(Photo credit: Naoki Fakuda) By Juan dela Cruz: I came across an article from another boxing site saying Floyd Mayweather Jr. was not an all time great. The writer’s reason was the absence of quality opposition. Although I agree with the writer, there is just one part I am in total contrast with. And that is the reason – absence of quality opposition.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. is not an all time great and the world knows this. But the reason is different. It is not the absence of quality opposition but Floyd’s reluctance to fight them. Floyd missed Kostya Tszyu when he was still at 140 lbs division and even Oscar dela Hoya during the golden boy’s prime. He avoided prime Sugar Shane Mosley, prime Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito, and Manny Pacquiao. There were still a lot of quality oppositions but Floyd’s reluctance to face them didn’t seem logical. There is Canelo Alvarez and Sergio Martinez which both can give good numbers when it comes to ppvs.
Floyd’s reason for avoiding Canelo and Maravilla doesn’t hold ground. According to Mayweather, they were too big for him. If that is so, then why did he faced Cotto at 154 but not Canelo and Martinez? His contention is that these fighters rehydrates to 172 lbs at the most. That is nonsense!
Given that a fighter rehydrate to a certain weight, it doesn’t matter because anyone who rehydrates does not carry with it muscles but purely fluids. People don’t add muscles after rehydrating for only about a day or two. And in fact, rehydration to heavier weight seems to take toll on a fighter because it will make him slow. Look at Juan Manuel Marquez who climbed two weight classes when he faced Floyd, he can’t move an inch.
This applies to other fighters whom Floyd defeated easily because they were not in their natural weight when Floyd faced them. There is Ricky Hatton who is a natural junior welter but fought Floyd at welter, Ortiz, and lastly Guerrero who were not natural welterweight fighters. It Floyd wants to show the world that he is an all time great, then he should face Canelo, Maravilla and Pacquiao. As long as he fights bloated fighters, he will remain just an ordinary fighter who cherry picks his opponents and make himself look good. And when talking about an all time great, he is several thousand miles away from Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Rocky Marciano, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Roberto Duran, Manny Pacquiao, Oscar dela Hoya, and Sergio Martinez.
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