Floyd Mayweather Jr. should fight
in the ring, or just go
away.
By Mike Cassell
March 22, 2008
I am tired of hearing all lip service from
the people who defend the mouth and antics of Floyd Mayweather Jr. 39 – 0
(25 KO’s) His talent is undeniable, but deciding to put on a farce with a
bunch of allegedly steroid ridden actors in the WWE, as opposed to fighting
“real” competition in the boxing ring, is something that bother boxing fans
everywhere.
I am referring to his latest publicity stunt
in which he is going to act out a wrestling match with the WWE’s 440lb “Big
Show”. Let’s face it; it is not like there isn’t anybody out there to fight.
There is a tremendous amount of talent in the lower weight classes with men
who have earned the right to challenge Mayweather legitimately.
Instead of taking a shot at Cotto, Margarito,
Quintana, Clottey, Cintron, and many deserved others; he decides to waste
the precious time he has left in his career, embarrassing himself and the
game of boxing for one thing and one thing only, money. At some point, he
needs to take a cold hard look at what he says he is, and what he actually
is. Kind of like his perception and actually reality.
It is hard for me to defend De La Hoya fighting Steve Forbes, but at least
he is fighting someone in the world of reality. Does Forbes have a real
chance, probably not, but De La Hoya is man enough to give Forbes a shot,
that’s real. Mayweather is not getting any younger and his time is becoming
his biggest opponent.
Maybe he just has enough money, or maybe he
is bucking for some lame reality show. But I know that in the real world,
fans want to see the best, fight the best. At this point in time, he is the
best, and in his perceived superstardom, he can pretty do whatever he wants,
whenever he wants to, and when an athlete has that frame of mind, it is
usually the sign of the end.
As Miguel Cotto keeps busy and builds a
bigger fan base, Mayweather’s value will continue to dwindle until he steps
in the ring. Most fans don’t care if he can dance or act, they just want to
see him fight. Maybe that’s a reality he needs to come to terms with before
it is too late. It is a hard lesson to learn, just ask Roy Jones Jr.
In the late 90’s, Roy Jones Jr. was a monster in the game of boxing. It was
comical to watch him face world class competition in the boxing ring only
hours after playing in a full court basketball game. It got to the point to
where he began to live the perception he created of his own invincibility.
He thought he could do anything and the fans
would always be there. And then reality hit home after his knockout losses
to Antonio Tarver and Gen Johnson. He became a ghost and found himself
marching around the United States looking for a fight. He himself has
recently been quoted as saying he took his career for granted, and he should
have did more to preserve his god given talent as well as his legacy.
He was lucky enough to get another shot, but
he is acutely aware that those shots are few and far between at this point
in his career. Mayweather should heed the Roy Jones lesson and make a
serious professional finish to his already brilliant career. It is something
that his loyal fans want, but more importantly, it’s a reality they deserve.
MICHAEL CASSELL
PHILADELPHIA BOXING REPORT
FIGHTING CITY PRODUCTIONS
