Todays PPV

MSTR this is the only part of your post that I disagree with. Beating the likes of Genaro Hernandez in your 12th fight, Diego Corrales, Jesus Chavez, Jose Luis Castillo x 2, Judah, De la Hoya and Hatton puts him on the level with those guys. His 2nd level of competition is quality as well: Baldomir, Gatti, Sharmba Mitchell, Chop Chop Corley, Phillip Ndou, Justin Juuko etc.

Anyone who starts their career at 130lbs and beats Oscar De la Hoya at 154lbs (and everyone else in between!) deserves credit.

 

Yeah Floyd has a decent record no doubt.
Tho alot of fans wouldn't mind seeing him going against a young legit 147 pounder coming into his prime.:deal

 

None of those guys are top elite level fighters though. Really, Castillo and Corrales were good fighters, same with Judah and Hatton. But do they really compare to beating guys like hagler, Hearns, Chavez, Hopkins, Toney, Nelson etc etc.... Floyd is good, but he isn't as dominant as any of those guys i mentioned (in the initial post that is). All you have to do is watch his fights to see that. Those guys mentioned are some of the best head 2 head fighers boxing has ever seen. Floyd isn't that strong. Really, he struggled with Castillo (lost in the eyes of many) and has since leaving 135 fought against a bunch of guys who really aren't that great. Brusseles, an ancient Gatti, Corley, an old blown up mitchell is very poor opposition for a guy hailed as the p4p number 1. He struggled with Judah, and struggled with Oscar as well, getting narrow decisions against both. At 130, he was a GREAT fighter head to head. Since moving up, he too often throws one punch at a time, and gets outworked too often. Prime oscar would have beaten Floyd IMO... Have a look at all Floyd and Cotto's common opponents. Corley, Sosa, Judah.... Tell me who was more dominant.

 

Thing is, he hasn't beaten everyone else in between. What about Casamayor, Kostya, Margarito, Mosley.... He had opportunity to fight these guys but too often just made excuses. Just like he is begining to do with Cotto now. The hoya rematch is a f*cking joke, so is a Hatton one (even more so obviously)... He has a strong resume for sure, but he hasn't fought any truely elite fighters. Where as Roy had Toney and Hop, (both of whom he beat convincingly), Pea had Nelson,Ramirez, McGirt and Chavez (despite the robbery), and Leonard had Hearns, Hagler and Duran (can't get much better then that), Floyd has a bunch of B+ fighters in comparison. The main difference that i see though is dominance. Roy absolutely OWNED his second level competition. Floyd in comparison has looked less then impressive at times. Great fighter for sure. Not the same as the guys i mentioned though, and Cotto certainly has a very good shot at beating him. If Floyd beats Cotto, he goes down as one of the best ATG's though. He needs this fight to cement his legacy. This should be the fight he wants more then anythig else. A young, undefeated, soon to be prime dual division world champion who is PROVEN...

 

I guess a lot of it is how you look at things. Hopkins wasn't the finished product when Jones beat him in a snoozer. However it was still a good notch on his belt.

I don't think Mayweather struggled too much with Zab. Judah came ready to fight but the scores were 119-109, 116-112 and 117-111.

I'd also call Hatton and De la Hoya as elite. Hatton was undisputed Lt Welter and De la Hoya Jnr Middle champion.

A rematch with Hatton, I'm not interested in. De la Hoya, for sure. It was a split decision, so it can't be a joke.

 

I think it's all about boosting Cotto's exposure to maximise the $ the fight can generate. Cotto is already established to boxing fans, but not to Joe Blow on the street. This is obviously beginning to change however with Cotto being matched with Mosley, Gomez (smart business decision) and now Tony Margarito by the looks of things. The public will be crying out for that match, meaning the biggest bucks available. Smart promoting IMO.

A win over Cotto establishes Mayweather as one of the greatest fighters of any period. He's already an all time great, that win would push him over the ledge to boxing immortal in my opinion.

Mayweather's dominance against bigger fighters is what makes him a Pound for Pound legend. It would be the equivelent of Cotto fighting and beating either a Middle or Super Middle. It's an impressive accomplishment.

 

Hoya rematch isn't a joke in itself, but considering he could be fighting Mosley, Cotto or Margarito it is... Really, he should be taking the Cotto fight. Fair enough if he wants to build it up more, but there are still tougher fights out there, then an old fighter whom he already beat, who is getting older.

I think Floyd has a good resume... I guess i am just frustrated that he has wasted such a large amount of his prime... Fighting sub par opponents when there were better options available. His whole persona just frustrates me... "money mayweather"... Its like a bad joke.

I'm sure once he has retired he will be remembered as one of the greats... I'm just don't think head 2 head and p4p if i would hold him in the same regard as the guys i mentioned. I just think they were superior fighters.

Here is an interesting question for you...

How would Shane Mosely have done against the competition that Floyd has fought??

I think the answer to me says a lot about how tough his opposition really was...

 

I agree with your point about building the fight up... I have pointed it out in prior threads... I will post a link actually to have a look at.

Its very clever promotion. Guys like Gomez, Marg and Mayorga are all tough opponents who will make for GREAT exciting fights.

In regards to the divisions, moving up is difficult for sure, but it is much easier at the lower weights. The higher up you go, the HARDER it is to move up divisions and still be successful. His style is also suited to it, being that he is a pure boxer.

I think he will be a legend for sure... If he beats Cotto i would place him above Roy and Pernell probably..

But at this point:-(

 

Here, this is the thread i posted a couple months back regarding the PBF v Cotto fight... Basically sharing your views on the promotion

http://www.eastsideboxing.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46439

 

Well not really. Mosley is a great fighter himself. The fact he fought Cotto to a stand still at age 36 indicates as much IMO. To answer your question though I think that Shane could beat every one of the fighters Floyd has fought. Possible exception would be De la Hoya recently at 154lbs. I thought Shane got a bit of a gift in his last fight against Oscar, but that's irrelevant. Hatton would give him a tough fight, it'd be fun to watch.

In regards to who he could be fighting, well it wouldn't surprise me if Shane gets by Zab, he'll fight Floyd. Margarito doesn't deserve to fight Floyd. However the winner of Cotto v Tony would have to be a logical opponent.

De la Hoya is doing the right thing in getting a tune up prior to fighting Mayweather again. This could quite realistically change the rematch dramatically IMO.

It wouldn't make one bit of business sense to fight Cotto, Margarito or Shane prior to getting the return with De la Hoya. It's a huge money spinner and the first fight was close.

Once that's out of the way, bring on Cotto et al.

PS - I hate the persona as well, I just think he's a great fighter. Certainly one of the greatest defensive fighters ever.

 

Completely spot on. The fight will happen if both keep winning. If Cotto keeps winning impressively, it'll do insane numbers.

Boxing fans are already salivating about Margarito v Cotto. Imagine if Miguel gets past him and Floyd (or Oscar, as you said) takes him on. It will be HUGE.

 

Fair enough, agree with all of that.

I think some of the fanboys on here in the general, and soem of his antics have probably changed my opinion of him as a fighter.

 

I know what you mean mate. Huggers opinions can often cloud people's views on fighters. I know I've found myself cheering against some boxers if for no other reason than to see the fanboys cry.