If Mayweather was to get to 50-0 and retire...

I find it very annoying that his name and Pacquiao's are linked to such an extent.

If they had fought a generation apart both would be judged a lot more fairly, I think. It was just a dumb luck coincidence that both crawled up into the welter range around the same time, and had Pacquiao gone a more conventional route of climbing weight, spending a couple of years in each division (and not essentially skipping 135 and 140 altogether) there never would have been all the commotion made about them meeting up in what I, honestly, never thought would be all that intriguing or competitive a match-up. :conf


Both accomplished plenty in their professional careers long before their names were ever put in a sentence together. A conversation ought to be able to be had about either man's legacy without an obligatory mention of the other.

"...but everybody wanted to see it, because it got so hyped up!! :|"

- yeah, whatever. I don't care. The mob can kick rocks.

 

I can't agree with that. There is a good reason their names have been linked so strongly...the two dominant fighters of the era in or around the same weight class. It's straight up BS that the fight has not happened.

 

2004-2014

1. Manny Pacquaio (Morales, Marquez, Barerra, Hatton, Clottey, Cotto, , DLH, Margarito, Mosley, Bradley, Rios)

2. Bernard Hopkins (DLH, Tarver, Wright, Pavlik, Pacal, Cloud)

3. Floyd Mayweather Jr. (Gatti, Mitchell, Judah, DLH, Hatton, Marquez, Maidana, Cotto, Mosley)

 

Ugh, no. It was only very late in their careers they were "in or around the same weight class" and that itself was kind of a fluke with Pacquiao more or less skipping over both 135 and 140 chasing big-money showdowns in which he was able to exploit a styles and speed advantage on furthermore weakened and vulnerable targets, either drained or in a position to be 'kicked while down' (DLH should have never set foot on the scales at or below 147lbs at that point in his career; Cotto was fought at the 145lb catchweight; Margarito was fought at the 150lb catchweight; Diaz was a paper titlist; Hatton didn't have anything left). That was the period where he became established as "dominant" in that weight range, but really, it was just a lot of careful orchestration. Now, from 2011 on his continued exploits have proven him to be a legitimate top welterweight - but the fact is, the "Mayweather and Pacquiao must fight!" avalanche started to snowball down the slope in the period from 2008 until 2010, when them being dominant in parallel was an illusion more than anything.

They were never in the same league and the demand to see them in the ring together was pure hype and the product of modernity's over-saturated media. Had the internet existed then (in the same form it does today, not as fledgling newsgroups on closed-loop networks) the clamor for Hagler vs. Leonard II, for instance, would have been tenfold more than what transpired for Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. six years ago. It was never as important as it "felt" to many because of the herd mentality.

 

Eh, that really isn't even remotely true.

It was pretty one-sided, yeah, but that had a lot more to do with Malignaggi being garbage under McGirt (damn near killed his career with his mind-****ery and ill-advised tinkering with his style) than Hatton being especially good at that point. That wasn't a pimple on the ass of the Hatton that fought Tszyu, overcame the adversity of an early cut to kayo Maussa to unify, or smashed up a respectable parade of B-graders in his WBU run.

Malignaggi under McGirt was really, really, really, really, really, really, really bad. They were a horrible fit. Getting that version of Malignaggi in the ring was a matter of fortuitous timing for Hatton, that really flattered him and helped disguise how shot he was. (but just look at his performances before or after - the Hatton of Lazcano, Pacquiao and even much later Senchenko was hardly a much different guy than fought Malignaggi - it really was just that Malignaggi was handicapped to basically uselessness at that point in time)

 

Regardless, there has been the realistic possibility of them being able to fight each other for quite a while now and what the cause of the demand is, is not important either.
The fact that there is that demand (and a reasonable demand) is the point of issue.
I wouldn't call it a herd mentality unless virtually everyone suffers from it, from Joe Soap on the streets to the boxing media to former and current fighters who are continually weighing in on the subject. This fight is the fight that everyone is talking about, everyone wants to see.
It's the biggest fight not being made, with potentially hundreds of millions on the table.
What is objectionable about that?

 

Ill rate him as one of the top 5 guys I've watched since the mid 90s until now even if he loses a fight. And because I rate him so high ill still be disappointed he never fought, other than corrales, the second best guy round and I'm not just referring to PAC.

 

He ducked the greats

He could be 159-0 he's still a vagina

 

Congratulations! You win worst post ever!

 

no difference, he's already a legend. however, I don't like him hanging out with ****** Beiber

 

A legend? Maybe for the business side of boxing. But not the actual boxing.

