Tuesday, September 22, 2009

The Man to Beat Floyd Mayweather Jr....

Jeff Pryor takes a look at what it will take to beat Floyd Mayweather, and who might be the man to do it.

Photo © Marty Rosengarten / Ringsidephotos.com

Against a smaller, older, slower, lighter punching man in his last bout, Mayweather looked virtually unbeatable. However like all fighters, he is not invincible.

Even for all his world class athletic attributes there are areas to exploit against Mayweather, it is a credit to his skill and choice in opponents that no fighter he has faced has yet had exactly the right tools to take advantage of the chinks in his armor.

So, what is there to exploit you ask? First off, Floyd pulls straight back. His Fred Astaire feet make him hard to reach and his right glove is usually by his chin... but he pulls straight back. And his left hand is forever dangling at his waist when he does it. The shorter, slower man, with much less reach, Marquez was able to clip him a number of times as Mayweather pulled back.

Secondly Mayweather still allows himself to get caught on the ropes at times. Whether bravado, break taking or a comfort zone, when Floyd's back is on the ropes he is far less effective than when he can escape out the back door and move freely. Marquez landed some of his cleanest blows while Floyd languished on the threads. Delahoya too, was allowed to bang away and score significant blows with Mayweather back on his heels and hemmed in.

Third, his style is almost entirely based on reflex and speed. Those leaping left hooks that first caught Marquez off guard, rarely landed as the fight went on. Juan Manuel didn't have the speed to do more than dodge them once he had the timing figured, but no matter how fast, leaping in with shots like Floyd does is dangerous business and one well timed blow could change a fight seemingly in hand.

Lastly there is the matter of volume. Mayweather is economical and though his speed tends to make opponents think twice about letting their hands go, he can be outworked. The trick is getting that output to land (see above).

With those points in mind, there are several fighters within Mayweathers own weight class who would provide a true litmus test for Mayweathers unbeaten record.

Here we'll run down the most likely suspects:


Manny Pacquiao

Photo © Ray Kasprowicz

Debatably, he isn't even in Mayweather's weight class, yet so dynamic has Pacquiao's rise been that size considerations have been all but written off when it comes to the division hopping Filipino. An explosive combo of power and aggression, with a galvanized skill set, Manny seems to be the odds on favorite to face Mayweather should he get past Cotto.

With hand and foot speed, as well as reflex reaction on par with Mayweather this would be a tight wire tension drill for both men. Pacquiao would have a hard time reaching Mayweather as he pulls back, but he would be able to react and counter, get Floyd on the ropes and get shots in with his frenetic attacks.

Floyd would be able to pick his spots and counter, potshot at times and would strain to keep the fight at his pace, while Manny bounces at him furiously pouncing with a flurry of blows at every available opportunity. The crux of this matchup really would be whether Manny has real power at 147 or if his recent blowouts of Hatton and DeLaHoya were slightly misleading due to the condition of his foes.

If Manny really does pack the punch he seems to, and we'll know for sure after he faces Cotto in November, then this fight pits an absolute offensive monster against an all time defensive master. Somethings gotta give.


Miguel Cotto

Photo © Marty Rosengarten / Ringsidephotos.com

The written off man, it would seem, in the Mayweather sweepstakes. To my mind there is a very good chance for him to beat Pacquiao despite the sports apparent willingness to presume Manny's victory before it's happened. Should he defeat Pacquiao, his widespread Puerto Rican and east coast fan base would likely be enough of a cash cow to lure Mayweather into a bout.

Cotto showed he had hand speed the equal of Mosley in their fight and the skill to outbox him for a majority of the bout. Whether it be brawling or boxing, Cotto's defining trait is that he just has the innate ability to do what it takes to win.

The aforementioned hand speed would give Cotto a good chance to land a significant amount on Floyd, and he is a punishing puncher, particularly to the body, where Floyd has had rib problems. The landscape for Miguel to succeed in this bout would be when he has Floyd on the ropes. Cotto's swarming punches would come in a flurry and he's skilled enough to place them well.

