxing powers (or force, mind you), have decided to make this a memorable year of having two of the best in boxing – Mayweather and Pacquiao, each have fights. However, apparently not against each other.
But, back to my take on the Mayweather bout, and being banished from my sister and brother-in-law’s house for a boxing PPV event, it was a boring fight. Let’s just say it. B-O-R-I-N-G. It was boring because it was a typical Mayweather bout. After the first two rounds where he and Guerrero actually did exchange and Guerrero looked like he could mix it up a bit with Mayweather, the fight unraveled into a classic bout of hand speed, timing, and power. Mayweather timed his jab and cross that Guerrero couldn’t counter as well or act as aggressively. But I thought that Guerrero hung in there as well as he could. And, given that Mayweather had a bad hand, he couldn’t get the KO. Instead, it was 12 rounds of Mayweather staving off any attack, until finally in the 12th round I thought he was acting like a pinball, just bouncing off the ropes into the pocket with Guerrero, but then just simply holding on to win. Smart for Mayweather. A win for Mayweather. But, can you imagine a fight between Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez vs. Floyd Mayweather? B-O-R-I-N-G.
It’s no mistake that Mayweather is truly a great fighter. But since he decides to fight once a year, if that, he should win every time. In this bout, and I didn’t pay too much attention to the pre-fight documentary shows, Mayweather looked sharp, focused, less of a fighter that had to prove or show anything, and was more like a man, who had been humbled by imprisonment and needed to wipe away the residue of doing time. Yes, RSR fans, boring fight, but sharp and precise.
Of course, there are some possibilities that could affect, or not (taking a page of the future always being in motion), the drama that is Floyd Mayweather, JR. I’ll take the obvious possibility. Will Pacquiao vs Mayweather ever happen? In his decision to fight Rios in Macau later this year, the answer is No. But, I give both Pacquiao and Mayweather one more year to get the fight contract together. One year from now, perhaps, RSR fans. Pacquiao vs Mayweather. It will be Pacquiao’s last bout and it will be in Manila.
The second possibility? Mayweather vs. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. I like this bout as much as I like the Pacquiao bout. Why? Alvarez is a hard core body puncher, a slow starter, but he would take the fight to Mayweather and would not allow the speed to overwhelm him or get him out of his power range. The weight would be a factor. Mayweather had decided on a catch weight with Marquez, but weighed in heavy and paid the fine. Mayweather beat Marquez rather decisively.
Lastly, there is a point of contention to be made about Mayweather’s choice of Guerrero instead of another champion of the welterweight division. Does this name sound familiar? Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley. Bradley has defeated Pacquiao. In his last bout, Bradley fought off Ruslan Provodnikov, and now, is set to fight Marquez in September. I don’t understand this at all. I argue to Mayweather’s choices of opponent. He and Bradley should be going up against one another – no question.
I’m always amazed when after a key boxing event, for a brief moment, the boxing matchmaking future is always questioned. It might as well be a round table for all the boxing promoters to get together and see what bouts need to happen to make the sport interesting, competitive, and entertaining in order to keep its dwindling fan base.
So, what’re we talking about here in the next few months? Depending on his hand, Mayweather vs. Alvarez maybe? I think this would be a great bout to watch. Pacquiao vs. Brandon Rios? Rios the younger and Pacquiao the elder. I like this match-up. Bradley vs. Marquez? Surprise to me. I just learned of it doing my research for this article. But, actually, I can’t think that far ahead really. After all, I simply have to find a place to watch all these fights.
