Floyd Mayweather, does the “L” await?

By Boxing News - 03/24/2013 - Comments

floyd801By Tom Drury: Floyd Mayweather is now 36 years old, you could say “getting on” in regards to age as a fighter that occupies the lower weight classes, most welterweight fighters peak from around 24-30 the reason for this being the high tempo these guys fight at. We see many of the fighters skills diminish rapidly in the welterweight division due to their age and punishment they have received over their careers, Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley two perfect examples of diminished skills.

Pacquiao a once whirlwind fighter with great speed, power and fitness and the ability to walk through opponents, those days have well and truly passed his power has vanished his speed restricted and it seems, now he is the one that gets walked through. Shane Mosley, once welterweight king, granite chin, great fitness, knockout power, Mosley is not recognized as the fighter he once was a mere shadow of the fighter that inflicted demolition jobs on his opponents.

The fighters that continue to enter the ring when all their skills and fight attributes have left them begin to endure “losses” time and time again in some cases devastating losses like the most recent outing of Manny Pacquiao against Juan Manuel Marquez. There has been many examples of this over the years, (Tyson vs Lewis), (Pacquiao vs De La Hoya), (Hatton vs Senchenko), just to name a few.

Floyd Mayweather however, is still defying “father time” and producing skills at the highest level, he has done this time and time again in some cases after a 2 year lay off when he returned to face Juan Manuel Marquez. Many critics out there say Marquez was a blown up light-weight, others had the opinion Marquez would give Mayweather all sorts of problems due to the lay off and Mayweather entering the ring “rusty” one thing is for sure Marquez is a very talented boxer, a modern day great. That Mayweather performance was utter brilliance, no signs of rust, just skills second to none ending with a total shutout of the Mexican, in my opinion that performance sent a message out to fighters, experts, analysts, fans and trainers worldwide that Floyd Mayweather was in a league of his own in the sport of boxing, especially when you think what Marquez has achieved in the sport and his performances against Manny Pacquaio.

Mayweather has fought yearly since 2007, that itself is unbelievable when you consider the condition and skills on show when he enters the ring. Now Mayweather has signed a six-fight contract with Showtime/CBS to be completed over a period of 30 months it seems Mayweather will be fighting twice a year to fulfill the contract, however many believe Mayweather will not complete the contract (i am not one of those people).

Why is it Floyd Mayweather defies age in the sport of boxing? the answer to that is… his undeniable dedication and supreme talent combined. While watching an interview with Mayweathers friend 50 cent at www.youtube.com 50 said “we,re all in the club while 2:30, after we leave the club to go to home, Floyd goes run 8 mile, I’ve never seen anything like it”. Floyd Mayweather is one of those rarity’s in boxing, a fighter that walks around at fighting weight when not in the ring and spends his spare time in the gym. During Mayweathers illustrious 17 year career 43 fighters have challenged and 43 fighters have failed to succeed in an effort to dethrone the pound for pound champion, those fighters include Diego Coralles, Arturo Gatti, Oscar De La Hoya, Luis Castillo, Juan Marquez, Ricky Hatton, Victor Ortiz, Shane Mosley and Genaro Hernandes.

During this six fight contract many fighters will be “chomping at the bit” to get a shot at the pound for pound champion, what fighters in this current era have a realistic chance of dethroning the phenonemon that is Floyd Mayweather?, while i personally do not think there is a current fighter that will be victorious against Mayweather, i do believe some fighters are capable of giving Mayweather a competitive fight and the fans a competitive event.

Sergio Martinez is a fighter i personally love to watch and rate him up there with the best, Martinez does not possess the best resumee in professional boxing, however this is no fault of his own. Martinez is a victim of circumstance and the business boxing has become “highest purse, least risk” Martinez is feared throughout the light-middleweight and middleweight divisions. Martinez vs Mayweather would be a blockbuster of a fight if made in the next 12-18 months Martinez is 38 and Mayweather 36.

“Maravilla” is one of the most underrated fighters in this era, he can box, has good resistance, bags of heart, ring generalship and big power in that left hand. Martinez is the only fighter left that possesses a style Floyd Mayweather has not come up against, he has fought southpaws but not like Martinez. I do believe Mayweather would be victorious not due to him as a man but due to his style and boxing skills that I believe will never be beaten. Martinez does pose a threat though, the biggest in my opinion.

Keith Thurman, prospect in the welterweight division, I have watched many of Thurman’s fights since he turned professional, Thurman was trained by Benjamin Getty in his early career, Getty also worked with Sugar Ray Leonard, Thurman ended his amateur career with 101 victories (78 KO’s) and won 6 national championships on his journey, since turning pro Thurman is a undefeated fighter and talented knockout artist. Thurman while not having the pedigree or experience to warrant a fight with Mayweather in the eyes of experts and analysts possesses a hungry personality and determination in the ring both of these attributes could pose a danger to Mayweather.

Kell Brook (UK), This guy is talented, not many prosper and possess the gritty determination complimented by the skills it takes to make it on the world stage from Britain, Prince Naseem Hamed, many thought he was the real thing (i knew different) Naz looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights when matched up against a prime Barrera and suffered a lopsided defeat that ultimately ended his career. Amir Khan another flop, billed to be the British rising star, knocked cold by unknown Breidis Prescott, knocked senseless by limited Philadelphia fighter Danny Garcia. Kell Brook alias “Special K”, I have watched this guy and he is talented, a fighter that possesses all the skills of the old school, a talented solid fighter, he has a solid stance, orthodox footwork, every punch in the arsenal and great power in both hands, if he was ever offered up as a Mayweather opponent and could keep his head in the midst of a Mayweather event he could give a great competitive challenge.

I know many fans will think ive gone mad in citing these three fighters as Mayweather opponents but i promise you these fighters pose the biggest threat and will deliver a competitive challenge to the pound for pound king, more so than Saul Alvarez, Manny Paquiao, Timothy Bradley, Devon Alexander.

As a Mayweather fan from the minute he turned pro i would like to see the twilight of his career change direction in the way of fighting the raw boxing talent of the younger generation and also a fight with “Maravilla” Martinez. Paquiao would always lose to Mayweather, Alvarez poses no threat whatsoever and the current fighters like Bradley, Alexander, Berto to name a few do not possess the skills or talent to compete with the elite fighter. If Mayweather was to be matched up with Thurman, Martinez and Brook and was victorious there would be no doubt left that his name would be cemented with the all time greats and just maybe the best welterweight of all time.

In a nutshell, I don’t believe Mayweather will ever lose, what I do know is the risk is greater if he were to challenge the fighters mentioned in this article. Floyd Mayweather has more than enough left in the tank and I hope his fans and fans of the sport see the best of it before he hangs up the gloves, because the day he does leave boxing will leave behind the biggest void in boxing history.



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