The styles matchup would be less daunting for the Puerto Rican than some of his recent bouts as well. Cotto's weakness would seem to be relentless bigger guys he can't hurt. Floyd certainly isn't relentless. And he isn't going to pressure Cotto in the least. If Cotto could cut off the ring well, he just might be the guy to corral Mayweather and make it ugly for the Pretty Boy.

Antonio Margarito

Photo © Ray Kasprowicz

His wrap scandal aside, Margarito has in the ring business to attend to in order to repair his reputation after his dismantling at the hands of Mosley. Beyond that, Margarito at his best would still pose issues for Floyd. His length would allow him to reach Mayweather on the way out, and his punch output would be impossible for Floyd to match.

Though Mayweather would likely be able to strafe Margarito at will, should the cement headed Mexican be back in full force, this would do little to discourage him. The sheer number of punches Antonio would hurl, would make it likely that a fair amount would batter into Floyd, and Margarito does a good job of cutting off the ring and tracking down opponents.

Floyd would outclass and out speed him, but he wouldn't be able to resist unloading on the easy to hit Margarito at times. And in those moments he has to stand still and punch. Margarito would bomb with him and make it interesting. If there is a head in boxing to crack Floyd's fragile hands Margarito's is surely the one.


Paul Williams

Photo © Ray Kasprowicz

The freakish nature of Paul Williams size almost certainly negates any chance of Floyd ever excepting Williams as an opponent, so I'll keep this short; Williams reach would be a nightmare for Mayweather's usual style.

If Mayweather committed to working inside the giant wingspan of Williams he could find real success, but his comfort zone is on the outside, and Paul's size would allow him to clip Floyd as he pulled out and keep him at bay on the ropes with his long arms.

My guess is Williams never fights at 147 again so this is almost a moot point. Still, Williams presents the type of high risk, low reward challenge Mayweather has never been willing to entertain. In fairness it would be a lot asking Floyd to take this fight. Still, for as highly as Floyd talks of himself, this match-up should be fair game.


Shane Mosley

Photo © Ray Kasprowicz

Probably the most qualified opponent to face Floyd, with probably the best chance to win. His speed may not quite equal "Money's" flashing fists, but it's close enough to do the trick, and behind Mosley's speed there is considerable power. Zab Judah was able to knock Floyd down with a similar combination of attributes and Shane brings more punching prowess to the table. His strength and stamina would tax Floyd in close and his willingness to throw-down would likely force Floyd into exchanging more than he would be comfortable with.

Mosley is a total welterweight package, the likes of which Floyd has never dared to face before. Of the points I outlined above, Mosley would be the one man that could likely take advantage of all of them.

What makes the fight so intriguing however is the fact that Miguel Cotto was able to outbox Mosley in the home stretch of their bout to pull off the win. As good as Mosely's skills are, at times he just wants to fight and that mentality would keep things interesting and open up both great opportunities and liabilities for Mayweather.

Mosley the hunter. Mayweather the elusive potshotter. A great fight and the real matchup to be made at welterweight.


Each of these men has strengths that they could leverage against Mayweather. And each has weaknesses that Floyd could exploit.

The fact is, to beat Floyd Mayweather, you can't just be a great fighter, you've got to have particular attributes that can take advantage of his few weaknesses. You must be able to push the action and make him engage. When he is throwing punches, he is far more available to be hit.

You must have some combination of comparable speed, rangy reach and/or reactive reflexes to counterbalance his own otherworldly athleticism.

You must have a good chin, because he's going to hit you clean and fast at times.

You must be consistent and put in a full fight of indefatigable work.

And you probably need an X-factor. If you're going to do something special, you have to bring something special to the table. Could be unbelievable fortitude and determination, or it could be game changing power, unusual length or matching speed.

Make no mistake, beating Floyd Mayweather is a task that few welterweights on the planet would have any hope of achieving. At best, if we are lucky, one... maybe two, might get the opportunity to take up the challenge.

To many hardcore boxing fans Floyd Mayweather is unbeaten with an asterisk; some feel he flat out lost to Jose Luis Castillo, others feel his handpicked opposition has been the chief factor in his unblemished brocade of victories.

