Roughly a year ago to this day Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s stock and intrigue was as high as ever. Gearing up for a May 1st, 2010 match with ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand and linked to Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao, Floyd’s every move and action was charted by haters and admirers alike.
Mayweather would end up surviving a shaky second round against Mosley and eventually put on a boxing clinic against his Pomona, California foe. Timing Shane and catching him with crisp right hands throughout, Floyd was in top form and his victory further fueled interested in a Pacquiao dream match.
But that was the last time we have heard from Floyd, as his months since have been plagued with controversy and speculation. A fight with Pacquiao seems more like a pipe dream at the moment and even those closest to him are unsure as to whether he will ever fight again. Mayweather is awaiting trial for various felony and misdemeanor charges and recent rumors have him considering a move out of his Las Vegas stomping grounds an into sunny South Florida.
Given the fact that Mayweather is growing further apart from his persona inside of the ring, it makes sense to see why the star fighter recently dropped to #3 in Yahoo!’s latest pound for pound rankings. Taking Mayweather’s place is red-hot Sergio Martinez, fresh off of an 8th round TKO over previously undefeated WBO junior middleweight champion Sergiy Dzinziruk this past weekend in Mashantucket, Connecticut.
While there is nothing wrong with Mayweather traveling the globe and checking out Miami Heat games from court side, it has been Martinez who has made an indelible mark over the past year as the Dizinziruk showcase was preceded by a shocking November knockout over Paul Williams and a gutsy April upset over then middleweight-champion Kelly Pavlik. As Mayweather has continued to chill, Martinez has been on a roll.
Having just turned 36 years of age, the Argentinean is a late bloomer in the sport but has shown incredible longevity and hunger in creating such a name for himself at this point in his career. Adding fuel to the fire, Martinez has also called out Pacquiao, Mayweather, and Miguel Cotto, insisting he has what it takes to upend them inside of the ring. At the moment I just don’t see much that you can knock about the guy or his willingness to constantly test himself.
I’ve never been a Floyd Mayweather critic but it’s disappointing to see him make headlines outside of the ring as opposed to between the ropes. The sport is a lot more interesting when he is active an I just wish he had the desire that Martinez has been showing in recent times.
