People say they want the truth, but in the immortal words of Jack Nicholson,
“YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH.”
I am going to tell you the truth about Floyd Mayweather; you can choose to accept it or not, but it’s time to set the record straight on some things.
#1 Truth- Mayweather wanted to be Oscar De La Hoya
When Floyd started his career, he was the “Pretty Boy” always flashing a smile. He wanted to be a good guy, he wanted to be loved. Good guys, like Sugar Ray Leonard and Oscar De La Hoya, had millions of followers and made millions of dollars off their “clean cut image”.
Even though he was considered a “defensive” fighter, he routinely got rid of opponents in devastating fashion, just as he did with his five-knockdown destruction of the late Diego Corrales.
As Floyd cleaned out the super featherweight and lightweight divisions, he never received the recognition he felt he deserved. He wasn’t a pay-per-view star and while those within the boxing world knew of his greatness, many outside of boxing had no clue of his talent.
#2 Truth- Arturo Gatti showed Mayweather the benefit of being the “bad guy.”
Everyone loved the late Arturo Gatti, so when a bout between Mayweather and Gatti was announced Floyd was automatically thrust into the “bad guy” role. Floyd wasn’t being mean to Gatti when he called him a “C+ Fighter”; he was just speaking the truth. The reaction from Gatti’s fans made the pay- per -view match into a major event even though it was a lopsided victory for Mayweather.
From that point on, Mayweather stopped trying to please the general public and embraced the “bad boy” image.
#3 Truth- “Money” Mayweather is about the money.
The Gatti fight made Mayweather a PPV attraction, and he began to do what a lot of fighters have done once they become Superstars- they pick and choose the lowest risk fights with the highest financial gain.
You might not like it, but from the moment Floyd cut ties with Bob Arum and Top Rank to become his own promoter, each and every move has been calculated.
The decision not to fight Antonio Margarito had more to do with business than fear.
Allow me to explain. Floyd was offered 8 million dollars to fight Margarito. He rejected it, took an easier fight against Carlos Baldomir and still made 8 million.
As a boxing fan I understand why people are upset, but from a business perspective that was a no brainer, especially when you take into consideration the following:
By not risking a bout with Margarito, he was able to wait for the Oscar De La Hoya fight and make well over twenty million dollar.
Could Floyd have beaten Margarito? Perhaps. Did he want to take that chance? Absolutely not.
#4 Truth- Mayweather cares more about his undefeated record than anything else.
Floyd protects that zero in the loss column like a new born baby. I find that ironic because the two most known undefeated fighters are Rocky Marciano and Joe Calzaghe and neither of them are considered the greatest of all time. Often, losing helps build your legend (it can also destroy it see: Roy Jones Jr.), but Floyd doesn’t look at it that way.
#5 Truth- Mayweather has ducked a few fighters, but people don’t give him enough credit.
He didn’t want to fight Margarito and he doesn’t want to deal with Shane Mosley right now. But, the facts are it isn’t like he has faced a bunch of bums in his career and when he has faced the best, he has destroyed them.
Mayweather isn’t squeaking by to win fights that are a total whitewash. The only fight in question was the first fight with Jose Luis Castillo and Floyd won that via unanimous decision (in the rematch he dominated.) He destroyed Diego Corrales, Jesus Chavez, Demarcus Corley, Gatti, Judah, Baldomir & Hatton.
He has had forty fights and only one was a split decision which was against Oscar De La Hoya, a fight which he clearly won.
Juan Manuel Marquez while coming up in weight, didn’t just lose to Mayweather, he was completely embarrassed.
So while Mayweather hasn’t always stepped up to all challengers, in 40 fights, he’s only lost on one scorecard; an amazing feat considering the competition he has faced.
Final Truth:
Floyd Mayweather has made a conscious decision to portray himself as the “bad guy” and when you do that you open yourself to legitimate criticism. Sometimes those judgments get personal, and the totalities of his accomplishments are forgotten.
It is fair criticism to say Mayweather has made decisions that have kept him out of harm’s way while filling his pockets.
But, the world is clamoring for a Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight, and if Mayweather were to win would people say he beat another “little man”?
What would they say if he were to lose?
In the end the truth is always somewhere in the middle and there for you to decide. Hopefully you can do it in an unbiased manner.
