By Calvin Betton: It’s going to happen, we all know it is, but what nobody knows for definite is who Floyd Mayweather is going to fight when it does happen.
Let me first put forward my opinions on Floyd Mayweather Jnr. He is without a shadow of a doubt one of the most skilled and complete boxers ever to walk the planet. He has speed, reflexes, power, stamina, defence and an unbreakable mental toughness. I also think it is great to have him back – I don’t know of any other sport where its finest exponent is in self imposed exile. On top of this, I have no problem with him taking a tune up fight to get his rhythm back.
My problem with his comeback though is I think Floyd has spotted an easy hole in the market to exploit. Mayweather is aware that he was often criticized for choosing weaker opponents, he also knows that most of the fighters who are being talked about for his P4P crown are quite a bit smaller than him. If he comes back and fights these guys, he will over power them and nobody will doubt that he was indeed always the P4P number 1. The sensible ones among us always knew this anyway, so what is the point in the comeback if that is his only intention?
Let’s look at the Mayweather’s likely opponents according to the word on the grapevine:
Juan Manuel Marquez: Marquez might just be my favourite boxer right now. I think he is a better boxer than Pacquiao and I think he won at least one of their fights. Apparently he wants to take on Floyd and Floyd is interested. Of course he is! Mayweather is at least two weight classes above Marquez! That is the equivalent of Joe Calzaghe taking on one of the Klitchkos! Though their boxing skills would match up pretty well, Floyd is faster, has a better defence and is much more powerful. I don’t see anyway how Marquez could win this match. Floyd with a late round stoppage.
Winner of Pacquiao and Hatton: We have already seen Mayweather Hatton so we know exactly how that one pans out. What exactly would be any different this time? With regards to Pacquiao, it’s a very similar situation Marquez – he is just too small to trouble someone as good as Mayweather. His all out attack routine would play straight into Floyd’s game plan. He might be slightly quicker than Floyd, but he doesn’t come close on power, skills or defence. Floyd overpowers him to a late stoppage.
Fighters in his own Weight Class: Of whom the obvious ones are Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto and Paul Williams. I think ideally, Mayweather would like to take a tune up fight, then Marquez, then the winner of Hatton and Pacquiao, and then fight Shane Mosley in about 18 months time, then says he has beaten everyone out there and retire again. This would mean that Shane is nearly 40 by the time he fights him and his greatest asset – his speed – will have deserted him quite a bit. By doing this, Mayweather avoids the 2 biggest challengers – Cotto and Williams. Cotto is just as big as Mayweather, and though he is not as quick or skilled as Floyd, he is comfortably more powerful. I’d still have Floyd as a very slight favourite, but this would be an awesome spectacle. Williams’ size, as with all his opponents would cause Mayweather all sorts of problems, and although it wouldn’t be as good a fight as Mayweather – Cotto, it would be equally competitive.
In conclusion, if he is to enhance his already outstanding legacy, Mayweather should let the smaller guys fight each other and fight Mosley in the next 6 – 12 months and / or Cotto and Williams. If he then beats two or all of them, and the public still want to see him take on one of the smaller guys, then fair enough. However, if his sole intention is to just face Marquez, Pacquiao and Hatton again, that makes him nothing more than a flat track bully.
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