Many years from now, with a silver goatee and an absence of Yes-Men, the fighter spots the businessman who short-changed his legacy?
2013 was a great year for boxing. September 14th left a sour taste in my mouth. Yes, the biggest fight of the year was, for me, the biggest letdown.
It must be said; I kind of set myself up for disappointment.
In anticipation my brother and I had turned the front room into a low-budget tapas bar. Spread across the table was a nice assortment of pre-fight snacks. The fridge housed a fair selection of beer. As a UK resident you know the drill; if you want to watch the best fights live, you?ve got to put in the hours. Progressively getting drunker, more opinionated, and enjoying the contrast between crisps, olives and artichokes, there wasn?t a chance I was going to nod off.
Around 4:30 am, and with another cold one in my mitt, Saul Alvarez was followed to the ring by Floyd Mayweather. That classic feeling of indecision commenced. I could not bring myself to bet against Floyd but I had got it into my head that Saul would land something big; this was going to be a compelling fight.
Not long before they touched gloves the late Joe Rein had posed the question, ?How long will it take Floyd to reduce Canelo to a sparring partner?? I stuck to my (more entertaining) version of events, but the manner in which the old sage wrote had me smelling the coffee before it was even brewed. Canelo lost and, to my chagrin, was reduced a sparring partner.
Depending on how Saul?s career pans out, I guess it?s not a bad scalp, though the fight itself was completely forgettable. The real question is, before the credits roll, will Floyd?s pocket-filling fans be rewarded with something heroic? As it stands we?re due a very calculated goodbye, and when the one-time Pretty Boy finally does take his leave I sense history will grumble.
To this writer?s mind, Floyd?s ?no blueprint? theme is a cancer waiting to spread. It implies what can never be; that a fighter never has an off-night, that nobody has his number. Insufferable as Harry Greb often looked, as untouchable as Ray Robinson once appeared, they were still human. Difference being, we understand how great these men were.
Is it not so that, in order to know what we?re dealing with, we must understand its limitations? Structural engineers must know the ultimate tensile strength of metals before a project can be furthered while an F1 car?s top speed must be known before they?re good to go. Lately Floyd hasn?t had to shift out of second, and during this relatively pedestrian phase of his career he?s taken it upon himself to rock a TBE cap (The Best Ever). Forgive me if I liken its relevance to those cardboard crowns you?re given in Burger King.
It?s enough to make you reminisce.
Way back in 1998, Floyd was a ball of ambitious energy. WBC super-featherweight champion Genaro Hernandez didn?t know what he was in the ring with, and I too feel unarmed watching Floyd go about his business. The razor reflexes are there of course, but there?s also a torrent of punches. Did I just see a lead right uppercut? Come round seven it?s toe-to-toe. The occasional crack on the jaw figures but Floyd holds his ground, returns four and makes sure it doesn?t happen again. A stellar championship run is kick-started with an 8th round retirement. Many believe the 130-pound Mayweather was version one and with good reason; it was at this weight where he sculpted perhaps his most impressive win.
Back in 2001 the late Diego Corrales was unbeaten and only a slight underdog. Conscious of the fact he?d probably need three rounds to find his rhythm, he followed Mayweather about the ring with a knowing march. Clean shots produced a dismissive look. Everyone watched on as the plot was scheduled to thicken. Well, it didn?t so much thicken as it did liquefy. Floyd, who looked like he may be on his bicycle, was more like a weaponized jack in the box. Moving but refusing to be bullied, evading but stepping into his punches, it was a sublime mix of fire and ice. Pinpoint hooks started to disagree with Diego. Five knockdowns later his corner did his brain a favor.
Next year Floyd jumped up to lightweight. Mexico?s Jose Luis Castillo was a solid champion but few expected the rough ride that followed. A shoulder injury was a fair excuse in a contest Floyd arguably lost, forced to the ropes and outworked in the latter half of the fight; Castillo gave the aggressively-inclined American?s what they paid for. Unanimous scores of 116-111, 115-111 and 115-111 each tell a little porky, but Floyd deserves full credit for having an immediate rematch and winning clearly on that occasion.
The word ?boring? reached boiling point following a contender for Floyd?s most mundane hour against Victoriano Sosa in 2003. Again he seemed to listen to the public and reeled out a string of very watchable bouts against Phillip N?Dou, DeMarcus Corley and Arturo Gatti. These helped pave the way for two lucrative blockbusters against Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton. Both were high-tempo. Floyd won each deservedly.
Splatting Ricky Hatton into the turnbuckle was quite spectacular, though it may have marked the end of Floyd?s surge for greatness.
For whatever reason he opted for semi-retirement, and ever since then his career has felt more like a bundle of choreographed scenes, each well-rehearsed and with no need for stuntmen. Credit is due for the way he regrouped after Shane Mosley lashed out; surely a glitch from TMT?s perspective. It?s always a pleasure to watch, technically speaking. Months? worth of buttering up the ideal opponent has given rise to an ugly theory?
Floyd doesn?t agree to fights in which he believes there is genuine danger.
I use to have Floyd beating Manny Pacquiao, and with something to spare. The reach advantage would?ve been too much, Pacman?s habit of overreaching would?ve introduced him to Floyd?s check hook, and the manner in which he generally leads with his head would?ve reserved him an all-you-can-eat buffet of right hands.
Several unnecessary demands later, things have changed.
Manny?s work rate would force the older man to fight him off, those quick feet would take away his preferred range, rush his decisions, and a dedicated body attack would create head-snapping opportunities. I?m not sure he wins, but it?s no longer an easy assignment.
In the same way a good, assertive speech can make a believer, Floyd?s reluctance has made me sceptical.
He will always have the greatest respect from his colleagues, the Andre Wards and Paulie Malignaggis, men who can relate to the hard graft, expectation and sacrifice. It?s a type of respect I could never digest without having danced under the bright lights myself. Ranking fighters is different.
I dare say your average fan has a better gauge of history than a fighter does, somebody who?s free from the tunnel vision needed to compete, who can study the different eras and weigh them evenly. Someone whose opinion isn?t spoilt by boastfulness or excessive modesty.
Without being a hater or, what is known in certain corners as a ?flomo,? I believe Mayweather is still missing that signature victory; that essential spice which would bring together 18 years of sweet science. And with the public refusing to let a certain fight die, history is reaching out to him.
Trying to ignore the fact the sun has begun to rise, I will continue to watch the one-time Pretty Boy, live. His timing, speed and vision are good enough to wow those who know nothing about the sport; that palpable kind of talent which belongs only to the select few; a Lionel Messi or a Roger Federer. It?s fair to say that while the ring?s giants are still sleepy, Mayweather is good for boxing. I do wonder though, about the man who has become too conscious of his position as top dog, who flashes his lead right like an overused joke, who no longer aims to please.
Not to skirt over the last point, our pound-for-pound king is scheduled to face somebody both himself and his father have openly said hasn?t earned the chance.
With at least three more fights there?s still time to shine, but you don?t need much of an imagination to picture this?
Many years from now, with a silver goatee and an absence of Yes-Men, as Floyd chills in his longue, scanning his countless possessions, the fighter spots the businessman who short-changed his legacy.