Whatever each individual detractors quibbling preference may be, it would appear that for the man who has proclaimed himself "the greatest of all time", many a fan still feels Mayweather has long avoided readily available challenges that could at least make such self indulgent hyperbole less of an arrogant assertion without merit and into a semi-reasonable, if still self aggrandizing, proclamation.

The point is, if we can feel he's done everything he humanly can to prove he's the best, and succeeded, we can live with him stamping himself with approval. But as there have been multiple tough and worthy fighters he has shied away from in favor of seemingly easier opposition, fans have had a natural backlash.

Mayweather is in the drivers seat and he can go some ways down that road to all time greatness if he wants to. Any of the men listed above would be solid choices as opponents.

There's a good chance for one or more of these fights to get made and with all the factors that go into any bout, it's almost impossible to predict exactly who or how someone may beat Mayweather. It may happen next time out for Money May. It may never happen.

All that most of the sports observers ask is that Floyd challenges himself to be as great as he already claims he is.

The man who has what it takes to beat Mayweather is out there. It may take a special night for this man. It may take a lucky break. Or it may just take an opportunity to step into the ring with him.

He's out there. Whether he gets an opportunity to prove it, with Mayweather's notorious aversion to risk as a barrier, is a question we'll have answered over the relatively short remainder of Floyd's career.

The double edged sword here is that those same men who could snatch his unbeaten record away and upend Mayweather's argument for GOAT ascendency, could also provide the nudge into GOAT-like possibility, should he conquer a few of these worthy challengers available to him.

The truth is, the men to beat Mayweather, should he face them, are also the men who will beat Mayweather should he choose not to. The specter of match-ups avoided could loom larger than a true loss on Mayweather's record as the years go by and with a rogue's gallery of dangerous opponents at hand, failing to rise to meet those challenges is as big a defeat as succumbing in the squared circle.

Floyd Mayweather is so good, he may not lose to Mosley, Pacquiao, Margarito, Cotto or Williams inside the ring were he to fight them, but if he doesn't face down one or two in a prize fight, those men will claim a bigger victory over Mayweather's legacy. Defining it, even in their absence.

e-mail Jeff Pryor

56 comments:

Froifroi said...

Nice article. However, a better title would be "The Fighters Floyd is Expected to Avoid..."

JRH said...

Great piece, Jeff. I love the comment above, too. Floyd has one of the greatest skill sets in history. Still, he doesn't have a legacy. If he's all about the money, fine. But when he proclaims to be the greatest, it's ridiculous. Not even close.

"Williams reach would be a nightmare for Mayweather's usual style." You took the words out of my mouth. I've never been a huge Williams fan, but the Punisher has the tools to give anyone problems, Mayweather included. His punch output alone would beat Floyd. Add that to his freakish length and awkward southpaw stance.

Mosley has always been the fight I've wanted. Mayweather has ducked him for a decade, and I'm sure he'll continue to do so. Shane is more dangerous than Castillo was, even at his advanced age. And he appeared so much bigger than Floyd in the post-fight interview Saturday.

I'm just hoping if I have to watch a guy who runs and pot shots, it will be against someone his own size. Unlikely to happen.

Prediction: Mayweather-Donaire at a catchweight of 142, with Floyd weighing in at 150. As usual with Money, a fair fight.

Haters said...

However much you hate Floyd, you cant spin his record...he has won world titles in 6 divisions.....
You cant fight everyone...
Eg -----
Why hasnt Cotto faced williams?
Why hasnt Pacquiao faced Mosley, williams, Margarito?
Why do you question only Mayweather's record?
Haters....Get over it !!!
Before saturday, you are the same people saying Floyd feared Marquez..
Now more excuses.....

Anonymous said...

ALL 40 OF FLOYD'S OPPONENTS HAD A PLAN BUT THEY ALL FAILED. FLOYD'S DOES NOT HAVE TO CHASE THESE FIGHTERS, THEY NEED HIM THEY WANT TO FIGHT HIM CAUSE THEY KNOW HE IS THE BEST. YOU SAID HE HAS NO LAGACY WELL 40-0, 6 WORLD TITLES IN 5 DIFFERENT WEIGHT CLASSES, THATS A LAGACY THAT NO ONE HAS. ALL THE FIGHTERS NAMED ARE GOOD FIGHTERS BUT THEY HAVE NEVERED FACED A FLOYD MAYWEATHER,AND WHEN HE FIGHTS THEM AND BEATS THEM WHATS GOIN TO BE ALL YOU HATERS EXCUSE??? FACE IT FLOYD'D THE TRUTH, GIVE HIM HIS RESPECT!!!

