did floyd have the potential to be the best p4p fighter ever

What fighters? Nobody is trying to say Cotto or anybody is the GOAT, its ****in obvious he ain't

We don't need to hold top 10 greats to those standards, because they have killer resumes already. We don't need to question their matcmaking, the proof is in the pudding. Deep resumes, with fellow greats on them. Numerous greats.

Mayweather's is sorely lacking in that department. He has HOF candidates, and an old Oscar right now. Very good, but its not cracking top 10, or even 20 by any means in any unbiased view

 

Did he have the potential to be: Possibly



Could he have ever been? No


Let me explain if i can


I honestly think in this modern era where fighters are so closely scrutinized that i dont think some of the modern greats will ever surpass the greats of bygone eras. People are selective in what they choose to see, and we have had some brilliant tallent, Roy Jones, Floyd mayweather, pernell whitaker, James toney ect will all be looked up years from now IMO with wonderment at their respective abilities.


But i have gone off on a tagent somewhat. What I'm getting at is with the media coverage of this era comes scrutinty and with the afforementioned, comes cricitism. It is the same in any sport, people always seem to expect more of the greats. Its not "tall poppy" syndrome per se, nor is it that people want to see the best finally be beaten (though you will see that plenty of times), it just human nature to expect and demand more of the greats. Combine this with a tendancy to over-rated past greats (even if people have only read about them in books and choose to ignore the fact their respective technique, comparitively is often "rough") and you'll find that fighters of the modern era will never really be able to reach the top of their respective profession.





I mean, imagine if all you had to go on floyd mayweather was his record, and some grainy sparring and fight footage: the man would be ranked unbelivably high and that is part of the point i am trying to make. With media coverage comes the ability to over scrutinise and analyze.




The other thing people tend to forget is that boxing is, now more then ever, a business. There is huge money involved. People criticize mayweather for lacking balls or chasing the dollars but do they really think fighters of the past would be any different today? Guys like sugar ray robinson fought all the time back in the day because they had to, it was what they had to do to make money. Obviously, a lot has change in terms of the financial as boxing has evolved.





Finally, there are just some people who will never ever be satisfied. I mean, if Floyd beat Cotto, Williams, Margarito ect all convincingly i have no doubt there would be calls for him to fight Kelly Pavlik. Were he to fight and somehow beat Pavlik, it'd be Calzaghe, and on and on it goes.




Floyd is definately one of the best fighters of the modern era, but will probably never be ranked as high as he deserves because of a combination of over analysis and scrutiny, a tendancy to over romanticize the past, and forget that sports of the modern era are essentially businesses more then anything else






Sage

 

good post:good

 

"If" he did this is the key here- he probably couldn't. He hasn't carried his punching power up to 147 so I don't think he could beat these guys. And even if he did, I don't think it would match up to beating Duran, Hagler and Hearns (like SRL) or Frazier, Foreman, Norton and Liston (like Ali), and that's just two examples of greater achievements (than the fictional ones you just described, as PBF never had the balls to fight them anyway! He never beat an elite level fighter in his career. Best were a 35-yr-old DLH who was nowhere near what he was, a good but not great Castillo, and a very good 140 fighter at a weight he couldn't cope with in Hatton) and guys who were and always will be far greater P4P.

 

imo the guy is considered alot better than he actually is

 

...n't

 

No.

 

Of course he did, but his chances was held back by not clearing out 147.

 

He had the potential...His lineage, style, athelticism, and ring smarts are unparalleled.

He still does have the potential tho IMO. If he gets back in the ring to beat an undefeated Miguel Cotto and then beats a Manny Pacquiao...He iss the best p4p fighter ever. Now the odds of him even fighting these 2 guys are at least 8-1 and it depends on a number of things (if cotto is still undefeated, if money may's hands heal up etc.)

 

PBF needed that legendary rival that had the ability to beat him.

Like Ali vs Liston, Frazier or Foreman.

Whether that is Floyd's fault is debatable.

But he could have manufactured one with a Cotto or Margo fight.

But I think we will see him back if Pacman continues to grow into a WW.
Plus, Pacman is scared of no one in his similar weight range.

 

:admin :rofl :nut

 

Yes he did or if he comes back yes he dose. His skills are among the best in the history of boxing and his resume aint bad eather. His compottion is a lot better than his critics would have us beleive. Mayweather's probblem is that he never faced anyone who going into the fight was precived as someone who could give him probblems let alone beat him.

 

Once upon a time it appeared as though he was heading that way.

He has become what happens to most pro boxers. You need alot of hunger to get hit in the face constantly and keep going. That money changes you. Look at Riddick Bowe for an example.

Guys who started out having it hard end up sometimes having it easy. And when life becomes easy the drive just goes away. It happens to alot of us.

He will be remembered as an ATG at lightweight and jr.welter. But never welterweight. It would be a downright sham if he did somehow earn recognition at 147. A slap in the face of true welter ATGs.

 

No one out there in the game right now in the WW division can beat him ...

 

Direct quote from the G.O.A.T ... PBF Mayweather ...

"Some boxing people weren't going to be happy until I take a loss, and that's not ever going to happen. I achieved all I wanted to achieve."