Floyd Mayweather Jr’s Catch 22
By Dan Horgan (April 16, 2007) Doghouse Boxing
In preparation for his May 5 mega fight with Oscar De La Hoya, welterweight champion, pound for pound king, and boxing’s most hated villain Floyd Mayweather Jr. finds himself if a tricky situation. The four division champion, who wants to be considered the greatest boxer in history after beating De La Hoya, may have picked the worst possible fight to cap off an extraordinary career.

“The World Awaits” may be the most fitting title for any fight in recent memory. ‘The world’ will truly be watching May 5, especially with HBO’s four episode countdown series hyping up the bout. But as the trite saying goes, “with great
power comes great responsibility,” and for Mayweather, that responsibility could hamper his power.

Writers, fans, and promoters alike have been clamoring for Mayweather to not dance circles around De La Hoya for twelve rounds – much like he did versus Carlos Baldomir last November – because this fight is almost an advertisement for the sport of boxing. Countless first time and casual watchers around the world will be viewing the bout, and if we witness a great fight, then boxing would benefit greatly – the exact reason why Mayweather finds himself in a catch 22 situation.

If Mayweather fights cautiously, moving a lot and avoiding serious contact, ‘the world’ will be furious with him. The bout is costing nearly fifty-five dollars for pay-per-view buyers, and tickets to the fight are so valued that ebay.com users are selling them for nearly two thousand dollars a pop. Moreover, boxing’s media and promotional companies will be mad at him for hurting the sport from which they make their living. So naturally, Mayweather would want to put on a good show for ‘the world’ and avoid leaving a sour taste in its mouth before retiring after what he hopes to be his career defining moment, right? Think again.

Why would Mayweather, who has made his mark at welterweight by safely boxing his way around opponents, want to stand and trade with the much bigger De La Hoya, who is coming off of a devastating knockout win over Ricardo Mayorga less than a year ago? He would be putting himself at risk for a loss, which not only would hurt his legacy, but maybe even wreck it. By turning the fight into a brawl, Mayweather would be giving De La Hoya a chance to win the fight – a chance he might otherwise not have.

The only way Mayweather could satisfy everyone would be to beat De La Hoya in emphatic fashion. He’d have to dominate the fight from beginning to end, entertaining all in attendance by putting on a clinic. But De La Hoya is no Atturo Gatti. The chances of Mayweather completely dictating the fight are very slim. So what exactly should he do? Quite frankly, Mayweather is to blame for taking the fight under such circumstances.

Random Notes

- Props to John Duddy for taking on such a tough fight in Elvin Ayala just two months after his rough scrap with former ‘Contender’ contestant Anthony Bonsante in March. Ayala (16-2) was a hot prospect before recently being twice defeated by David Banks.

- When deciding whether or not to order a particular pay-per-view card, please don‘t let angry writers influence your decision. I read several articles stating reasons why not to order the Barrera-Marquez fight, and had I listened, I would have missed a great card.

- IBF middleweight champion Arthur Abraham, who returns to the ring May 26 in Germany, will likely square off against a softy, but if for some reason his management is feeling ambitious, I’d love to see him fight number nine IBF rated Giovanni Lorrenzo (23-0) in what would be an excellent scrap.

- Congrats to doghouseboxing.com associate editor Coyote Duran for recently being named publicist of People’s Champ Boxing out of Las Vegas.


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