Anonymous said...

I think williams has the best chance at beating him but I dont think he could or should cut to ww anymore. The guy is a monster and just whooped up on Winky Wright whos never dominated like that against anyone.

Floyd beats all the others imo.

Anonymous said...

this sounds like it should be named "outta these five people i hope one of em can win" i guarantee if he fights one of these guys and wins then people like you will say "well if he wants to be the best he needs to fight this guy next and so on and so forth. ur right tho about the "x" factor but its in mayweathers possesion its the brain its mayweathers ring smarts

Anonymous said...

I saw floyd's comeback fight,,and he showed great performance. But when u sum up his performance over JMM, it didn't impress the whole world at all, how he expressed himself in his last bout was like a grown ass man grinning as he gives no chance to a 5 year old in a video game,,,show some mercy if u dont want to be called fraud gayweather.

Anonymous said...

hey haters: how could floyd have a legacy if he hasn't fought the top contenders in his weight class. Legacy means you're not afraid to put everything on the line and prevail during those times. That you fought all the best opponent out there specially in YOUR OWN WEIGHT CLASS and still come out on top. THAT's LEGACY. Did Mayweather do that? HECK NOOOO!!!!!! Just look who he just fought. Talk about a CHERRYPICKER!!!

Anonymous said...

You Mayweather apologists make me laugh! Seriously, your allegiance blinds you & you fail to rationally look at things objectively. Out of the top dogs in the welterweight division (Cotto, Margarito, Mosely, Williams, even Pacman), how many of those has Floyd fought? ZERO. More relevant question: How many will he face? Likely ZERO. The others have at least fought or will fight one of the others (i.e., Mosley vs. Margs, Cotto vs. Margs, Cotto vs. Mosley, Pac vs. Cotto).

Since leaving lightweight, who has Floyd fought? Any A-listers? Baldomir??? Judah???? Chop Chop Corley??? Bunch of "name" opponents only. It took Pac less time to dispose of both Oscar & Hatton COMBINED than it took Floyd to finish off Oscar alone. Pac picks on bigger guys, Floyd picks on smaller guys. 'Nuff said.

Unknown said...

all of the great welterweights and middleweight greats are fast and strong and can beat Mayweather. In the case of PACQUIAO he will be the first FEATHERWEIGHT to beat Mayweather.

Anonymous said...

I my opinion, Manny Pacquiao will surely beat Mayweather. A lot of writers were wowed by Mayweather vs Marquez as defensive wizard and surely would give Manny no chance at all. If you could recall his previous fights against 2 southpaws - Demarcus Corley and Zab Judah - his formidable defense was shattered in both fights. Had Corley and Zab stamina and power been great they would have pulled out as winners as Mayweather had been staggered a couple of times and in even knocked down by Zab. In fact, his Dad, who was in prison at that time, was heard not to pit Jr. against southpaws.
Imagine, if ever Mayweather will be fighting pacquiao, who made a lot of improvements after Marquez fight, an Energizer bunny with a lot of power, speed and accuracy, I just don't know how will Mayweather handle Manny - a modern-day-Armstrong - except probably in the canvass. Erniepep

Anonymous said...

