By Babatis Banda: Floyd Mayweather Junior is an accomplished sports person. He is also a very controversial, outspoken and if you like, very cocky individual. He is a typical love or hate character who like Ali, is full of confidence and does not mince his words when it comes to what he feels about his opponents.

Personally, I can’t imagine a cool, meek successful Floyd. So, what makes this young man special?

First, unlike many other fighters today, Floyd is lively, controversial and brings back the Ali atmosphere to his fights. He knows how to unravel his opponents before they even step in the ring. He makes his opposition doubt itself before he even throws a punch. Above all, Floyd is special in that he possesses skill that is agreed by pundits to be almost flawless and rare too, he makes the above average fighter look ordinary and makes it look so easy in the ring. Just like Sugar Ray Leonard was, he is not the brutal fighter that uses strength to overwhelm opponents; rather, Floyd uses speed and sheer brains complimented by rare ability to overpower otherwise more powerful opponents than he is through unrivaled skill.

Floyd fights smarter, he does not brawl or senselessly force the action, and he is measured in his approach. It is important to note that Floyd until now, is the freshest of all the accomplished boxers, he does not take punishment to win fights, but he outwits his fore by intelligently adjusting to their style and throwing their mistakes back at them. I believe that is real boxing, it separates the ordinary boxer that uses other illegal means to gain physic and power to overwhelm opponents. Skill is almost inborn, you can learn only to a certain extent, but the rest has to come naturally. Boxing is the art of fighting and Floyd paints it in its real bright colours. Having said this, hardly expect Floyd to cut and maim his opponents like the power based fighters do, he boxes and outwits them enough to get the result.

Now, here is my concern. Floyd has the luxury, unlike many boxers, of fighting either once a year or not at all, and still remains extremely popular. Floyd is aging and I have noticed that he has graduated from the ambitious, tenacious young fighter he once was, to a more mature but accomplished fighter only interested on remaining in the spot light. He is not hungry for achievement any more, he has already achieved, but his concern is not to let another bull move into his marked territory. Age, like any other fighter will affect him soon while inactivity might work against him in the immediate future. We should enjoy this rare skill while it lasts, because it comes once in a life time. No one alive today, does it the way he does because he is special.