‘Only if Mayweather was hit more like the rest of them’

By Boxing News - 05/21/2015 - Comments

1-05-6By Babatis Banda: Floyd Mayweather junior is most likely one fight away from boxing. It’s not known if he will stay away from the sport he says he no longer has the passion for, or if the demons of this sport will surely lure him back to the blood and sweat again.

Floyd has always said that he will walk away from the sport of boxing, and that boxing would not retire him. True to his words, Floyd is walking away from the sport and the sport has surely not retired him.

In every sense of it Floyd is a winner. He is a legend in this sport for so many reasons. He is also a big casualty of himself for a number of reasons. Firstly, he is a legend for advocating for a clean sport. RBT is likely to take hold as one of the conditions to any important fight. I wonder what would have been of the fourth fight between Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao if the two had not gone through the rigorous tests. Even with the tests being undertaken, we have heard how some quarters still question where Marquez got the power that laid Pacquiao flat on his belly, unconscious.

Floyd is a legend, not only because of his unbeaten run, but because of how he has perfected the art of fighting. True lovers of the sport are able to see beyond just savage shots and men going down or cut with gushes oozing the red substance. True lovers of the sport are able to see how a style of fighting will negate the positive aspects of the other fighter. If it was not for such ring intelligence, skill if you like, this sport would have been predictable. It would mean that all the stronger boxers would win. Fighters with all the physical attributes would take the day because it would be all about strength and nothing else. This is the reason why Floyd, even with a huge size dis-advantage has a good chance of beating the likes of Gennady “GGG” Golovkin.

Floyd is also a casualty of his own self. He has managed to rally a cadre of fans that really dislike him. They dislike and despise him in every sense and each time he proves them wrong, they go deeper into a sadist kind of hatred. This has also involved some notable figures, who I feel are envious and jealous of his success, and for taking the lime light away from them. His persona outside of the rind has not helped matters. Without having to support his behavior, people should know that Floyd is a star, a super star and anything that he does out there will always be brought to light and most times, exaggerated.

Instead of getting the praise for beating Pacquiao, he got all the back-lash, just like Tim Bradley did. I wounder what would have happened had Pacquiao won that fight. I bet my little finger, it was not going to be dubbed the most boring fight. I can bet my other little finger, had Floyd taken a lot of shots in that fight, it was never ever going to be dubbed boring. If Floyd had taken a lot of shots, like the rest of them, Roberto Duran, Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Tommy Hearns, Pacquiao, Marvin Hagler…..you can name them, they would have probably looked at him a little kindly. Is it his persona or his skill?



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