If Floyd doesn't fight Pac, how will it affect his legacy?

Fighters of the last 15 years, from Pac, to DLH, to SSM, to the fighters of the previous generation, like SRL, Hearns, Duran, Marvelous, to the great heavyweights like Foreman, Frazier, Norton, to the early greats like SRR, Louis, Pep, and so on.....they ALL fought until they lost.

We measured them all with a realistic measuring stick; not discussing paycheques, but dicussing who was the best.

The best want to fight the best. That is what makes them the best. There is precedent here.

When Lennox Lewis needed to cement his legacy, he MADE showtime and HBO get it done. He forced everyone's hand. He was the champ. He was the so called "A" fighter. Yes, many will say he knew he could beat Tyson, but many also say (including Mayweather) that he knows he can beat the Pacman.

Mayweather is not forcing this issue. To hear him compared to these fighters of the golden eras is sad. Not because he doesnt have the skills they do....he does. Its because he does not have the grit, or the toughness. SRR lost and avenged those losses two opponents in a row. That is a big part of legacy. He fought 10 times in 1963. He fought 6 times in 62. This is a fighter.

People have become confused; being a great technician does not make one wise, or brilliant. Making millions does not make one worth listening to. If it did, Adrian ***** would be doing the lecture circuit instead of the bar circuit. It fits perfectly with today's urban culture of rap videos with rented Bentleys and rented private jets. Mayweather has fooled a great deal of "fans". They listen to his "logic". I dont watch boxing to be told by some fighter that health comes first. Problem is, these arent boxing fans.... they are fans of a culture that values something other than what pure fight fans value. To be honest, it is one of the reasons boxing is losing so many fans to MMA. These guys definitely seem tougher, and more willing to "fight".
Its why someone like Arturo Gatti was so loved by the purest. He fought until he could not fight anymore.

Boxing is a combat sport. I dont give a **** for celebrity, or any nonsense like that. I respect guys that want to fight the best. As a die hard boxing fan, this whole soap opera is heart breaking. Looking at a guy like Connor McGregor, and Aldo's response to him, I understand why fans migrate. Perhaps Mayweather should watch closely at what pugilism really is.

His legacy is a sad one. He is a good boxer. And he is a really good marketing boxer.

He is not in my top 75 however.

 

Pac avoided the fight when it mattered the most, admitted by his own team!
I will remember that more than a fight when both are clearly past it.
I'd love to see it now and Mayweather will get shot for it if he really is to blame, we don't know yet. But we do know for a fact that manny ducked in 2010 when it mattered most, so that's how I will remember it.
Sorry pacturds, you can't just sweep that under the rug, we missed this fight in their primes, all because of Pac!

 

Fair enough.
Me personally, I feel Mayweather tried to fight Pac when it mattered most, in 2010. Pacs own team have recently admitted it was their fault so us fans can't even debate that.
You can debate the current situation tho and if you find Mayweather is to blame for the fight not happening now that's fine.
For me, it's a much much bigger disappointment this fight didn't happen in 2010.
PAC isn't on my top 1000 list as I don't rank suspicious fighters who refuse fully random drug tests and his own trainer saying PAC was taking shady drinks at that point.

 

it will hurt him some, no doubt. now its not like he wont be in the HOF and is not a top 30 fighter All Time but it will hurt him.

He knows this though and thats why he'll fight him. pacquiao is THE ONLY ONE LEFT for him to fight. He fought everyone else

 

I dont want to get into that debate, as the drinks were administered by the trainer Mayweather hired, and Mayweather kept secret 3 b samples that were never tested, which should have because the A samples came back positive. In this regard, Mayweather is just as shady.
I feel finally that most fans are seeing this, and sadly what could have been a great legacy in Floyd Mayweather will actually be one that is somewhat pitiful; failed tests after pointing his finger, a padded record, ridiculous marketing, and so on.

 

Yea theres alot of Mayweather haters, espcially casual fans that dont knoe **** but most of us know that Mayweather tried to make the fight when it mattered most. I remember people saying that Mayweather would never agree to 50-50 and he did! Team pac was scared this guy would come over weight and did 10 mil a pound limit and Floyd agreed.

Roach came out and said they blew it. that will be in the history books, if the fight doesnt happen in 2015 that will be in the histroy books for Floyd's fault.

 

This is the only fighter he hasnt fought, its not a padded record and if your a real boxing fan you know. dude has fought everyone expect 1 person

 

Manny was scared of needles when the fight mattered

 

That is not the way I see it.
I think, given the way Floyd speaks, (this is an important facet of what I am saying), he should have moved up ages ago. He should have been fighting middleweight by now. That is me. Someone with that much talent, who demands catchweights, doesnt seem to relish challenges.

