Mayweather Jr & that love-hate relationship…

By Boxing News - 04/20/2015 - Comments

Floyd Mayweather Work Out for the PressBy Tom Drury: The unquestionable face of boxing. pound for pound king and one of the greatest fighters of all time Floyd Mayweather Jr. is currently readying himself for the biggest fight of his career both in terms of legacy.

Financially, rumor has it Floyd will make upwards of $100,000,000 for his mega-fight on May 2 against Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas.

This record-breaking fight has been in the making for five long years, fellow fighters, athletes from the sporting world, boxing pundits-analysts, the rich and famous celebrities, casual boxing fans and the hardcore boxing connoisseur have all had their say concerning this fight and the who the victor would be if the fight took place. People it is here. The opinions are stronger than ever and the build up is in full flight.

The public perception and more so the boxing world’s perception of Mayweather has always intrigued me and at the same time frustrated me. Let me explain why. Mayweather is the target of relentless criticism inside the ring for not producing scintillating fights and outside the ring for his lavish lifestyle.

Let’s address the issue of Floyd inside the ring and the criticism of his defensive style. Floyd, in my personal opinion, is the greatest fighter of his era “period.” After he beats Pacquiao on May 2, he will be the best of all time. His skills are second to none, a master of the sweet science. I’ll repeat that “sweet science” not fighting. His shoulder roll defense, punch accuracy, unorthodox footwork, counter-punching, ability to roll with the punches, ability to make adjustments to any style sometimes mid-fight and all round ring generalship are nothing short of amazing.

Mayweather is too good, and his skills too adept for all-comers. It is also worth noting that Mayweather’s untarnished professional record is built up with wins against world champions, multiple world champions, Hall of fame bound fighters, KO artists, mandatory challengers and No 1 contenders. Pacquiao is the last hope for the many Mayweather critics out there. Unfortunately that hope will diminish when the bell rings on May 2.

Pacquiao has great fight attributes and by my own admission will be a worthy challenge for Mayweather. He has fast feet, fast hands, power, knows how to put punches together and is an all round relentless pressure fighter. However, he is too open and that is a trait that will never leave Pacquiao. He has had a reckless moment in every fight he has had, not to mention he has been knocked out three times in his professional career. This is something you can be sure of, Mayweather will expose and capitalize this openness earlier than any other fighter Pacquiao has faced.

As fans of boxing, a sport very close to my heart as a former amateur boxer, we should all appreciate the presence of Floyd “Money” Mayweather in our sport. He has took the sport to new heights, the highest paid athlete in the world. He has shown that fighters can be their own boss without the promotional leaches taking the lion share of a fighters purse, record breaking audiences and the skills put on show every time he steps in the ring that we are unlikely to see again, the dedication and hard work he puts into his craft that every young fighter should take note of. This is Mayweather.

Roll on May 2 the biggest fight in the history of the sport. May 3 will be the day that we can judge if it was the “best” fight in history.



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