On Monday, June 3rd, it was announced that Floyd Mayweather, today’s biggest name in boxing, is no longer to be working with Golden Boy Promotions, who is home to some of today’s biggest boxing stars. The news came following the departure of CEO Richard Schaffer, with whom Floyd had a great working relationship with.
As is usually the case with any news involving Mayweather, surely there is trash talk and controversy to be expected to follow. Here I have listed only a few of the issues that people currently have with Mayweather, and we will look at whether or not some of these points are valid, in hopes of possibly predicting where his place will be in boxing history.
1.) The Obvious: If you are one of the many who hate Floyd Mayweather, my first guess would be that it’s due to his personality. Boasting a rather cocky attitude 90% of the time, it isn’t hard to hate this guy. His fighting ability is unquestionable, as is his ability to sell a fight. What can be put in to question more than anything would be what it is exactly he is selling. A conclusion has been reached by many that Mayweather’s pre-fight specials are much more entertaining than the fights themselves (Mayweather is known for fighting defensively, and audiences often complain of his “running away” in the ring.) Now, everyone has their style, and I will not speak against Floyd’s, but what is disappointing is that at some point he is not selling boxing at all, but an image. The integrity of the sport may be a bit compromised as Floyd leans towards WWE-style marketing; in other words, the entertainment side of things. Regardless, his skill can not be questioned, and it is hard for you to debate one who cashes in on your own hate.
2.) Ducking: Mayweather has had a reputation for cherry-picking his opponents. It’s hard to disagree with, but what one has to consider is that everyone seems to think they have a shot at Mayweather. It seems as though whenever he selects an opponent, thousands of fans emerge and complain about it not being “x” fighter. We saw it after the “Canelo” fight. Many thought Canelo had a decent chance against Mayweather, and it was a fight many wanted to see. Mayweather gave the fans a fight they wanted to see, only to have them criticize him for the mismatch. We saw this with his last match against Maidana. Many fans were going to boycott Floyd’s last fight, as he had originally expressed interest in having Amir Kahn be his opponent. Many wanted a Marcos Maidana fight, and Floyd quickly gave Maidana the fight instead. As is now tradition, Floyd is again criticized, this time for not fighting Kahn. It’s hard to give critics any credibility this way.
3.) The Pacquiao Fight: I feel like this deserves a category of its own, because of what it would mean for the sport. Although the two are past their prime, a fight between these two would determine the better of the two fighters considered to be the best of our generation. Whether it’s Pacquiao ducking Mayweather, Mayweather ducking Pac, Bob Arum, etc., there’s somebody who does not want this fight to happen. And unfortunately, as long as Mayweather vs. Pacquiao does not happen, Mayweather will get no slack.
Photo Source:Businessinsider.com
The Mayweather Problem was originally published on Collective Lifestyle
