By B.G.B: The Welterweight division is without a doubt the most engaging division in all of boxing and has been since the glory days of the heavyweights diminished into the one man show it is today (alright, I admit it is growing but still). The Royal fight that will define this generation of boxing has finally been signed, sealed and delivered and fans can breathe an almighty sigh of relief.
6 years of frustration are over. The childish, unbearable squabbling is over. The back and forth debate will finally be over. But perhaps even more significant to all of this… the road to Floyd Mayweather Jr is over.
For all its excitement the welterweight division has had one major feature that makes it stand out amongst the rest. That feature is the road to Mayweather. Just about every welterweight on the planet wants to walk the road to get to the pot of gold at the end. Unfortunately for them that pot is now empty and Manny Pacquiao has taken the spoils. Manny Pacquiao, the first ever 8 weight world champion against the undefeated, pound for pound, best defensive fighter of all time Floyd Mayweather. The inevitable end that this generation so deserves.
The monumental occasion that will occur May 2nd will change the history of the welterweight division forever, leading the fans into a new age of boxing. What happens after this fight is even more important than the actual result. Will there be a rematch? Will Floyd retire? Will Manny Retire? Will Roach retire? Will they turn away from one another and carry on the careers as if this was just another fight? Who knows? Once the drama show that is Pacquiao-Mayweather has finally reached its conclusion all these questions will be answered. One thing I can say confidently is that if this fight is close and there is demand for a rematch the road will have officially reached its end.
Perhaps I’m wrong but I do fully expect this to a very competitive fight with both having stand out rounds. There is just too much at stake and although both fighters claim it’s just another opponent you can guarantee they understand the importance of this fight. Whether the fight is exciting is only relevant to those who don’t take much interest in the sport until these fights are promoted through the media. Of course we’re all hoping for the greatest fight of all time but that may not happen. Mayweather’s fights are not particularly memorable fights. Memorable performances certainly but in terms of excitement they can’t really be mentioned amongst the all time best fights. Instead it’s the occasions that are remembered. Dela Hoya-Mayweather is remembered for its record breaking PPV sales (est 2.5mil) and split decision result. Mayweather Alvarez is remembered for being second to that record (est 2.2mil) alongside the woefully bad scorecard of CJ Ross (scored the fight a draw) one of the 3 judges as well as an effortless master class from Mayweather.
How the fight with Manny Pacquiao will pan out is yet to be seen but this is a typical but special Mayweather event that only he could be involved in. It will shatter his previous PPV record, along with the highest earnings and the highest gate revenue. Of course Pacquiao has more than played his part in making this fight such an event. It’s his blistering offense that has many (including myself) believing that he is the one to defeat what has yet to be defeated. He steamrolled his way through the divisions in Floyd’s short absence back in 2007/08 taking the pound for pound crown and Floyd’s limelight for himself. But the years went by and no fight was made. The road to Mayweather was open. A handful tried and a handful failed just as 39 before them. But now, being so sure that there will be a rematch and even perhaps a trilogy (if the results pan out that way) then the road has indeed ended. Mayweather and Pacquiao will say goodbye to the world of boxing.
As much as we all love to love or even love to hate Floyd Mayweather when he’s gone you can bet he will be sorely missed and the same goes for his great foe Manny Pacquiao. But the most important question that must be asked is will it be a good or bad thing for boxing? The 2 kings of the sport will be gone. The skills of Mayweather will be gone. The speed and 8 punch combinations of Pacquiao will be gone. How can this be a good thing? There are indeed two sides to this debate and let me tell you that the positives outweigh the negatives.
Firstly its starts with what’s below, the contenders to the throne(s). Upcoming fighters will finally be forced to create their own legacy that does not revolve around facing either Mayweather or Pacquiao. Thurman, Cotto, Alvarez, and of the course the man who simply does not know how to keep his mouth shut Amir Khan can finally focus on each other. I mentioned Thurman because he is indeed guilty of constantly blabbing stating that he is the one that will defeat Mayweather. Sitting back, blabbing and hoping you’ll win the Mayweather lottery is finally over. Fighters from the light middle down to the light welter weight division will have no choice but to take the most risky and competitive fights out there. Even the outstanding GGG had one eye on Floyd alongside Lara, Martinez, Margarito, the list goes on. The oldest world champion Bernhard Hopkins even stated his desire to fight Mayweather, claiming he would drop down in weight in order to make the fight happen! It’s absurd, every fighter within 4 divisions of Mayweather banks on them being the one he chooses next. Canelo Alvarez has been linked with a fight against the Pac Man previously, a fight that should never even be even mentioned as a possibility, but no longer. Mayweather and Pacquiao have moved on and left all the rest behind. They are in a league of their own and finally that league will have a first and second place. In order to cement their own names in the BHOF the world’s top boxers must fight each other. It’s a wonderful end with an equally wonderful beginning.
The number one fight that now has absolutely no excuses standing in the way is of course IBF welter weight champion Kell Brook against fellow countryman Amir khan. Ideally the fight would be the undercard to the greatest event in boxing history but perhaps it makes more logical sense for both Brook and Khan to stage a Wembley stadium Sky Sports PPV. Cotto is now cornered and the escape route is being blocked by the formidable champion GGG Golovkin and Mayweather or Alvarez isn’t there to save him. Thurman V Guerrero has already been finalized, another terrific fight. The end of the road may indeed lead to a boom in all of boxing. Thurman’s undefeated record will now look like one hell of a scalp on a welterweight’s record now that the opportunity to face Mayweather and Pacquiao is gone. Boxing is all about striving for greatness. If you become the first man defeat Floyd Mayweather you’ve reached boxing immortality but that path could be over. Now is the time for Khan, Brook, Cotto, Alvarez, Garcia, GGG and many others to take the reins and fight their way to the empty throne. Excuse the cliché but this is indeed a game of thrones and the excitement is only just beginning.
We will never forget Mayweather vs Pacquiao that is a guarantee regardless of the excitement that is either present or absent. If this fight is close then a rematch will take place and boxing fans can prepare to say farewell to the two best fighters of a generation. But boxing may well be hitting a major boom and fans have more than enough to get excited about once the pair hang up the gloves.
http://benjaminburgum.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/end-of-road-to-mayweather.html
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