Floyd Mayweather Jr.

A New Chapter Begins for Floyd Mayweather

By Jeff Mayweather (November 1, 2005) Doghouse Boxing (Photo © German Villasenor)

This coming November 19th my nephew Floyd Mayweather Jr. is scheduled to face former champion Sharmba Mitchell, and in my eyes this is a fight that marks a new beginning in Floyd’s career. On the surface this fight is nothing extremely special and I expect Floyd to dominate once he gets going into full gear. What stands out to me about this bout is the fact that it is taking place in the Welterweight division, yet another new territory that Floyd will look to conquer. To me this is another new chapter in Floyd's ongoing quest for greatness and I feel he will be successful.

To be honest, when I look at the Welterweight division I don’t see what other people see. I think the division is actually pretty weak outside of a few names and I only give the top guys a puncher’s chance at beating Floyd. Antonio Margarito is a strong, durable guy but he is simply too slow to deal with someone like Floyd. With Margarito it is as if you see everything coming and this will be even more apparent with Floyd, who relies on his great reflexes as part of his attack.

There was a time when a fight between my nephew and Shane Mosley would have been a great fight, even a toss up, but now Shane is on the decline and I can’t see him dealing with Floyd’s speed. Shane is a threat because of his speed and strength, but something is missing from his game. He’s just not the same fighter anymore. I feel that Floyd would box Shane and pick him apart from the outside.

What Floyd’s venture into the Welterweight division is really about, in my opinion, is a match up with current unified champion Zab Judah. It is no secret that both guys have had bad things to say about each other lately and a fight between them seems like a natural fit. As talented as Zab is, and for all of his speed and intensity, I feel that a match up against Floyd is all wrong for him. Zab is a reckless fighter and that will play right into Floyd’s hands. With the recent bad blood boiling I just don’t feel that Judah will fight a smart fight and if he comes out aggressively I could see things ending before the 4th round is over. Judah does have power and he could end things with a good shot, but Floyd can crack as well and it’s his fight to win or lose.

The thing that people don’t understand about Floyd Jr., is that he has been doing all of this since he was a little kid. All the talent that people see, like the shoulder roll defense, the speed, accuracy and the inside fighting, is something I saw in him since he was a child. At five years old he was running four to five miles a day, with his father, Floyd Sr., right behind him in a car making sure he was doing his job. At seven years old he was cutting wood and chopping down trees. His work ethic has always been unquestionable and that’s where true greatness comes from. The game of boxing was instilled in Floyd from an early age and he absorbed everything until it became second nature for him.

With the lineup of players in today’s game, I don’t see anyone at 147 lbs. beating Floyd Mayweather. I feel that he is composed and experienced enough to deal with any situation and that his talent and skills would give him an edge over anyone in that weight class. I believe it is when Floyd moves to 154 lbs. that he will possibly lose against someone like Winky Wright. I don’t know for sure if Winky is going to be at 160 or 154 lbs. in the future, but I do know that he has the style and the size to possibly hand Floyd his first defeat. Wright has a great defense, sound fundamentals, and he is simply the bigger man. It could be a case of size over talent in that one.

Throughout his journey in the boxing world, Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s ego has driven him to the top. For all of his talk, you will be hard pressed to find a fighter who works harder than he does in the gym. He truly does believe in his heart that he is the best fighter in the world and that this is his destiny. It is almost as if he will never be content until he loses and runs into that wall. Floyd may eventually lose, but if he does it will be through chasing greatness and that alone deserves to be appreciated. It all begins again November 19th.