Mayweather - HOT TOPIC

[aquariusone]

The return of FM to boxing on Sep 17 continues to send shock waves in the boxing world - good, bad, and ugly.

No matter, there is no such thing as "bad" publicity. That is how tabloids make money. People are attracted to print and other media to satisfy interest - prurient or otherwise. Anyone rocking the boat gets attention. Ali and Mayweather capitalize on that situation.

With his lavish spending habits, Mayweather needs to make money. Making $25-$40 million in a single night's work (whether or not you can call it "that") is nothing to sneeze at.

So, here is the question: with the so-called "mega fight" looking more like sending man to a 3-year voyage to a distant planet, when will he step into the ring again? And who with?

Forget Pacquiao! One can cite several reasons as to why Mayweather won't fight Pacquiao. One of them is the zero record. The other is Bob Arum. Why take a huge risk when he can easily make that kind of money by choosing opponents he considers "less dangerous"?

A few names come up as "possible" adversaries:
1) Sergio Martinez
2) Amir Khan11550
3) Andre Berto11551
4) Saul "Canelo" Alvarez
5) Tim Bradley
6) Winner of Margarito/Cotto

Martinez - he is older and not as quick on his toes. FM might see him as a "ticket to glory" and Martinez is sure to guarantee $30 million +.

Khan - The Olympics are coming to England in 2012. FM likes British fans. It will be a "big sale" for a summer boxing event in time with the Olympics.

Berto - They have something in common - Al Haymond, their advisor. With his defeat against Ortiz, FM will esplore Berto's weaknesses.

Canelo - he is a big draw with Mexicans. His "0" record will attract FM. Canelo is young and strong but not fast. He is flat-footed. FM will see big $$$$ with him.

Bradley - Ops....forget this. He has hjust signed with Arum

Margarito/Cotto - FM will see an opportunity to remove criticism that he has been avoiding big hitters.115471154811549

[The Cobra]

Nice aqua...good breakdown as well buddy. But he won`t fight Khan and certainly not in England.

[aquariusone]

Nice aqua...good breakdown as well buddy. But he won`t fight Khan and certainly not in England.

Finally, a chance to disagree! Hehehe! Remember that FM is driven by his ego. Khan is slowly, but surely, starting to gain worldwide attention. He is a hit with the ladies. He is becoming a Hollywood celebrity. He is quick, with lightning fast hands (same as Mayweather). With an outstanding fight with Lamont Peterson in December, and another one in March, with a top contender, he will shine like Pacquiao and move up in to P4P standing - to the frustration of Mayweather. FM will see Khan as "less dangerous" than MP. Besides, if you will recall, he gained lots of popularity amongst Britons when he tackled with Ricky Hatton. Being an opportunist, he will view the 2012 Olympics as a huge venue against Khan with "mega bucks" in his pocket. He would want nothing more than to "steal Khan's thunder" - and dispute the comparison (that Khan is like Mayweather!)

[rokko]

pbf is reported to be negotiating with martinez now.if this fight is at 160 i will have much respect for floyd.martinez has said he will come down to 150 and if they fight at 150 its all over for sergio.

[The Cobra]

Finally we can disagree is right! All the thunder, girl stealing, publicity stealing etc etc is right and I`ll agree---------but fighting Khan in England??? No Chance. He`d never outpoint Khan in his home country known for crazier homey decisions than the USA. PBF doesn`t have the KO power to knock out Khan so he`d have to outpoint him with counters---thus entering the scorecards. NO CHANCE ego or no.

[aquariusone]

Ops...here we go agreeing again! .....on: PBF not having the KO punch to take out Khan; so his only chance is countering and hoping for getting points on the cards. This raises another question - who would you take in this case - AK or PBF?

I think PBF would be underestimating Khan!

Rokko, the catch weight of 150 with Sergio is against Manny...but I could be wrong. Floyd could very easily go 160 (like he did with Marquez).