FLOYD NEVER FEARED MARQUEZ AND NO ONE WOULD THINK THAT BECAUSE MARQUEZ IS TOO SMALL A FIGHTER TO BE FEARED BY A LEGITIMATE WELTERWEIGHT, COTTO HAS NOT FACED WILLIAMS BECAUSE HE HAS ALREADY FACED A CHEATING MARGARITO WHO FLOYD HAS DUCKED, PACQUAIO HAS NOT FACED MOSLEY, WILLIAMS, MARGARITO BECAUSE HE JUST FOUGHT DELAHOYA, HATTON AND NOW COTTO(A FIGHTER MAYWEATHER ALSO DUCKED MAYWEATHER IS ONE OF THE BEST FIGHTERS IN THE WORLD AND IS ENJOYABLE TO WATCH AND HE WOULD'VE BEATEN MARQUEZ REGARDLESS OF THE WEIGHT(MARQUEZ IS JUST MAKING THAT AS AN EXCUSE BECAUSE HE HATES ACCEPTING DEFEAT) BUT HE HAS TO GIE US OUR MONEYS' WORTH AND FIGHT SOMEONE HIS OWN SIZE LIKE MOSELEY OR COTTO(IF HE GETS BY PACQUIAO) I DON'T KNOW WHY COTTO IS THE NDERDOG AGAINST THE PACMAN WHEN HE IS THE "TRUE" WELTERWEIGHT WITH MORE POWER, STRENGTH. SIZE AND SKILL THAN THE PACMAN BUT I WOULD STILL WATCH THIS FIGHT AND THERE IS NO SHAME IN LOSING TO A GREAT AND HUMBLE FIGHTER LIKE COTTO BUT NO MATTER WAHT HAPPENS I WOULD STILL WATCH THIS FIGHT AND SUPPORT THE PACMAN ALL THE WAY.

Anonymous said...

fighting and winning against a smaller opponent doesnt give you a credit, gayweather against Juanita even before the fight is a mismatch, marquez is not even rated in the division they fight for, i think even the power of marquez is not that strong in the welterweight, if that is pacman gayweather can not execute the game plan he did since he can feel the power of Pacman and that will change his fighting style and eventually the outcome of the fight.

Anonymous said...

Ill make this short and quick, Floyd needs to be the best to be the best, When he cleans out his division , he can then be considered a legacy, the best, the greates, but he has to clean his division, quit being a coward and quit picking fighter and fight them all to prove he is the best

Anonymous said...

(Correction) Floyd needs to beat the best to be the best,

@rch@ng3l said...

#2 on P4P list??? Floyd shouldn't be on the P4P list. He shouldn't be place as #1 on his own weight. He haven't even fought any of the elite fighters under his own weight category. unlike Pacman, he beats all the elite fighter under his weight category and keeps on getting bigger so that he can still fight other elite fighters on other bigger weights.

Anonymous said...

floyd the PAY PER POUND KING will never face a legit welterwt. his claim of being the greatest of all time is laughable. sugar shane faught duran, hearns, hagler etc... he can be considered great. ali faught frazier,foreman and and alot of great fighters in his wt class... he can be considered great too... & sugar ray robinson... you get my point. now lets take a look at floyds resume... hmmm... baldomir, juda, dela hoya, hatton.... these names under belt doesnt even come close to being considered great, let alone greatest of all time.

Anonymous said...

Funny How PBF suddenly became #2 contender in the Welterweight Division. Marquez was not even ranked in the top 10. And again if PBF is rank no#2P4P why then he is below Mosley the champ & #1 contender Cotto. He should be #7 below Cotto. No logic at all for PBF ranking!!!

Anonymous said...

floyd's BORING, Manny is FUN TO WATCH, YOU GET YOUR TIME AND MONEY'S WORTH...

Mark Lyons said...

He shouldn't be higher than 3rd at Welter.P4P is a mythical rating that combines accomplishments & your opinions on who is the better fighter with all things being equal.

Nice write up Jeff, enjoyed it.

Mark Lyons said...

Lol, to finish the previous thought, nothing wrong with having Mayweather #1 p4p if you think he is that great, I do.

Anonymous said...

i would like to add on how to beat PBF... if you will notice PBF does not engage in trading punches with his opponent... He tends to just cover-up while his opponent do his flurries... U are right Mr. writer that one must be busier to beat PBF... and PACMAN is the right guy to beat Mayweather since he has the skills the hand speed the footwork and the power to beat Mayweather... Now a days PACMAn is so accurate in his punching that 5 to 6 can easily go in...

The only advantage of PBF when he will fight PACMAn is his reach and weight... I think his JAB will be the key on beating PACMAN...

Anonymous said...

