If you're a Mayweather fan then this is a good read...

Would a Mayweather Jr. Loss Be Best For Boxing?

In boxing, there are three types of champions.

The first type of champion is the guy that wants to fight the best. He isn't interested in titles or rankings as much as he is challenging himself. An example of this type of champion is Shane Mosley. Not only is Mosley actively calling out Manny Pacquiao, he is willing to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr., and has even mentioned boxing's boogieman, Paul Williams.

The second type of champion is the guy who fights whoever his promoter puts in front of him.He trains hard to put on a good show for the fans. He leaves the matchmaking to his manager and promoter. An example of this type of fighter is Vic Darchinyan. Now Darchinyan has been known to call out a guy or two, but for the most part he fights whoever Gary Shaw puts in front of him.

The third type of champion is the guy that follows the path of least risk/highest reward. This type of fighter is concerned with making the most money against the fighter that poses him the least threat. Floyd Mayweather Jr. falls into this category. While a successful strategy for the fighter's wallet, it leaves many fans disappointed in both the choice of opponents and in ring performance.

The first and second type of champion I have described are the type of guys that have given us this revival of sorts that boxing has experienced in the last year or so. Thanks in large part to the success of MMA and the UFC, boxing's superstars have been forced to give up being the type of guy that follows the path of least resistance.

Guys like Winky Wright, Vernon Forrest, Roy Jones, and others are learning this lesson. The days of fighting anybody and making millions are to a large extent, gone. Name recognition no longer guarantees a guy a million dollar payday everytime out. While this shift in the boxing paradigm has hurt aging fighters, it has helped the sport and its fans by creating compelling matchups.

Winky Wright was forced to comeback and face a young lion in Paul Williams. Paul Williams wasn't Wright's first choice, but Wright wanted a big payday. Vernon Forrest is on the verge of no longer being relevant, having recently being stripped of his title for refusing to fight Sergio Martinez. Roy Jones in recent years has shown heart and a willingness to take on guys he should have fought in his prime.

With Mayweather's return to boxing, the low risk/high reward strategy is back in full effect. Mayweather and his advisers chose the guy they believed poses the smallest threat to beating Mayweather while creating the type of payday Mayweather is accustomed to.

This is not to discount Juan Manuel Marquez as an opponent, but there were actual welterweight opponents available. Shane Mosley is the champion at welterweight, yet Mayweather looked past him. Mosley doesn't fit into Mayweather's formula yet, because he poses a great deal of threat to Mayweather. While Marquez can certainly beat Mayweather, odds are he would have to do so on points. Mosley not only could outpoint Mayweather, he has the power to place him flat on his back as well.

Since stepping up to welterweight, Mayweather has yet to face an opponent he didn't feel 100 percent he was going to beat. Now every fighter should believe they are going to win every fight, but Mayweather doesn't even consider fights he could possibly lose.

 

Little bit harsh, but some very good points. :good

 

That's mainly because they had to fight more. They got paid less. The HW champs were usually paid well, so pre-Louis they were generally not very active in defending their titles.

What's better for the fighters (more money, more titles to choose from) can be quite the opposite for what is best for the fans.

Although it's not like most fans could've seen most of those fights anyway with no internet, cable TV, VHS, DVD, etc..

 

I think it is more the fact that the fighters nowadays have every type of specialist and every type of help you can get out there, they don't fight until they are at the very peak of the abilities and once they have fought, no matter who you are, you need to rest then build up to your best again. Also for big fighters like Mayweather/Klitschkos/Pac/Hopkins etc. etc. they want to get a big pay day, fighting a couple times a month (all of them) would clog up PPV's and altho entertaining they wouldn't make half as much money, nobody would be able to afford to pay for each fight individually and boxers wouldn't make as much fighting on the same card.

SRR was an enigma in the way he fought even for his time but it's not necessasarily that he was built tougher and we are getting weaker, just that he was prepared to fight at less then a 100% (and usually still win) because of reputations/money and the dangers of boxing you won't get fighters doing that any more. It's not the boxers bodies that have grown weaker, it's the promoters brains that have grown stronger.

 

i like floyd, i'm not a huge floyd fan, but i think it would be great for boxing if marquez beats him.....if your just a boxing fan, and not just a floyd fan....how can you not route for the upset of the decade?....

we thought we had it with margo/cotto but margo pissed on that.

 

Robinson was a real ******* in negotiations, he'd pull out of fights all the time if he wasn't feeling his best. He was really despised around boxing.

His amazing activity level and fighters fighting less now are just a sign of the times. If SRR were fighting today, he'd probably be sitting on a nice HBO contract and picking the biggest fights available. A master negotiator who in his words, "never enjoyed boxing" and just looked at boxing as business?

He'd be like most of the fighters nowadays, finishing his carer around the range of 40 to 60 fights.

 

Ok article, but we've all heard it before

 

Nothing new here, I am a big PBF fan. He is not only a great boxer but a great businessman. How can you fault anyone for optimizing the use of ones skills to maximize profit. Like a heal in "rasslin'" PBF has raised his profile to the point that people pray for his defeat . . . and the pay to see it . . . briliant! PBF, RJJ, Oscar, Mike Tyson SRL have used their skill and, more importantly, personal persona to raise the profile of boxing to new heights. While Manny is the new white knight of boxing (who I been a fan of before the MAB fight) and is great because he has fought all comers, boxing needs a "bad boy".

 

Remember we also live in the era of health and safety. No more 15 round bouts and, apart from fighters just starting out, fighters never have fights less than a few months to bridge them.

 

Here's my guess After marquez Im pretty sure we will not see a pac man vs mayweather fight (after floyd win they will NEVER NEVER EVER agree on a split purse) so right then it will be a big fight against a welterweight. I hope its mosley

 

PBF is as funny as Floyd Sr. always talking ****, they are the best entertainers of the biz, very gay

 

Just one question -

How is that a good read for Mayweather fans ? :huh