[rudee]

The only 2 matchups that stir any interest from above would be Martinez and Khan.... I would prefer Martinez of course, mainly cuz he would be a better matchup... the blemish
on Khan's record is that awful knockout he suffered,,, and the dance he did when Maidana hit him..
Martinez is big and would draw the latino audience in this hemisphere.... lets face it... USA still the capital of world boxing. Hell,,, most of the foreign fighters live here!
If Floyd gonna come in at a high weight,,, lets do the fight at 155.... Argentinians will be flocking here!
Lets do it in Dallas!!!
Would be a tough fight to pick. Have to see who Vegas would pick. Sergio might be too big.... but ya can't hit Floyd... and he counters so well.
Now that would be a fight!!!

[The Cobra]

Ops...here we go agreeing again! .....on: PBF not having the KO punch to take out Khan; so his only chance is countering and hoping for getting points on the cards. This raises another question - who would you take in this case - AK or PBF?

I think PBF would be underestimating Khan!

Rokko, the catch weight of 150 with Sergio is against Manny...but I could be wrong. Floyd could very easily go 160 (like he did with Marquez).

Easy answer bud.........In the USA I`d take PBF to easily outpoint Khan from the 4th rnd on-----but in Jolly Old??-----too much to risk for PBF to go there and fight. Khan,I`m sure would jump at the chance to fight at home. And again we`ll agree....PBF would be underestimating Khan.

[The Cobra]

The only 2 matchups that stir any interest from above would be Martinez and Khan.... I would prefer Martinez of course, mainly cuz he would be a better matchup... the blemish
on Khan's record is that awful knockout he suffered,,, and the dance he did when Maidana hit him..
Martinez is big and would draw the latino audience in this hemisphere.... lets face it... USA still the capital of world boxing. Hell,,, most of the foreign fighters live here!
If Floyd gonna come in at a high weight,,, lets do the fight at 155.... Argentinians will be flocking here!
Lets do it in Dallas!!!
Would be a tough fight to pick. Have to see who Vegas would pick. Sergio might be too big.... but ya can't hit Floyd... and he counters so well.
Now that would be a fight!!!

Khan has "done the dance" before and he`ll do it again till he learns some better "D" if he gets in the ring with a puncher. He escaped Maidana---barely. He won the fight no question...but he still "escaped" disaster if you know what I mean.

[aquariusone]

As skillful as he is, Mayweather's last fight showed a flaw - he is not as quick on his feet as he used to be. That is why some were complimenting him for "standing toe-to-toe' with Ortiz. In fact, experts saw the strategy as a sign that age is catching up with him. Thus, as attractive as the Martinez or Khan showdown is, my guess is that PBM, the sly fox that he is, is only concerned of money, lots of it. Therefore, we may salivate at the prospect of a P4P fight against Martinez but he would measure his risks by the amount of money he stands to make first, and his chances of losing the "0" second. Therefore, he would be watching tomorrow night's fight and Khan's date in December.....and see who best meets his 2 goals.

[Fibroso]

Floyd will fight Sergio first, since Roach decided not to have MP step up in the ring with him. Beating Martinez will degrade Amir Khan's opportunity to a big payday humiliating Roach and his team. This will force a negotiation between Arum and The M family to get it on with the money fight. No need to go to Europe or anywhere, the fighting will be done here in American soil. PBF did not have to dance against Ortiz cause he looked like a bulldozer, easy to hit and dodge. Another thing, in 160 pound weight class, Floyd does carry a punch.

[soulman]

I don't see Floyd taking another fight anytime soon......or maybe ever. He already has so much money and money is usually the greatest motivator for a fighter.

[rudee]

Yeah soulman, but to be named the best pound for pound in the world,,, he needs to beat either Manny or Sergio...
I think he will fight one or the other.
Might be caught in the middle. Manny a bit too small, Sergio a bit too big.
But hell, Sugar Ray Leonard went up and fought Haglar. Duran went wayyyy up and fought everybody. So did Arguello.
I think Floyd should go up and show us his versatility. I personally think he would prove more by beating Sergio,,,, than Manny.
I agree with Fib that Floyd would hit harder at a higher weight,, but by the same token,, yer chin doesnt know you went up in weight..
It has to absorb punches from bigger men. Sometimes it don't like that.

