By Reni M. Valenzuela: It took the world’s “number one” boxer to hit the wall before he got to read the writings on it. Finally, he has resolved to be brave and courageous for he has reasons to be so.
Floyd “Money” Mayweather’s “brilliance” rests on him being aware that “greatness” in boxing can quickly disappear by a single devastating loss in a tightly competitive fight. So he dreads the scenario. And so he decided to play safe.
By Dan Ambrose: Oscar De La Hoya believes the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is a fight that could go either way in their September 14th clash in Las Vegas, Nevada. De La Hoya says he’s not picking sides in this fight, but he’s been dropping some mighty big hints that he’s pulling for the 22-year-old red-haired Canelo ever since the fight was announced.
De La Hoya said to esnewsreporting.com “It’s such an even fight. I’m just expecting a great fight for both guys. I’m not rooting for anyone. I strongly believe that Canelo is going to be a lot better than when I fought Mayweather. At 22, he’s doing things I never did in my career. He’s bobbing and weaving, throwing six-punch combinations.”
By Puncher’s chance: Floyd Mayweather Jr. was once a once great fighter, but he will never be as good as the likes of both Sugar Ray Leanard and Sugar Ray Robinson or even a prime Oscar De La Hoya.
Up until the end of this year, Mayweather has had only had 1 fight a year in the last six years and he still commands the most money. My point is that it’s the U.S fans who are being short changed.
The Manny Paquiao fight could have and should have happened four years ago but in my mind. I believe Floyd didn’t want that fight because he was trying to protect his legacy and quite rightly so but he was short changing the public, and yet he still commands the highest pay cheque.
By Eric Johnson: Being active in the boxing news world, I often watch as bloggers, analysts, and fans criticize Floyd Mayweather of ducking, and “cherry picking” opponents. They say he has plenty of reputable names on his boxing resume, but that most of them were past their primes or “shot”. We live in a generation of selective memory that benefit our arguments, and trends that lead to massive outcry among different fields. There are people who don’t feel a way about certain situations, but will convince themselves that they do to avoid backlash, or to simply fit in. Out of all the things Floyd Mayweather is, he is definitely not a “ducker” or a “cherry picker”. Here’s why.
When people talk about his fights or accomplishments, they most often reflect to his career post 2007. As if it started there. As if he was always the biggest draw in boxing. That couldn’t be further from the truth. There was a time where the man known as “Pretty Boy Floyd” couldn’t sell out an arena in his hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan. There was a time where he was the most ducked fighter in all of boxing. Simply because he wasn’t a big draw, and offered small reward with high risk.
By Dan Ambrose: They made a big deal about the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez fight taking place at a measly 152 lb. catch-weight for their September 14th fight in Las Vegas, but what’s going to keep Canelo from not blowing off that two pounds and coming in at 154 like usual?
We’ve not heard there being a huge penalty written into the contract, and without one, Canelo can easily afford to pay whatever fine he’ll receive for coming in two pounds over the limit at 154.
By Dan Ambrose: Harold Lederman, the unofficial ringside scorer for HBO, says he doesn’t see WBA/WBC junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (42-0-1, 30 KO’s) being hurt by the 2 extra pounds that he’ll have to take off to get down to the 152 pound catch-weight for his fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. (44-0, 26 KO’s) on September 14th.
Lederman thinks Canelo is young enough at 22 to where it won’t hurt him like it would another fighter. Of course, there’s no telling whether Canelo will actually make the 152 lb. catch-weight because the last time he fought at a catch-weight two years ago in his fight against welterweight Matthew Hatton for the vacant WBC junior middleweight title, Canelo came in nearly two pounds OVER the catch-weight limit.
By Babatis Banda: Not so in the distant past, we had gotten accustomed to the arguments of who was better between Floyd Mayweather junior and Manny Pacquiao. The two fighters made it clear that they did not need each other to go down in the books as the greatest of all time. For sure, they are both hall of famers and they are accomplished boxer and fighter. Looking at how heated the debates were, because they no longer are, it is only fair that we acknowledge that out of the whole argument, time and reality has separated the two from each other.
At the moment and for the most past of the 17 years or so, it is all Mayweather junior. There is no disputing that he is the biggest and hottest star of the spot. In short, Mayweather junior is the face of the sport and it is only true that all roads do lead to Mayweather junior.
By Meyer Lynk: Everyone that’s deep in the boxing scene knows if Floyd Mayweather Jr. had it his way – He would never fight Saul “Canelo” Alvarez 42-0-1-30. Floyd’s method of operation works like this: Choose the easiest route that pays the most. Every hardcore boxing fan knows this.
Due the low PPV numbers for Mayweather’s previous fight against Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero, (not the PPV numbers given to the public to save face and put a good light on the event, which all promoters do, but the real PPV numbers that are collected and was not given to the public and only to the board members).
By Dan Ambrose: Former referee Joe Cortez believes that Floyd Mayweather Jr’s experience could give him enough of an edge to beat Mexican Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in their fight on September 14th in Las Vegas, Nevada. Cortez is impressed with the poise and maturity of the 22-year-old Canelo, but he wonders if the fight is taking place too soon for him. He thinks if it took place in a year or two he’d have a better chance at beating Mayweather.
Cortez said to Esto at oem.com.mx “I do not know if you have the experience that you will have one or two more years. Mayweather is 36. 36 is not the same as 22, but he brings a lot of experience in the ring and has a style that is very hard to beat, has good power and I think that right now it’s going to be a little hard for Canelo because Mayweather has the experience…the experience will be too much for the boy…I’m favoring Mayweather.”
By Dan Ambrose: Golden Boy Promotions promoter Oscar De La Hoya is putting Golden Boy’s “Golden Goose” WBA/wBC junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (42-0-1, 30 KO’s) in a tough, tough fight on September 14th against Floyd Mayweather Jr. (44-0, 26 KO’s) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Canelo just barely got past his last opponent Austin Trout in a fight with open scoring in San Antonio, Texas. I thought the fight was scored poorly by the three judges, two of which had Canelo up by huge margins after the 4th and 8th rounds despite Trout doing the better work and landing more punches.