Fans have different rules for different fighters and will overlook excruciatingly blatant hypocrisy when it comes to ?their? horse in the boxing race.
Never is this clearer than in the big ball of BS swirling around the boxing triangle of Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Gennady Golovkin.
Mayweather, who claims to be retired, is still receiving flak for not fighting the middleweight Golovkin, despite Golovkin?s public offer to face the pound-for-pound kingpin at 154 lbs. To this day, criticism is being tossed at a retired fighter?s direction for not facing this one last threat of all threats.
However, moving away from Mayweather, there?s still a true crossover superstar cash cow in the business able to give Golovkin the big fight exposure he needs to elevate his career– Manny Pacquiao.
The Filipino legend has one fight left (if press reports are to be believed) and what better way to go out for a man credited with fearlessly taking on all challengers than to take on a fighter being billed as ?The most feared fighter?? If Golovkin is willing to move down to 154 to fight Mayweather, then he?d surely be willing to accommodate Pacquiao similarly. And, as a former junior middleweight world champ, Pacquiao should have no problem taking on a 154 lb. fighter at a catchweight. If it?s a reasonable sacrifice to ask of Mayweather, then it should be reasonable for Pacquiao…right?
But nobody is bringing up Golovkin-Pacquiao. Mostly, perhaps, because they just want to lord this last undone fight over Mayweather?s head as one parting shot to his professional legacy. Maybe also, in part, because people realize (as they should realize with Mayweather) that matching Pacquiao against Golovkin is a silly proposition that asks way too much of the smaller fighter.
And this takes us back to Golovkin, who is eager to dry out to 154 for Mayweather, but unwilling to consider a move down to 155 lbs. to appease Saul ?Canelo? Alvarez, should the red-headed Mexican star defeat Miguel Cotto for the WBC middleweight title this coming November 21.
The Kazakh KO artist has a point when telling the media that the middleweight limit is 160 lbs. and that a middleweight title match should not be contended at an arbitrarily-appointed weight cap under the official limit. But those with a sharp memory will recall Golovkin asking for there to be an arbitrarily-appointed weight cap of 164 lbs. in place for him to even consider taking a bout with super middleweight champ Andre Ward.
You can?t have it both ways. Well, maybe these days you can.
It seems that these days people just want to believe what they want to believe and no amount of intelligent discourse will sway them from the bias and prejudice they brought into the debate in the first place. Ignorance is bliss, as long as there are enough blissfully ignorant people around to support this lazy thinking.
But there is a right and wrong in this particular triangle of hypocrisy. Mayweather-Golovkin is as illogical as Pacquiao-Golovkin and Golovkin should not ask for catchweights if he?s not willing to entertain the idea from other fighters. It?s that simple.
