“If you beat me, I want you to earn it. I don’t want it to be tainted”…”Of the 33 opponents he has faced, every single one touched the canvas”…all recent comments made by some of the biggest names in the sport. Looking back at this week’s key quotes of note, Boxing Scribe Vivek Wallace offers his own unique perspective, giving fight fans “a little something to think about”. Check it out!
“He was in the sport before me. When I came into the sport, they said, ‘This kid is gonna be another superstar.’ I’m not taking nothing away from him, but you never see a guy in the middle of his career all of a sudden become a superstar. I don’t take nothing away from him. If you beat me, I want you to earn it. I don’t want it to be tainted.” – Floyd Mayweather on Manny Pacquiao and the testing debate
Perspective: The Mayweather/Pacquiao saga remains the biggest non-fight topic to ever rock the sport. Seems at every turn, the only thing fight fans care about is “when will the two fight?” While fans continue to ask that question, one of the men involved continues to ask a question of his own. That question: “When will he take the test?” When the uber-talented Floyd Mayweather took the stage in New York City on Tuesday afternoon, for the first time in a long time, the world got a chance to hear directly from the horses mouth what his take on the situation is.
Mostly known for his antics and bravado, the calm monotone version of Mayweather was just as effective in making his point, and by the time he was done talking, many were left with much to consider. Several fight fans felt he didn’t want the fight. Yet here he was on a grand stage professing to the world that he does. Several felt that Pacquiao had already agreed to the test. Yet here he was standing center stage letting those same fight fans know that had Pacquiao conceded to the test, the fight would no longer be a topic of discussion….only the aftermath….as it would have already come and gone.
Although Mayweather remains the central figure leading the charge in this hot topic, there are many fight fans out there who feel like he does have a point. With all great feats in the history of the sport firmly entrenched in the archives, one would have to think awfully hard to remember another fighter that started as marginal as Pacquiao did, but suddenly went on a rise to epic proportions while in their late 20’s or early 30’s. It’s never been done. This doesn’t mean Pacquiao is guilty of anything. It does mean those with questions have a solid base to stand on.
The decision not to take the test is one that could haunt Pacquiao either way at this point. If he were to win without testing, the questions would remain. If he were to face Mayweather and look subpar after testing, the verdict would be unanimous and every accolade he ever received would be open for never-ending questions. Could he be this great? Is able to do something that no man (or woman) has ever done in the history of the sport? Absolutely. But when his position prevents him from proving that he’s doing things clean, every question he wants to vanish remains validated. Only he has the power to strip the stranglehold those questions have on the sport.
To quote Mayweather, “if [he] beats me, I want him to earn it. I don’t want it to be tainted.” People are entitled to their opinion that Pacquiao is clean, but considering all the buzz surrounding this topic, could a Pacquiao victory in a non-tested fight over Mayweather ever come without question? Just another reason to “TAKE THE TEST”…and for Team Pacquiao, just a little something else to think about!
“Of the 33 opponents he has faced, every single one touched the canvas. Every single one, without exception.” – GoldenBoy Promotions CEO Richard Schafer speaking on Victor Ortiz
Perspective: Quite an interesting stat. Very interesting. And one that prior to Schafer speaking, few around the sport, myself included, had any knowledge of. The irony about that stat is that it tells us two things, yet most only gave attention to one. The most obvious sentiment is that the man has power in both hands, and not “if”, but “when” he lands flush, the recipient will fall flat. Now….the not so obvious truth contained in this statement is that Victor does have a few losses, which subsequently tells us that despite knocking all his opponents down, it hasn’t always meant that they’d necessarily be “out”.
In the case of Floyd Mayweather, you have a man who has rarely been down, and in the past, it’s been nearly impossible to land a shot flush enough to even provide that option. So now, the onus is on Ortiz to not only land that highly improbable shot, but land enough of it, or land enough of them, to seal the deal. The reason that this is important is because some view Ortiz’s best and perhaps only shot at victory as being a knockout. The best way to solidify this statement can be found in the fact that Ortiz barely outboxed Andre Berto, who is solid, but categorically nowhere near the skill level of Floyd Mayweather.
Victor Ortiz recently stated that he “always knew he would be the first man to defeat Floyd Mayweather Jr.” Now that his chance has arrived, one has to wonder if the young pup truly understands what he’ll be faced with on the evening of September 17 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. In the sport of boxing, every man has a punchers chance, and although it’s an Ortiz quote we’re now examining, it’s a past Mayweather quote that will be most relevant. “You can have two men who train the same or two men who prepare the same, but when the bright lights come on, not every man will perform the same.”
In this case, Mayweather has done it on the highest level for so long, it’ll simply be another day at the office. For Ortiz, not only will this be his biggest fight of the year, but it’ll also be the biggest fight of his career so far, and he’ll be doing so against a man known to perform to perfection section for section, and every punch connecting will serve as a lesson. That lesson: When you talk the talk…..be ready to walk the walk….because great odds and a decorated resume of history tells us that Floyd will. Just a little something for the young Ortiz to think long and hard about as September 17 draws closer. Stay tuned.
(Vivek “Vito” Wallace can also be reached at [email protected], Youtube (VIVEK1251), Twitter (VIVEKWALLACE747), Skype (VITO-BOXING), Facbook, and Myspace)
