Why Floyd Mayweather is the new Muhammad Ali and Sugar ray Robinson By Adelani Ogunrinade
In the words of Archie Griffin, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.”In the ring, Floyd “Money” Mayweather is proof that nothing can dim a light which shines from within.
At only 5’8”tall, the Michigan born boxer is a dynamite in a small package. His trademark defensive skills, deft footwork, blistering hand speed, sledgehammer punches, remarkable endurance, intelligence and an unmatched work ethic combined with his indomitable will to win makes him a seemingly unstoppable force in the ring.
Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto, Victor Ortiz and – recently, Canelo Alvarez joined the plethora of tenacious boxers that have tried and failed in their attempts to defeat the charismatic champion.
“Money’s” unbelievable confidence in his own ability is evident in his post fight interviews. The Money Team originator was quoted as saying: “I am the best at talking trash – I am also the best at going out there and backing it up.”
When asked on an American radio station – Houston’s 97.9 The Box by host Qui West if he thought he was the greatest boxer of all time – the five-division world champion replied: “Mohammed Ali was a great fighter but I’m better. Sugar Ray Robinson was a great fighter, but I’m better.”
In this controversial comment lies potential proof that “Money” is indeed the best at talking trash but can he back it up between the ropes?
In a glittering career spanning over 16 years, “Money” has many feats to his name. He has won eight world titles and the lineal championship in three different weight classes – and currently boasts an unblemished record of 45 matches’ won-26 of them via knockout-and not a single loss. Even Iconic boxing greats – Muhammad Ali suffered 5 losses (KO) in his illustrious professional boxing career and Sugar Ray Robinson recorded 175 victories against 19 defeats. The fact that Floyd Mayweather, Jr. has never tasted a knockdown, let alone a defeat is confirmation that Mayweather has the credentials to back up his bold claim.
Despite his astonishing record, some boxing historians and Connoisseurs still believe it is preposterous to explore the possibility of Mayweather being the greatest boxer to ever step in the ring. To these students of boxing, Floyd is not famous for timeless trilogies of fights like Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Robinson are – these two boxing legends proved their greatness against the toughest opponent’s imaginable – Mayweather cannot match them in terms of sheer physical presence.
On several boxing forums and social network sites, Floyd has been accused of “cherry-picking” his opponents and walking away from compelling challenges.
More recently, his reluctance to fight Manny Pacquio has left many questioning his invincibility in the ring.
“I offered Manny Pacquiao the fight before,” Mayweather said.
“We didn’t see eye to eye on terms. Years later we come back and I try and make the fight happen again. I offer him $40 million. He said he wanted 50-50. So we didn’t make the fight happen,” he explained.
“Money” is uncompromisingly a business man first before a boxer. As a result, he has become one of the most financially successful fighters in the history of the sport; however, old-school boxing fans looking to discredit Mayweather Jr. will argue that history judges fighters by what they do in the ring; not by how much money they are estimated to be worth.Therefore, fighting Manny Pacquiao irrespective of whether the money is right or not is likely to be one of the keys to proving his worth to his critics.
With the question whether Floyd Jr. is the greatest boxer to ever live still open to debate, the International Boxing Research Organization (IBRO) has identified Sugar Ray Robinson as the greatest fighter of all time. The phrase, “pound for pound” was created by sportswriters for Sugar Ray Robinson after his performances in the welterweight and middleweight divisions.
Regardless, Mohammed Ali is frequently cited as one of the greatest to ever grace the ring. After all, Ali transcended boxing and sports like no one before and after him; he single handedly launched the dawning of million dollar super fights in the USA and abroad as far as Asia and Africa. As a result, he was awarded the “sportsman of the century” by the BBC and Sports Illustrated magazine in 1999.
When one considers sugar Ray Robinson’s and Muhammad Ali’s fighting styles, ring records, accomplishments, the quality of their oppositions, their longevity and versatility – it is easy to see why they are immortalized in the international boxing hall of fame. These two legends of the sport paved the way for the likes of Floyd Mayweather, Jr.On these grounds, it is difficult to confirm if “Money” is the greatest fighter of all time but he is by a quantum margin the greatest boxer of his time.
In many ways, Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr.is the modern day Mohammed Ali and Sugar ray Robinson. Like Robinson, Mayweather is renowned for his flamboyant lifestyle outside the ring. Sugar Ray is credited with being the originator of the modern sports entourage. Today, Mayweather has a reputation for keeping a large entourage known as “The Money Team.” He is constantly being photographed hanging around exotic looking women, holding bundles of dollar bills, driving fast cars in which he color codes by mansion to help him remember which city he is in – if the car is white he’s in Las Vegas, while black means he must be in Miami.
His uncanny ability to trash talk and taunt opponents during a fight are traits that are reminiscent of Ali’s repertoire. Like Ali, Mayweather relies on his natural God given footwork and lightning quick reflexes to help him stay out the range of his opponent’s shots. His ring genius and seemingly insoluble defensive technique are deserving of the utmost respect.
Muhammad Ali was quoted as saying once, “There are two things that are hard to hit and see, that’s a spooky ghost and Muhammed Ali”: In the world of boxing today, there is only one man hard to hit and see – and that is “Money” – bring on Manny Pacquiao!