After nearly non-existent promotions for one of the biggest fights in boxing history, all it took for Floyd Mayweather Jr. to get the world paying attention was to bring up the name of an American icon.
“No one can ever brainwash me to make me believe that Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali was better than me,” Mayweather said on ESPN’s First Take.
Mayweather fans, who flock to the boxing superstar for his confidence and braggadocious ways as much as for his immense talent, reveled in the comment. After all, in their eyes, “Money” Mayweather is TBE – the best ever. That means even two members of boxing’s Mt. Rushmore aren’t off-limits when it comes to fantasy beatdowns.
Mayweather haters and/or fans of Manny Pacquiao haters reviled the comment. Many seemed surprised that Mayweather would disrespect an American icon. I’m not sure which rock they’ve been living under because Mayweather has built his enormous wealth and fame more on the strength of his mouth than with his fists. That is not a diss to his immense fighting skills, but rather a bow to his greatness as a salesman.
Whether Mayweather is greater than Ali is impossible to prove and it ultimately does not matter. Only the most hardcore Mayweather fans feel he is truly deserving of the TBE title. When we think about all-time greats, they are often judged by epic, career-defining moments. For Ali, we have vivid memories of the Rumble in the Jungle, the Thrilla in Manila and the ultimate alpha dog photo of Ali standing over a fallen Sonny Liston in their second bout. For Sugar Ray Leonard, we think of the controversial victory of Marvelous Marvin Hagler, the KO of Tommy Hearns and the moment he made Roberto Duran utter “No mas!”
What are Mayweather’s most memorable moments? You have to go all the way back to 2001 when Mayweather destroyed the feared Diego “Chico” Corrales to find a worthy everlasting highlight in my opinion. Corrales was a mean, lean KO machine when the two met. He had destroyed nearly everyone in his path to that point. However, Mayweather rose to this occasion and put Corrales on his back five times en route to a 10th round TKO. Sure the Ricky Hatton KO was memorable, if only for how Mayweather’s check hook sent Hatton head first into the corner. Let’s be honest though, Hatton was no Duran or Joe Frazier.
I’m not suggesting that pure boxers can’t be great. Mayweather is undoubtedly the best of his generation, but when it comes to the all-time discussions, a fighter must come up biggest on the grandest stages of all. Boring decision victories just won’t get it – even decisive ones. So the question is can Mayweather channel his inner-2001 and give a legendary performance on the biggest stage of his storied career? I don’t think so.
Pacquiao will defeat Mayweather.
Some will surely call me a hater. They will believe I’m blinded by my disdain for Mayweather’s antics. As I mentioned last week, at times it is difficult to separate the heart from the brain when picking close games, fights, series, etc. My pick has nothing little to do with hate and more to do with styles. As he’s gotten older, Mayweather has relied on defense almost exclusively. He generally avoids engaging his opponent whenever possible, instead choosing to potshot and counter punch. In his last four fights, he’s thrown more than 500 punches just once (505 vs Saul “Canelo” Alvarez). That limited punch output can work against slow and wide punching opponents like Alvarez, Marcos Maidana and Robert Guerrero. With Pacquiao though, you have a fighter who can nearly match Mayweather’s hand speed, possibly exceeds his foot speed and throws hard, straight and compact punches in bunches.
Just look at the fighters who have given Pacquiao problems and they all have one thing in common. Juan Manuel Marquez, Tim Bradley (even though the decision was bogus) and Erik Morales were all willing to go through hell to trade with Pacquiao when needed. The boxer formerly known as “Pretty Boy” isn’t really built for war. Furthermore, Pacquiao’s biggest moments have happened with him beating the sleeves off bigger opponents. He may not have had a knockout since 2009, but he’s put plenty of fighters on their butts or bicycles during that time frame.
Even though Mayweather is one of the most accurate punchers in the history of the sport, I don’t believe him landing 13 of 19 defensive-minded punches per round will be enough to pull out a victory if Pacquiao is landing 23 of 65 punches with intent to decapitate. Unlike Mayweather’s previous opponents, Pacquiao will not get discouraged by Mayweather’s defensive wizardry. He will continue coming forward and continue touching Mayweather whenever he is in range.
Pacquiao is very vulnerable for a straight right hand, which just happens to be Mayweather’s best weapon. I would not be surprised to see Pacquiao hit the canvas at least once due to the way he likes to jump in face first. Still, his activity will prove too much for Mayweather, who has been touched more in recent years by the likes of Maidana, Miguel Cotto and others. Expect Mayweather to eat plenty of straight left hands by Pacquiao, especially when he leans on the ropes.
If Mayweather truly wants to be considered an all-time great and not just a generational one, he can’t just move and hold his way to victory. If he tries, it’ll cost him his “0.” He’ll have to perform like a legend and make Pacquiao look average like he’s done with so many opponents in the past. While I respect his skills, I don’t think he has it in him. Not anymore. All things considered, even after Pacquiao takes away his already shaky claim of being TBE, Mayweather can still laugh his way all the way to the bank. He may not be the greatest fighter of all-time, but he’s definitely the richest. Even Muhammad Ali couldn’t have charged $100+ for a PPV.
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