Floyd Mayweather falsely accused of hypocrisy

By supaflyjr - 06/03/2013 - Comments

floyd#22By Bruce Smith Jr: I find it absolutely fascinating that up until a few days ago, many Floyd Mayweather detractors were up in arms, deriding the pound for pound king for “ducking” Canelo Alvarez. All the while Mayweather was focused primarily on securing that fight for the fans.

Then, instead of seeing articles admitting wrongful assumptions and giving Mayweather props for taking on the most difficult challenge available, (which I felt would have been entirely appropriate after such a wrongful accusation) fans and critics alike are accusing Mayweather of hypocrisy now that he’s fighting Canelo at a catch-weight of 152 pounds, citing the Cotto fight as evidence. This is absolutely ludicrous, and here’s why:

In the buildup to the Cotto fight Floyd Mayweather never said, “I’m never going to fight at a catch-weight again.” Had he uttered those words and then agreed to a catch-weight with Canelo, then sure, that would be grounds for calling him a hypocrite. But that’s not what happened. Mayweather was simply proving a point by insisting that he fight the best Miguel Cotto, and the best Miguel Cotto was at 154 pounds, not drained and dehydrated down to a 145 pound catchweight set by Manny Pacquiao. This is the key most people are overlooking. Mayweather’s purpose for stressing this distinction in weight between his upcoming fight with Cotto and Pacquiao’s fight with Cotto was twofold.

Firstly, Mayweather is the master at promoting his own fights. By challenging the bigger, stronger Cotto, stressing that he wanted to fight him at his best weight, and downplaying Cotto’s two losses, Mayweather instantly eliminated the idea that Cotto was washed up after Pacquiao and Margacheato, and created a flurry of excitement and anticipation around a bout that was virtually free of trash talk and theatrics. Because of the high risk scenario Mayweather painted, the Cotto fight became the second-highest grossing non-heavyweight PPV fight of all time and Mayweather’s guaranteed purse of $32 million set the record for the largest single-fight purse in boxing history. This is exactly what Mayweather intended all along.

Secondly, Mayweather, who at that point was ranked the #2 PVP fighter on many PVP lists, wanted to stress the difference between himself and Pacquiao, who he was constantly being compared to and outshined by in the eyes of many critics. Up until this fight, it was Pacquiao who had been fighting Mayweather’s leftovers: de la Hoya, Hatton, Mosley, and in each instance, critics argued that Pacquiao was Mayweather’s superior because of the results: Pacquiao stopped de la Hoya, where Mayweather went the distance, Pacquiao knocked Hatton out cold in two rounds, where Mayweather stopped him in the tenth in less dramatic fashion, and Pacquiao not only dropped Mosely, which Mayweather failed to do, but he also won by a wider margin. So since Pacquiao stopped Cotto when they fought, the stage was already set for critics to say, “Mayweather failed to stop Cotto like Pacquiao did, therefore Pacquiao is clearly the better fighter.” To avoid this uneven comparison, and faulty line of logic from ever being a factor, Mayweather continuously stressed the very clear reasons why such a comparison couldn’t be made. That was why he was so focused on not fighting at a catchweight in that particular fight. It’s that simple. Selling the fight, and setting himself apart from Pacquiao were Mayweather’s goals in fighting Miguel Cotto, and Mayweather successfully accomplished both goals.

Now how that single fight, with this twofold purpose, in which Mayweather was the challenger (another thing many people are forgetting) supposedly set the precedent for the remainder of Mayweather’s fights, is beyond me. But suddenly, now that he agreed to a 152 catchweight with Alvarez, a weight which Alvarez suggested no less, Mayweather is a hypocrite? I think not. Another faulty argument I keep reading is that, “Mayweather wanted to fight Cotto at his best weight (154) so why is he scared to fight Alvarez at his best weight?” Perhaps the reason is because 154 is not Canelo Alvarez’s best weight! 170+ pounds is! Mayweather has said repeatedly that his best weight is at 147. He’s only agreed to a bout at 154 three times in his entire career, but its important to note that the heaviest Mayweather ever weighed was at 151 pounds! So even if Mayweather bests that and reaches the 152 pound catchweight, Alvarez will still enjoy a huge weight advantage come September 14. Alvarez will also enjoy a size, strength, and age advantage as well.

So the question is why is it alright for Mayweather’s opponents to fight at their best weight, but Mayweather can’t? That doesn’t make sense, especially since he’s the #1 PVP fighter in the world. Any challenger worth fighting should want to face Mayweather at his best, but no one gets criticized for trying to gain every advantage possible over Mayweather. Furthermore, Mayweather could’ve been inflexible and demanded the Canelo fight be at 147 or nothing else, but he didn’t do that. They didn’t even split the difference! He’s moving up more than Canelo is moving down. But Mayweather still gets no credit for that. Also let us not forget who was begging for this fight. It was Canelo, not Mayweather.

It’s funny to me that Canelo has himself said that dropping two pounds is no concern, and he is confident that his size, strength, and skill will guarantee him victory. Mayweather is not complaining about the weight nor the fact that Canelo rehydrates from a Junior Middleweight to a Light Heavyweight overnight. And yet everyone else seems to have a huge issue with this. They’re forgetting the fact that Mayweather chose to fight the one guy everyone accused him of ducking and are now focused on two pounds? I’ve consequently come to the conclusion that the criteria and demands people place on Floyd Mayweather are not consistent, realistic, or fair. They are as follows:

1. Floyd Mayweather must fight the most dangerous fighters available, and not allow negotiations to fail at any cost regardless if he’s comfortable with the terms or not. Otherwise he’s ducking fighters, and labeled a “cherry picker.”
2. Floyd Mayweather must not only win but win in exciting fashion. But if he uses his defensive skills, and counter-punches until his opponent is broken down enough to press the attack (which is Mayweather at his best) then he’s labeled boring, and a chicken. If he stands in the pocket and suffers punishment like he did against Cotto, then the fight is exciting but Mayweather is accused of getting old over night, and losing his legs.
3. Floyd Mayweather must give up every advantage to his opposition in order to be respected. So although its easy to see that Mayweather’s toughest fights have come at 154, which is a weight he hasn’t even been able to reach, to attempt to fight his last 5 fights at his best weight of 147 is unfair and makes Floyd a hypocrite.

See the lunacy here? Sadly, I’m convinced that even if Mayweather did all of these things and remained undefeated, his critics would still find something to complain about. Still, the fact remains that Floyd Mayweather is the best fighter in the world. His superior boxing skill is undeniable, the fact that he wins fights is undeniable, and the fact that he’s a marketing, and business master is undeniable. Fortunately for Mayweather, regardless if he’s a hypocrite or not, when all is said and done, he wins, he’s the highest paid athlete in all of sports, and he couldn’t care less what his critics have to say.



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