Let's look at the so called "great" career of the overrated Mayweather. This farce is barely better than pacquiao, and he is supposed to be one of the greats?

And I don't care if any of these opponents were champions or hall of famers. That means nothing. There are more than 68 belts available today in 17 weight classes (compared to only 8 belts in 8 classes in the days of Ray Robinnson/Armstrong/Louis/Pep etc) so any bum like Guerrero and Ortiz can pick up a belt and call themselves "world champion". Belts and multi-division titles are WORTHLESS today.

1) Genaro Hernandez – Zero wins over elite fighters in their prime. Only a champion due to the weakness of the division.

2) Diego Corrales – Did not even fight one elite fighter in his prime outside of the overrated Mayweather. Someone who gets dominated by Clottey and Casamayor is not elite. The 2001 pound for pound rankings to have put Corrales ahead of Hopkins and Lennox on the basis of beating bums like Juuko and Manfredy. That shows how meaningless rankings are. Corrales was an overrated BUM who got dominated by Clottey and KOd in 4 by Castillo.

3) Jose Luis Castillo – B class fighter who got robbed in the first fight. Mayweather is the only elite fighter to lose to Castillo, not a very good distinction. Castillo NEVER fought any elite fighters outside of mayweather, who in reality he is 1-1 against. And no excuses about mayweathers shoulder - holyfield fought to a controversial decision loss against moorer with a torn rotator cuff AND a serious heart condition. Proof that mayweather is nothing close to that level.

4) Arturo Gatti – specifically referred to as a C-class boxer by Mayweather. No elite wins

5) Zab Judah – lost in literally every meaningful fight he ever had. Far from impressive.

6) Carlos Baldomir – zero wins over elite boxers.

7) Oscar De La Hoya – 2-2 in his last 4 fights prior to Mayweather, actually 1-3 considering his gift decision over Sturm. Completely past his best. no credit for this win

8. Ricky Hatton – best wins are Kosta Tzyu (did nothing outside of beat Zab Judah), a shot Castillo, and garbage Malignaggi.

9) Marquez – one of only two credible wins on Mayweather’s resume. Still diminished win due to Marquez coming up 2 classes.

10) Shane Mosley – almost 40 years old, washed up. He went 1-3-1 after the Mayweather fight, proving how past his prime he was. Vernon and Winky masterfully defeated better versions of Mosley, so Mayweather doesn’t get special treatment for this win

11) Miguel Cotto – past his prime after his loss to Antonio Margarito, but a good win nonetheless. His victory over Martinez does not hide Cotto’s regression, since Martinez had regressed even more. Two credible wins in 18 years is far from great.

12) Canelo Alvarez – zero wins over elite boxers. Trout is not elite. Lara got robbed

13) Marcos Maidana – zero wins over elite boxers. Roger Mayweather himself has confirmed this - youtube.com/watch?v=udSPGjTKQm0

Even with 50-0, floyd would not be top 50 all time. He's barely better than pacquiao.

1) "Floyd Mayweather would have been ordinary in my era" - Roberto Duran
http://www.***********.com/duran-my-era-mayweather-ordinary--68116

2) "Thomas Hearns hurts Floyd Mayweather" - Emanuel Steward
youtube.com/watch?v=c_0GSE-A6Uk

3) "Floyd ain’t no gangster like he thinks he is"- Bernard Hopkins
http://www.examiner.com/article/bombastic-bernard-hopkins-rips-arrogant-buffoon-floyd-mayweather

4) "I'm so impressed with him, NOT by who (Floyd) fights" - Sugar Ray Leonard
youtube.com/watch?v=I5CZA1aI4lc (5:25)

5) "(Floyd) is able to win his fights because I don't think the status of fighters is as great as they were years ago" - Marvin Hagler
youtube.com/watch?v=JdsYQYHCkno (5:00)

6) Terry Norris "Boxing has gotten soft. If you put Floyd Mayweather in my era, I know a number of guys that were in my weight division that would beat him."
http://www.eastsideboxing.com/weblog/news.php?p=29604&more=1

7) Marvin Hagler - "(Floyd's) at the right time because there's nobody out there"
youtube.com/watch?v=VsbXEuLCx00 (0:35)

Try disagreeing with me, but those guys know a lot more than you bums.

Floyd as well as Pac never belong in the discussion among the greats.

 

Oh, because you think so.

Cool.

 

you make a really convincing argument.

 

:good

Great post.

I'd put Manny ahead of Floyd just because his run as 'The Mexicutioner' was awesome.

 

Post of the month!

I have to tell you. I really like how you sized up this situation. If I disagreed with you I would really need a seriously good rebuttal. Good thing I agree with all of it. Thank you.