Floyd Mayweather Jr:"I will silence the critics, even it's just for one night!"

Question: You’re answering some of your naysayers and critics by moving up in weight to fight Cotto, one of the best in the sport today. Would you consider more fights at 154 or possibly higher?

Mayweather: It’s no surprise that when you’re the best at what you do that you become the topic of debate. It comes with the territory. My career has been criticized and critiqued since day one. In my last fight against Victor Ortiz, people thought that he wasn’t experienced enough, yet he held a championship belt. It doesn’t matter who I fight, when I fight them or how successful I am, people will always have something to say.

Guess what? I don’t listen to the negative. I stay positive and focused. I love a big challenge, and that is what I have in Miguel Cotto on May 5.
Criticism has never played a role in determining what I do in the ring, and it never will. I went up in weight because I am confident that I can beat Cotto at his preferred weight or any other weight, for that matter. The fact that I’m a champion in five different weight classes proves that weight is not a factor, and I’m willing to consider more fights at 154 or heavier if I believe that it is the next best move for me.

After the Cotto fight, whatever is the next best option for me, then my advisers Al Haymon and Leonard Ellerbe will negotiate and make that happen. I have accomplished great things in my boxing career and will continue to look for the best fighters available to fight.

For every critic that I silence, there will be another one out there to come up with something to discredit my success and my legacy. All I can do is stay focused on my May 5 fight against Miguel Cotto and look at it as yet another opportunity to prove the naysayers wrong. I am going to show, once again, that I am the best fighter in the world today. I will silence the critics — even if it is just for one night!

 

"For every critic that I silence, there will be another one out there to come up with something to discredit my success and my legacy."

 

Sure it is.

 

Forget about Pacquiao for a second. Mayweather is a 35 year old fighter going up to a weight that is above his walking around weight to fight the number fighter in that division for his title. His opponent is almost 4 years younger than him, is a 3 division champ, is a possible future HOFer, and has won 3 straight fights in dominant fashion. And remember, Mayweather could've had a 150 lb. catchweight if wanted to.

There isn't one other fighter on the planet that would get criticized for fighting a fight under these circumstances. In fact, the figther below him on the p4p list is not only getting a pass for not wanting to up in weight, but people are actually criticising observers who suggest that he should challenge someone in a weight class above him.