Man you guys really dont like Floyd. But heres the thing you guys talk about manny getting better and PBF not ever fighting top competition. But lets face it the guy is ever improving. JMM barely touched him in there fight. Floyd is not the same fighter as he was against Judah or Corley. He will walk through Manny if he ever fights him. Probably KO him early.
I personally dont wanna see him fight Margarito because I dont think Margs should be allowed to box again in the US. He is a cheater hands down and he really couldve hurt Cotto for the rest of his career with the glove fiasco he pulled(If you think he was unaware of the wrap situation I understand but I completely disagree).
COtto has no shot. He barely got by Clottey who by a lot of accounts should have taken the decision(Not mine).
Mosely has the best shot. A rejuvinated big welterweight with speed to spare, and he wants to cement his own legacy. That fight would be great.
As I said earlier I dont wanna see him fight Williams. After Williams smashes Pavlik Id like to see him fight one of the guys from the supermiddleweight tourney. Maybe even a fight against Bhop.

Anonymous said...

Pacman has kept on travelling north of his former weight divisions to fight the best competition while Fraud Gayweather travelled south to cherry pick. Where is honor, integrity and courage in this act?

Still the Gayweather nuthugger can't find fault on this. Enough said, your Gayweather stinks!

music dude said...

@HATERS

Whoever said Floyd was afraid of Marquez? That's why he agreed to fight Marquez in the 1st place, coz he knew Marquez was gonna be too small for him.

Mark Lyons said...

Floyd went up to 154 and faced Oscar, instead of having him drain himself to a skeleton. "Gayweather" doesn't insist on weakened opponents. Where is that honor?

It's two great fighters and they both have carefully picked fights since they became mega-stars. Pac shouldn't be above criticism either.

Anonymous said...

for me cotto is the fighter that will cement his legacy stronger than mayweather for he faced margarito, mosley, and later pacquiao. he faced or facing top three guys named above. now that's toughness. that's legacy for you win or lose cotto can say he faced the best and he has no regrets.

Unknown said...

Muhammad Ali is worthy to be called all time great boxer bec HE FACED and defeated EVERY top heavyweight opponent in his era. How can Mayweather be if there are still Mosley, Williams, Berto whom are considered his best competitors but never took on the ultimate challenge and defeat them so that he may worthy and recognize to be called "the best".

jeff said...

floyd should not be in top 2 list of ring magazines p4p ratings, its absurd. he fought an overweigth lightweight champ, leaping 2 weight division, what a ridiculous act.these fighters on jeff's list that could beat mayweather will be avoided by mayweather jr.To be the best fight what you should fight on your weight class, and you'l achieve respect.mosley is far better that should earn on p4p list, he is facing what he should face and calling them out.

Anonymous said...

someone brought up Berto. Im a huge fan of this kid. Id like to see Berto face off with Shane while everyone awaits the winner of Manny and Cotto.

noypinga said...

pbf is coward! he should be fighting rated welters of his time! damn businessman who kills boxing! damn this guy! should not be an american!

noBSjack said...

not only did Moneyweather pick a lightweight to fight at welterweight, he didn't even weigh in at the contracted weight! He agreed to weigh in at 144 and came in at 146. I wonder how big he was during fight night as he didn't allow anyone to weigh him. how can you call him an all-time great when he can even control his own weight? or worse he didn't care abt his integrity and just wanted to weigh in heavier. as if JMM wasn't small enough to start with!

Anonymous said...

floyd has benn bragging that he is the best but never fought anyone bigger or with almost equal skills. he fought smaller or if bigger but much older opponents.

so what is there to brag? here is mosley, with almost the same size as floyd challenging him and all floyd cn say is, "be respectful!" as if he was a respectful person!

Anonymous said...

Yeah, Mayweather is not same fighter after he gets KO'd walking through Pacman's straight left early in the round. The noted "Turtle defense" of Mayweather is very vulnerable to the southpaw stand of Pacquiao, the Dragon... and puff the Magic Dragon... here lies unconscious Mayweather's body on the canvass!!!

Anonymous said...

Mr. Anonymous!!! i'm sorry,.. i could not find LAGACY in the DICTIONARY!!!

chiefrunamok said...