Its why Roy Jones Jr gets more respect than he does, even after the losses. The move to fight John Ruiz was a big move.

I knew FM would win every one of those fights. Every. Single. One. Its why I bought none of them. I had doubts about Jones at Heavyweight. Hell, some had doubts about him at light heavy. Its like Tyson beating out the cruiserweight division in his prime, and then saying "I fought everyone".

He did not fight everyone. He fought contenders who presented no serious risk, and at one time had a belt of some kind.

 

For arguments sake let's say it's true Pac agreed to everything and this is a straight duck, can you really hold it against him? The main reason we want to see the fight is to see the best fighter fight the best opponents. The one thing we assume is that legacy is important to Floyd. But is it really? Its obvious that Floyd has more to lose. If Manny wins, he's a hero, he beat the unbeatable, he puts the loss in Floyd's record. He'd get even more attention, a bigger payday in his next fight and some will say it cements him as the best p4p fighter of their generation. If Pac loses, many will still like him because he really does seem to be a genuinely nice guy. Floyd on the other hand, will be accused of waiting until Manny was on the decline and that it would have been a totally different outcome if they would have fought 3-5 years earlier. Floyd will NEVER get full credit for beating Manny.

If Floyd wins, it would just be another day in the office. Most pro fighters, ****ysts and even Vegas has him winning so it wouldn't be a surprise. But if he loses... his claim to greatness has always been associated with the 0. He says he's TBE because he has never lost. He even has the audacity to say he's better than Sugar Ray Robinson and Ali because those 2 have losses. What is left of Floyd when he doesn't have an unbeaten record? Will as many people still pay to see him as before? Let's be real, Floyd is a very technical fighter, not everyone can appreciate that because they find it, well, boring which is a stark contrast to Pac who relies on speed, power and aggression which most casual fans find exciting.

The brilliant thing about Floyd is how he markets himself, not everyone who watches him is there to cheer for him, some and maybe even half or more are actually there to see him lose. Whether you're there to watch him win or lose, the important thing is, you're paying to watch him. I'd expect his numbers to drop significantly even more so than the Maidana fights should he lose because the people who want to see him lose already have so why tune in? Imagine if he fought Pac 5 years ago and lost, I'm sure he'd still be rich and highly regarded but not as much as he is today.

I wouldn't be surprised if Floyd feels some animosity and jealousy towards Pac for the attention and respect he gets, the same thing he probably thinks he deserves and is due and the possibility of him losing to Manny is utterly unacceptable. If he never fights Manny and retires undefeated, he can always say he really is TBE because of the 0. Many people will say he ducked but what does that matter, he's still undefeated and no one can prove that Manny would beat him. It will always be a big WHAT IF to the boxing community. He can always blame Pac's camp for the failed negotiations, especially Arum, but in reality, he had no intentions of pursuing it because lets face it, the rewards definitely do not outweigh the risk.

Floyd prides himself on being his own boss. Then what does it say about his effectiveness at being a boss when he claims to want the fight but up to this day, it hasn't happened. A good boss gets results, but its evident that after 5+ years, there aren't any. It leads me to the conclusion that either Floyd sucks at being a boss, or the boss never wanted the fight in the first place and keeps throwing out ridiculous demands and excuses knowing the other camp would never agree. At the end of the day, I can't hate on Floyd for looking out for himself, but if legacy was really important to him, he would have made the fight years ago.

 

I stopped reading at he should've been fighting a middle weight now :hi::hi:

 

Great Post

 

Proof of these failed tests?
I've only heard of one reporter who offered no proof reporting that.
At least what I provide is fact.
Also your tone changed drastically on this post and you seem much more of a hater with no facts. Thanks for being exposed, the usual when a pac**** is faced with facts.

 

Floyd has a lot to gain from fighting Pacquiao, namely losing the "but" whenever he's talked about as a fighter for the rest of his life. If he doesn't fight Manny, he's going to be known as a "great boxer, but he didn't fight Pacquiao".

Because, to be honest, what the hell are we going to remember about Mayweather? What great boxing moment has he delivered? What is something that people are going to point to 50 years from now? He's not exciting or interesting. He outpoints his opponents, as opposed to knocking them out. He has an all-time great defense, but who, outside of boxing aficionados, really are moved by this?

Mayweather has made it primary to his career that he makes a ton of cash and fight a cautious, protective style which makes considerations for his long term health. All of this is perfectly fine and personally smart for Money to do, but it lessens the overall impact of his legacy.

 

Spot on! :good