Is Mayweather Jr. still the #1 fighter in boxing?

By Boxing News - 12/23/2012 - Comments

mayweather45By Tom Drury: Floyd Mayweather Jr, top pound for pound boxer, the face of boxing and world’s highest paid athlete. Boxing fans, experts and the general public have a love/hate relationship with Mayweather’s personality and some believing he has had a padded and carefully planned career to maintain the 0 on his boxing resume.

I disagree. Mayweather has outclassed all comers while maintaining his health and good looks (a rare feet in the fight game). I feel due to Mayweather’s arrogant streak, flashy personality and total disregard he shows to his opponents it takes the lime light off his unbelievable achievements in the sport of boxing.

Over the years Mayweather has given us fight fans and the world some unforgettable shows backed up by career defining performances inside the ring. Mayweather’s earlier fights in his career included a stoppage of the feared and powerful Diego Coralles and a boxing masterclass against the much loved and late warrior Arturo “Thunder” Gatti, Mayweather was the underdog in both fights.

With his victorious showings in these fights, he well and truly arrived on the boxing scene showing rare and undeniable talent in the process. Mayweather also exchanged leather with Oscar De La Hoya the Mexican superstar. That fight breaking all pay per view revenue records and Mayweather once again showcasing his superior talent totally outclassing De La Hoya. He continued in similar fashion with a total shut out victory over Mexican legend Juan Manuel Marquez, battled through adversity and took Shane Mosley to boxing school, knocked out an undefeated Ricky Hatton and a young hungry fighter in “Vicious” Victor Ortiz.

Mayweathers latest outing saw him once again victorious against the much bigger and stronger Miguel Cotto.

Some fight fans seem to have the opinion Mayweather has “ducked” and “cherry picked” opponents which could not be further from the truth if you take a look at the facts. Diego Coralles was a feared, undefeated knock out artist, Arturo Gatti a pressure fighter/brawler with a granite chin, Ricky Hatton, undefeated world champion coming off a KO win over the highly rated Kostya Tszyu, Oscar De La Hoya, Mexican/American legend and future hall of fame fighter, and “Sugar” Shane Mosley who had just destroyed Antonio Margarito in devastating fashion many experts.

Fans and pundits saying Shane was back at his best and would mean trouble for Mayweather. Juan Manuel Marquez, another modern day great, battle hardened, technical boxer out of Mexico and finally the much bigger, stronger Puerto Rican fighter Miguel Cotto.

It seems I have no choice but to include the Filipino fighter Manny Pacquiao in this article due to many fans comparing Mayweather and Paquiao’s resumes and holding the view the Filipino would be Mayweather’s toughest test if the fight was to get made. By Mayweathers own admission he feels fighters are never the same after they have tasted defeat at the hands of himself. This if you look at the facts seems to be true.

There is also another argument that grates on me as a hardcore fight fan. This argument is that Mayweather made Juan Manuel Marquez move up in weight to make the fight and Marquez was too small to compete. Now just take a look at the facts Marquez is taller than Pacquiao. Marquez is also more technically gifted than Pacquiao and I’m sure Marquez and Pacquiao’s fourth fight was made at 147.

I am a firm believer that comparisons should not be made in the boxing game as styles make fights, one thing is for sure Mayweather has come across all styles in his career and has not struggled in getting over the line. He has fought power punchers (Coralles, Mosley, Ortiz). Brawlers (Gatti, Hatton).

Technical boxers (De La Hoya, Judah, Marquez) and powerful but plodding fighters namely Miguel Cotto. It is fair to say Mayweather’s style is as near to unbeatable as a style can be, this he has proved. Pacquiao brings nothing new to the table and sorry to say it but Mayweather would make easy work of Pacquiao in the view of myself and other hardcore fight fans but without question it would be great for boxing and a great event if the fight was to happen. It is rumored Mayweather will be fighting Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in 2013. Both are great fights and if Mayweather is victorious he should retire and leave boxing with the greatest 0 resume in boxing history.



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