Anyone who thinks that Mayweather's hand-picked opponents make him "the best ever" are as deluded as Mayweather himself. Just look at his last two fights before "retiring": an over-the-hill De la Hoya and a blown up junior welterweight in Hatton. Both were game and competitive at times but hardly posed the kind of threat that any of the top, natural welterweights presented. Why no fights against Cotto or Margarito or or Mosley or Williams? His retirement was a convenient way of ducking them. Same as when Mayweather says he'll only fight Pacquaio if he gets 60%. Of course Pacman's camp will nix this ridiculous cut, so Mayweather can crow that he tried to make the fight happen while sabotaging the numbers to make sure that it never comes off. Why not make it fifty-fifty and wager a few million on the fight to make up the difference? Say the winner gets 25% of the loser's cut? Hmmm. . . If Mayweather wants to beat the best, he should fight the best. And not just Pacquiao (who Mayweather has the natural size advantage) but the guys who are there naturally at welterweight. But I doubt he will. He's ducked them all before, and now that his IRS bill is settled, he might not have to now.

chiefrunamok said...

A note about Williams: Williams will probably always be left out in the cold. He offers so many matchup problems that it's hard for him to get a fight. Who knows if he could ever get back down to 147, but if he did, he'd be tough to beat.

chiefrunamok said...

IN A PERFECT WORLD: The welterweights would have a round-robin tournament like they're getting ready to do for the super-middleweights. How awesome would it be to see each of these fighters go at it: Mayweather, Cotto, Mosley, Pacqauiao, Clottey, Margarito, Berto (and throw Williams in the mix if he can indeed get back down in weight). By the end of this, we'd see who truly is the best. Or maybe, we'd see the old maxim of how "styles make fights" play out with no clear "greatest."

Anonymous said...

i beg to disagree with the common belief that if pacman wins against cotto then mayweather - pacquiao is up next. C'mon guys, you really think money is that stupid??! He is ducking cotto, do you think he has the guts to face manny? Be realistic guys, money knows if he ever kiss the canvass against manny, he will have nothing, not even his mouth can save his career. So go on floyd, avoid everyone that possess a threat to your boxing marketability and just put on the hype of everyone guessing... after all one kiss is deadly - to your boxing career.

Anonymous said...

Why is Floyd number #2 in the P4P rankings? They are staging the MP FW fight and with FW at number two, that would be a bargaining point at the table. Remember, GBP owns The Ring Magazine... It's solely business, so don't belive the rankings.

The Ring even said that some members of the Board (who decides the ranking) even proposes MW to be #1 but because he fought a lightweight, he just settled for #2. What a crap, in the first place, I think the highest rank that MW should get is 8 :-)

Jeff Pryor said...

I didn't put it in the article, but I feel that if Pacquiao loses, Mayweather may just retire again saying there is no one worthy to fight him. Hopefully not, but I could see it.

Also the only other possible name I can think of him going after would be Cory Spinks at 154. Let's say Pwill goes up and is successful against Pavlik. He'll likely stay at 160 and that would leave Spinks and Verno Phillips to head up 154. Either of those two fights would be like stealing another division title for Mayweather.

Anonymous said...

Mayweather was going down in lower division to chose his opponent while PACMAN looking for a higher weight division to prove that he is really the best pound4pound king in the world... next match up-- Mayweather Vs. Brian Viloria then PACMAN vs. Vitali Klitschko. thats the best match up for PBF because he's avoiding the best fighter in his wait and even avoided PACMAN. shame on you.

ronin said...

WHAT DID YOU SAY??? NO ONE CAN GO BEYOND MAYWEATHERS "LAGACY"? HAHAHAHA!!! 6 TIME WORLD CHAMPION IN 5 WEIGHT DIVISIONS??? HOW ABOUT A 6 TIME WORLD CHAMPION IN 6 DIFFERENT WEIGHT DIVISIONS, NOW GOING ON 7TH WEIGHTD DIVISION??? STARTING AT FLYWEIGHT NO FIGHTING ON BIG WELTERWEIGHTS WHICH UR MAN FLOYD ARE SO AFRAID TO FACE!!! HAHAHAHAHA! U MAKE ME REGURGITATE FLOYD MORE BY EXPOSING HIS FAKE SCRIPTED "LAGACY"!!!

