His professional legacy now forever secure, I wish him the best in what I hope is a long quest ahead towards becoming a better human?
As the Mayweather era comes to an end, I firmly hold three ostensibly incompatible beliefs at once:
1) There has not been a better fighter in this generation than Floyd Mayweather
2) There has not been a fighter who I?ve enjoyed watching more than I have Floyd Mayweather
3) There is not a fighter who has turned me off to the sport of boxing more than Mayweather has
How can all of these things be true?
I don?t take joy in watching Mayweather simply because he?s talented, or undefeated or famous.
I take great joy in watching him because Mayweather participates in a sport defined by its below-the-neck exploits, yet dominates it with above-the-neck wizardry.
Mayweather wins by computing and processing. He baffles his opponents and piles up wins. He?s pugilistic proof that the smart guy can win. He?s the boxing ?Revenge of the Nerds.?
And I wish that is all he was, or that others summarized him the same way.
Because today, no athlete in the world is as successful at making people angry.
The reasons? Almost as numerous and diverse as the people that despise Mayweather.
Most generally, like many (mostly) men through history who were great at their job, Mayweather is at least an occasional lousy person.
And in particular, Mayweather shares a dark history with many beloved geniuses, from John Lennon to Dr. Dre and Bill Murray: domestic violence against women.
It?s inexcusable and despicable.
Mayweather?s boasting has also earned him enemies: the bragging about his wealth, what he owns, his boxing superiority.
And in the social media era, this doesn?t simply earn him detractors, but sends people into fits of unbridled rage.
It?s made boxing talk with regular folk so thoroughly unsatisfying that, at times, I?ve barely cared about him or even ITALICboxing at all.
Yes, it is that bad.
Most recently, I took solace in an embarrassingly obvious, but still surprising, fact of reality?I can simply choose to not discuss Mayweather with the world, a strategy that has mostly worked for me. This way, I can remain a fan of the sweet science, and not deal with the dirty, polarized planet of fans and enemies that Mayweather created.
So I can still make some popcorn, watch his deconstruction of Diego Corrales (Jan. 2001).
I?ll make a salad, watch him solve Ricky Hatton (Dec. 2007).
I?ll grab a beer, watch him completely befuddle Canelo Alvarez (Sept. 2013).
It?s unlikely, but maybe one day I?ll even watch him decisively defeat Manny Pacquiao, as he did in May 2015.
I?ll do so in the comfort of my home, on my laptop, no one going nuclear about how Sugar Ray Robinson was better (he was), about how Mayweather is overrated (he?s not), how a prime Manny Pacquiao would have defeated him (he wouldn?t have), or how Mayweather used steroids (he didn?t).
It?s become my canonical example for how the information age, ironically, is really good about making potentially smart conversations really dumb. Heck, I haven?t had a detailed conversation about Mayweather?s mastery of angles, or shoulder roll, or selective jab, or check hook?in years.
In his closing act, a fight against Andre Berto, I expect Mayweather to cruise to a clean, but surprisingly close decision. Berto is strong and a talented puncher. This is also the biggest fight of his life. He?ll come ready, as he has little to lose. It might even be a fun fight.
In the end, Mayweather has accumulated enough wealth for nations of men. He?s changed the sport for the better in many ways. He?s made the boxing world darker in others.
But as a fan of the sweet science, and more than that, someone fond of people who use their brain in impressive ways, I?ll always admire how he demonstrated the power of mental gymnastics, the ability to outwit men in a game of muscle and brawn.
Farewell to Floyd Mayweather. I thank him for the good times, and for what he taught us about the science and economics of boxing. His professional legacy now forever secure, I wish him the best in what I hope is a long quest ahead towards becoming a better human.
Follow Cheekay Brandon on twitter @BigData_Kane
