Floyd Mayweather, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley, Kermit Cintron, Antonio Margarito, Carlos Quintana, Paul Williams and Joshua Clottey, round out the top eight fighters in boxings welterweight division. The current welterweight division is very competitive. It's not the deepest its been, but it's plenty deep. Mayweather, the fighter who is considered the best in the division, is also considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in boxing. He's also the only fighter among the top eight who hasn't faced one of the other seven who make up the elite eight. On April 12th, Margarito and Cintron will be facing each other for the second time, due to Margarito handing Cintron his only professional loss three years ago.
This coming Sunday night, boxings supposed best pound-for-pound fighter will take on a 7'1" 400 pound wrestler named the "Big Show" at the WWE's Wrestlemania XXIV. Obviously, this is for a lot of money along with the outcome being pre-determined. This would almost be tolerable if after Mayweather gets his acting check, he'd go back to what he is paid most for doing and take on the fighters who not only have earned their shot at him, but are also the most capable of having a chance to beat him. But this won't happen. Mayweather's already penciled in to fight a rematch with Oscar De La Hoya in the fall. De La Hoya is far past his prime, he doesn't match up with Mayweather at this time and regardless of who wins the fight, it says nothing about either one as to what kind of fighters they are.
Floyd Mayweather is following the Roy Jones path to wealth, which is that of least resistance. As long as he knows that, he's Okay. However, after all these years of talking shit about how great he is, he'll be more remembered like Jones than he will be Sugar Ray Leonard. It's even possible that Mayweather will retire undefeated. And even at that, he'd still have one of the thinnest resumes I've seen compared to the greats he thinks he is on par with. Floyd Mayweather is a borderline great fighter. Physically, there's nothing he does great. In the ring, he's smart, and his defense is thought to be very good, but in my opinion it's more fundamental than anything else. IF he fought and took more chances trying to prove how great he is, he'd get hit much more than he does.
I have no problem with Mayweather or any other fighter making more money than they could burn. The problem is, when you take the Jones/Mayweather path, don't bitch and cry when you're not mentioned as one of the greatest of the greats. Just say I have more money than I can burn. See, there's a trade off going the route Jones did, and the one Mayweather is currently traveling. No risk, no historical reward. A fighter can't have it both ways.
A fighters record is who he is in most cases. That's why wins & Loses count. But that's not all of it. The ultimate truth detector is who a fighter won and lost against. And that's where Floyd comes up short. He danced around most of the best fighters in every division he's fought. Yet he willing fought smaller fighters, or big names coming out of retirement who were beaten in their prime seven years before he got to them.
I don't know how great Cotto is, just as I don't know that about Mayweather. I just know if they fought, we'd get a better read on both. Now, why is there no interest from one side in making the fight? I guess because there's bigger money else where. So when you're accused of avoiding Cotto, don't say he wasn't worthy of fighting me or I have nothing to prove -- Say I took an easier fight for five times more money. That I can respect and understand. It's just that in doing so, you never proved how good you were versus your contemporaries who were viewed as your equal.
The sand is almost through the hour glass and time is running out for Floyd to prove that he's one of the greats. No more De La hoya's, Hatton's, or Wrestlers. Is it asking too much of Floyd Mayweather to clean out one division in which he competed in before he moves on to what he does best, which is manage fighters?