Anonymous said...

After PBF jr. bought a 2 pound extra weight to ensure his win over JMM now he was awared with a ranking at #2. Boxing is getting closer and closer to its grave.

Anonymous said...

you asshole nincompoof. you hide in the shroud of this article to promote your gay ward who has no balls facing lion-hearted boxers. to gayweather, you are just like a ballet dancer. fight like a man and stop proclaiming you are the greatest. could be the greatest coward of all time. stop making boxing a money making sports. it is too noble a sport for a coward like you. you don't even have what it takes to be called a champion other than your dancing prowess. go to hell.

Anonymous said...

those of you who said that Mayweather is not the best.. you are right!

Bruce said

If you're really great, you will never cherrypicked your opponent. As Mayweather proclaimed that he is the best.. there is always a question.. Why is that he can't fight boxers who can box him out well? Do you think the money is the answer? If you are great.. money is not the issue in your fights. Right? Also why is that he fights JMM with 2 lbs excess in his 144 lbs agreement? His such a cheater and not deserve to be call the best P4P.

Why Mayweather can't fight guys who can box well? hehe think of it? scared? is that greatness???

Pacquiao will do the beating on him I guess.. because of speed, power and accuracy.. ^_^

Nice article!!

BiT said...

First things first.
PACMAN's priority right now is to be the first boxer in the world to win world titles in 7 different division.

Once he accomplish this this coming "FIREPOWER Bout, then other bouts we want will surely follow.

Manny is a fighter not a businessman.
He wants to know his limits as a boxer. He wants the challenges..
Pound for pound means breaking your own limits and not knocking boxers who are obviously below your weight class.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations to Floyd for beating a VERY OLD and MUCH MUCH SMALLER Marquez who is NO LONGER IN HIS PRIME!

I heard that the fight looked like JIMMY OLSEN VERSUS THE INCREDIBLE HULK.

However, Floyd's muscles are so great and fascinating! It reminded me of bodybuilders who use steroids.

Anonymous said...

Hmm... I wonder why lot of people HATE FLOYD? You know Why? Because FLYOD is Arrogant,Boastful, that's why i hate him so much, though he's great but not close as a MAN.

Unknown said...

next opponent of Gayweather.... El terrible morales... lol!

Anonymous said...

MAYWEATHER VS MARQUEZ must have a rematch with a title NUMBER ONE VS. NUMERO 'No No'

Anonymous said...

i'm pretty sure that the next fight of floyd mayweather jr. will be against brian viloria...and it will consume all the 12 rounds..mayweather knows dancing not boxing..

Anonymous said...

Nice Article, but instead of just considering all these usual suspects as fighters who could probably beat Floyd Gayweather, I think and do believe that ANY and ALL these fighters could beat Floyd anytime. The problem is, Floyd wont fight ANY and ALL of them, coz that will expose him and his scheme of chosing just the opponents that he could dance around with. With the exception of course of Pacman, coz even if Pac exposes and beats his ugly face to pulp and KOs him,he would go home with $20-M, enough to pay his IRS dues and get his Ferrari back. Pacman is his retirement pay!SO what the heck!

Paul said...

Boxing is just like the WWF, made-up. So Floyd Mayweather, did not make the weight for the fight, so he heavier than the weight class that he is fighting in, and his opponent was older, shorter and weigh less. Are we impressed that he won, what a charade. Now we find out that this piece of work owes our government millions of dollars. Why should we believe this guy? I guess the rumors are true that he did everything to avoid fighting Antonio Margarito, before his unexpected first retirement, chicken.

Anonymous said...

sad thing is floyd will never fight anyone who has a good chance to beat him...if he had a fighters heart he would have fought margarito already, mosley who embarrased him. heck even pacquiao is saying floyd won't fight him...true boxing fans know what is happening. judging from comments in this post it seems there are not a lot true boxing fans left

Anonymous said...

haters.... yeah floyd feared marquez for he didn't come to the weight agreed by both camp..... he's afrtaid that marquez may hurt him so he comes up in weight advantage,,,,,,,,,,