In the months leading up to Floyd Mayweather?s bout with Shane Mosley, Mayweather was quite candid in explaining that once he beat Shane Mosley the boxing critics and media know-it-all?s would be the first to point out Mosley?s age ? 38 ? or his layoff ? 16 months ? in an effort to discredit what would be a victory over the Ring Magazine?s number two ranked welterweight.
And for the most part Mayweather was right.
What Mayweather couldn?t have expected is the number of so-called journalists who have put out the notion ? in a very indirect way, mind you ? that the pound-for-pound Picasso?s career defining victory was due to any of the following: a) random Olympic-style blood testing weakened Mosley or b) Mosley took the career high payday ? roughly seven million dollars ? with the agreement Mayweather would win the bout, keep his undefeated streak and move in to position to challenge Manny Pacquiao in one of the sport?s biggest fights of all-time.
Excuse me while I laugh.
We don?t know if any of the following is even remotely true. What we do know is yes, boxing has a history of rigging fights and screwing fighters and hell, while we?re at it ? for old school purposes ? even a little mafia involvement back in the day. That being said, it?s awful hard to shake the stigmas that have plagued the sport if after every major bout someone is running to the presses making a living out of printing strictly speculation. As far as I?m concerned, let?s leave the conspiracy theories to Mel Gibson.
Not everything in life is black and white. But sometimes it is what it is. Mayweather-Mosley was exactly what we saw ? a dominant performance by Floyd Mayweather over a great champion in Shane Mosley. Nothing more. Nothing less.
As a culture we?ve become so entrapped in the belief that everything in front of our eyes is an illusion of some sort; masking away reality to fit the often ill-baited agendas and personal opinions of those seeking some sort of reckoning upon others for their own selfish reasons.
I guess it?s trendy now to second guess every event in our lives and to speculate the what-could-have-been reasons for certain occurrences we run to on a daily basis. That?s all fine and dandy. But when did it become so wrong to sit in front of your television with family or friends and a case of your favorite cold beverage to watch two fighters engage in war (or poetic mastery, depending on who you?re watching) and walk away at the end of the night feeling satisfied?
There are enough damn problems in the world today. Sports are supposed to be a release from the everyday struggles we go through. We cling on to certain fighters because we can relate to their story on a personal or emotional (or both) level. To some people the fighters and fights they?re apart of are all they?ve got. What gives anyone the right to strip the common fan base of people of a great fight, instead marring it with controversy that is as factual a self-help book penned by Kevin Trudeau?
Before you start on the whole ?everyone has an opinion, this is just yours, you moron? bandwagon, relax, take a few deep breaths, and comprehend this isn?t about not having an opinion or being able to express said opinion. Everyone has an opinion (don?t believe me, check out any message board) but very few people have actual ?good? opinions. I?m just asking to filter out the garbage to those who really know the sport and really understand the hard work and dedication that fighters need to exhibit to even be remotely successful at this live changing craft known as boxing.
Any fight throughout the entire history of boxing can be downgraded to fit one person?s jaded viewpoint. Foreman was drugged against Ali. Liston took a dive. Nobody liked Hagler. Whitaker was too flamboyant. Chavez beat garbage men. Roy Jones followed suit. Tyson was a front runner. Corrales was weight drained. De la Hoya was shot. Hopkins was old. Trinidad was distracted.
You name any fighter?s biggest win and I can give you at least five reasons justifying the loss in an effort to find the opponent unworthy or just flat out lucky. But what the hell will I prove by diminishing a fighter?s resume?
QUICK HITS I haven?t been able to find one person who is picking Cintron to upset Paul Williams. I guess I?m in the minority. I have a gut feeling if Cintron lands the first major shot Paul Williams? night will end early. That?s saying a lot, considering Williams, if nothing else, has shown a fantastic chin.
Is it just me, or is Chad Dawson?s fight with Jean Pascal generating absolutely zero buzz? I?m hearing reports Fernando Vargas is contemplating a return to the ring. Oh, Joe Calzaghe too. Who the hell is next, Aaron Pryor? Larry Holmes. Oh wait, Holmes is probably still fighting at some club event somewhere…
I finally got a chance to catch HBO?s Real Sports targeting the deaths of Alexis Arguello, Arturo Gatti and Vernon Forrest. Interesting look at the lives of all three victims and a very sad outcome for all involved. Of course ESPN is already trying to paint murder and suicide as a ?boxing problem? especially with the recent events of Edwin Valero. The less boxing coverage ESPN provides the better.
