The world moves on; will Floyd Mayweather Jr?
 By Gabriel Montoya (May 9, 2007) Doghouse Boxing (Photo © German Villasenor)
And so it came and went into the night at a fast pace that dwindled into a one-or-two-punches-and-done, now-you-see-me, now-I-circle-away-from-you Mayweather affair. The World Awaits! The fight to end all fights! A fight for the W-BlahBlahBlah belt at 154 lbs!
For $54.95 and all the hype you could eat, De La Hoya vs. Mayweather was a pretty decent scrap if you like watching millionaires get richer whilst conceding victory and coasting to it, respectively. Was it exciting? Sure.
Maybe it was the large crowd at my house or the Maker’s Mark, but yeah – I had a good time, as did everyone present, at least until the championship rounds. For a second there, it looked like a very competitive fight, and possibly the night that Mayweather’s '0' would go. But as is usually the case with fighters who fight only once a year, Oscar turned old in the 8th, and Mayweather, seeing the life drain out of his foe’s legs and his jab disappear, was happy to look good moving away, jabbing, and occasionally working out his right hand. Nice work, if you can get it.
The right villain won, and the good guy on the losing end gave a nice account of himself in the ring. “For some reason, it wasn’t the night of the jab,” said De La Hoya after the fight. Umm, Oscar, maybe it’s because you’re 34 and fight once a year? Call me crazy, but I’d say that's as safe an assumption as betting that this "superfight" would go the distance. For his part however, Oscar gave what he had. Even though he missed more than he landed by a considerable margin, he did manage to swell Mayweather’s right eye more than I have seen in past fights. That’s something. And at 34, to go twelve competitive rounds with the self-proclaimed best fighter ever is an accomplishment. “I don’t feel like a loser. I came and did what I had to do,” he would say afterwards. “If I hadn't pressed the fight, there would be no fight.”
Mayweather seemed content to let De La Hoya gas himself early, but then never turned it on as he had against other opponents. “I was surprised how easy it was to hit him in the head," he said. "I was thinking ‘Damn! How’d he beat all those guys when he doesn’t move his head?'" How unfortunate that thought didn’t materialize into aggression or a sustained attack in the later rounds. If it had, Mayweather might not have heard boos as the decision was announced, and the moment would have been the cherry atop an excellent career. Instead it felt like watching a little kid drop his ice cream before the first lick.
Watching the fight, one in which Mayweather predicted he would “massacre” former (as in many, many years ago) pound-for-pound champ Oscar De La Hoya, I had to ask the question: How would Mayweather do against a fighter in his prime in any of the weight classes he occupies? Given his disposition for avoiding the toughest challengers in his divisions, the question is sadly moot. Considering Mayweather’s proposed retirement and declaration that he has accomplished all he needs to in boxing, it is a question we may never get the answer to. “I’ve beaten the best they have put in front of me,” Mayweather has said repeatedly. But in truth, since he arrived at 140 and above, he has beaten the best he has put in front of himself, and seems content to leave it at that.
SO WHERE DOES FLOYD GO FROM HERE?
Before that question can be asked, the question of "what this fight was for" must be answered. When Mayweather fought Arturo Gatti in Atlantic City, the idea was to introduce Mayweather into the world of pay-per-view fights. Gatti had a large and loyal following, and the thought was that Mayweather, when he was victorious, would take some of that fan base with him into future PPV events.
This fight, "The World Awaits," in my opinion, is Mayweather’s introduction into Oscar De La Hoya’s world-view of pay PPV: fighting once a year against a handpicked but high-profile, beatable but entertaining opponent. Mayweather, more so than any other fighter in recent memory, has proven that he is simply all about the money. And so from here on in, we will see Mayweather in the public eye more often than ever (he already has a slew of talk show dates lined up) as he milks this victory for all it’s worth. But it won’t be enough for a man of his skill and ego. Within a year or so, he will announce his return against De La Hoya or Mosley, and we will get another round of reality show, pressers, and all the trash talk we can handle. This is the beginning of the De La Hoya phase of Mayweather’s career, because at this point, after tasting the Golden Payday, anything less will not be enough. To paraphrase Larry Merchant, in Mayweather’s mind, beating Tiger Woods has made him Tiger Woods.
Here is one vote hoping that Mayweather isn’t lying about his retirement. I have zero interest in seeing him fight again if he is going to insist on not closing the show and doing just enough to win. Hell, he barely opened the show Saturday, much less closed it. At 30, Mayweather’s “win first, entertain second” mentality is not likely to change. It’s time to watch guys who may not be as gifted, but certainly eclipse Mayweather in the heart, passion and guts categories. Give me two lesser-skilled but hungry-for-glory fighters who are willing to risk it all any day of the week.
Personally, the only thing I want from Mayweather is for him to pull a Roy Jones and move down in weight to 140, lose the muscle he has gained, and get knocked out by a prime fighter. But that will never happen, because that would require Floyd to fight someone that is 1) in their prime and 2) dangerous. Floyd don’t play that, and so that wish will go down as mere hating from his (vast?) legion of fans.
In the coming months, we have Margarito/Williams, Cotto/Judah, Miranda/Pavlik and Castillo/Hatton. Real fights with real fighters, the outcomes of which will actually effect the divisions they will be fought in. These are strong match-ups between fighters looking to prove themselves against the best, instead of trying to convince the fans of their greatness through empty words and promises. These are the matches I’ve been really waiting for. As for Floyd’s return? I don’t know about the rest of the world, but I can wait.
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