rudee
06-28-2013, 03:17 PM
COMMENTARY | Even though boxing's pound-for-pound king, Floyd "Money" Mayweather, has dominated the sport for quite some time, he still gets a decent amount of criticism thrown at him.
While some marvel at Mayweather's defensive genius inside the ring, others see him as a boring boxer who rarely takes any chances. The fact that Floyd has only stopped two of his last nine opponents strengthens his critics' case a bit.
Not surprisingly, Mayweather (44-0-0, 26 KOs) sees things differently, and he blames his opponents for his relatively low number of knockouts during his prime years. As far as Money is concerned, he's capable of stopping anyone, including Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (42-0-1, 30 KOs) -- who he'll face on Sept. 14, at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Nev.
"I'm going for the victory [with Canelo], but do I think the knockout can happen...absolutely," Mayweather stated. "A lot of guys come in the ring with Floyd Mayweather just to survive, to say they went the distance with Floyd Mayweather. Things happen and that's the sport of boxing, but people don't remember how many knockouts you had or didn't have - they remember winners. The critics put these guys on certain levels, then when these same fighters come up short - then the critics end up talking bad about these guys."
While Mayweather seems determined to close out his boxing career on top of the sports' pound-for-pound rankings, he doesn't plan to jeopardize his quality of life after boxing just to win a few extra fans over. Floyd has clearly studied those who came before him like boxing's GOAT, Muhammad Ali, and while he desires to regarded as highly as the legends of the past when it's all said and those, he doesn't want to spend the final chapters of his life battling diseases brought on by his years inside the ring.
"I wish Ali could be in a better predicament at this particular point in time, so, of course, I could joke with him and have fun with him," Mayweather explained. "And, you know, Sugar Ray Leonard's got a detached retina. So you just look at a lot of abuse that these fighters took. And I don't want to be in that same position, taking that type of punishment. But Sugar Ray Leonard's still very articulate and he's a legend. Ali's a legend, too."
Mayweather plans to retire when his current 6-fight contract, which pays him a guaranteed $32 million per fight, with Showtime is done, as he has no desire to push his body any further. That might work for others like Bernard Hopkins, who continues compete at the age of 48, but Money would rather spend his forties enjoying the fruits of his labor and the company of his loved ones.
"I've got to think about my life after boxing," Mayweather added. "So I think about my four beautiful children."
While some marvel at Mayweather's defensive genius inside the ring, others see him as a boring boxer who rarely takes any chances. The fact that Floyd has only stopped two of his last nine opponents strengthens his critics' case a bit.
Not surprisingly, Mayweather (44-0-0, 26 KOs) sees things differently, and he blames his opponents for his relatively low number of knockouts during his prime years. As far as Money is concerned, he's capable of stopping anyone, including Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (42-0-1, 30 KOs) -- who he'll face on Sept. 14, at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Nev.
"I'm going for the victory [with Canelo], but do I think the knockout can happen...absolutely," Mayweather stated. "A lot of guys come in the ring with Floyd Mayweather just to survive, to say they went the distance with Floyd Mayweather. Things happen and that's the sport of boxing, but people don't remember how many knockouts you had or didn't have - they remember winners. The critics put these guys on certain levels, then when these same fighters come up short - then the critics end up talking bad about these guys."
While Mayweather seems determined to close out his boxing career on top of the sports' pound-for-pound rankings, he doesn't plan to jeopardize his quality of life after boxing just to win a few extra fans over. Floyd has clearly studied those who came before him like boxing's GOAT, Muhammad Ali, and while he desires to regarded as highly as the legends of the past when it's all said and those, he doesn't want to spend the final chapters of his life battling diseases brought on by his years inside the ring.
"I wish Ali could be in a better predicament at this particular point in time, so, of course, I could joke with him and have fun with him," Mayweather explained. "And, you know, Sugar Ray Leonard's got a detached retina. So you just look at a lot of abuse that these fighters took. And I don't want to be in that same position, taking that type of punishment. But Sugar Ray Leonard's still very articulate and he's a legend. Ali's a legend, too."
Mayweather plans to retire when his current 6-fight contract, which pays him a guaranteed $32 million per fight, with Showtime is done, as he has no desire to push his body any further. That might work for others like Bernard Hopkins, who continues compete at the age of 48, but Money would rather spend his forties enjoying the fruits of his labor and the company of his loved ones.
"I've got to think about my life after boxing," Mayweather added. "So I think about my four beautiful children."