[Fibroso]

Yeah soulman, but to be named the best pound for pound in the world,,, he needs to beat either Manny or Sergio...
I think he will fight one or the other.
Might be caught in the middle. Manny a bit too small, Sergio a bit too big.
But hell, Sugar Ray Leonard went up and fought Haglar. Duran went wayyyy up and fought everybody. So did Arguello.
I think Floyd should go up and show us his versatility. I personally think he would prove more by beating Sergio,,,, than Manny.
I agree with Fib that Floyd would hit harder at a higher weight,, but by the same token,, yer chin doesnt know you went up in weight..
It has to absorb punches from bigger men. Sometimes it don't like that.

Touche Bud, this is it,great defense, hard to get a good shot at, stronger and great counter attack = a hell of a fight against Sergio. He will create a barrage of fame beating the Argentinian. Making the little man less capable of stealing what by right is his, a bigger piece of the cake, if they want a fight. It all came out of the mouth of Roach, Ariza and Arum. "We will keep Manny at 147 pounds, therefore no fight with Martinez is on the agenda for he is TO BIG for PACQUIAO, he will hurt him.(unless we embalmed him )

[soulman]

I agree rudee that Floyd needs to beat Manny or Sergio to be named best pound for pound except..... in Floyd's own mind he will always be the best even though he may never fight again.....that's his ego and he doesn't really care what the public may think.

[aquariusone]

Greatness is never stolen, bought, or pandered; it is earned and bestowed upon individuals, organizations, or events that are publicly recognized to have earned trust, admiration, and respect for their contribution to society and humanity.

Fame on the other hand, is simply the state of being "known". It is not synonymous to "greatness". Charles Manson is famous but not considered a great person. Notoriety is closely related to fame. John Hinckley attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan. He is famous in his notoriety.

Has Mayweather achieved fame? Yes!!! Is he considered notorious? Yes, because of his reckless, and horrendous, public demeanor against his father, former wife, a bodyguard, and now 80 year old Larry Merchant. Has he achieved fame for his boxing prowess? Yes.

Is he considered a "great person" entitled to public adoration for greatness? You be the judge!

One thing for sure, NO ONE has stolen anything that does not belong to him! :) Cheers!

[rokko]

to be the best you have to beat the best--thats what floyd has to do--until then he will be admired by his fanboys but not by the boxing world as a whole

[rudee]

I myself do not really care about Floyd's personal behavior or his demeanor... I am a boxing fan, i care for the boxing aspect of whomever.
Sonny Liston comes to mind. He was a horrific person. In the mafia and some say was a hitman... I saw Sonny train and even exchanged a couple
of sentences with him... I cared less about his personal life... all i saw in the ring was raw boxing talent... brute strength.
Throw out the Clay fights... those were as crooked as my last girlfriends front teeth.
We lose sight of what a great fighter Floyd Mayweather is.. my God! he is undefeated... so was Marciano... what other great champ can we say that about?
Regardless of who he has fought.. he has beaten em all,,, and decidedly. And he has fought most of the guys Manny has.
As far as the last fight goes, again, what if a guy in the UFC had put his hands down and turned to the ref???? he woulda gotten knocked out on the spot!
I did some boxing in my youth... one of the FIRST things they teach you is.... keep your hands up and keep your eyes on the other guy!!! Or,, you will get sundayed!!!
My point being,,,, this forum is so biased, we lose sight of boxers abilities and talents. I root for Manny,,, cuz i think he is great! I root for Floyd,, I root for Sergio...
I root for anyone that is a good fighter... i could care less if he slaps his girlfriend around or does not pay child support... thats his business!
What goes on inside the ring is my business... cuz i paid my ppv dues.
As Mae West once said..."I ain't no saint" and that goes for all of us on the other side of the ring apron. And by all means pertains to me.
Aqua,,, i know yer trying to make a point.. and the point is well taken.. but i could care less about Hinckley and Manson... I care about boxing...
Hinckley and Manson have their place in history... boxers have their's. Its apples and oranges.

[Fibroso]

Famous, undefeated , rich and black is something very hard for some to assimilate. Some just don't understand that getting inside a ring with a boxer on 42 occasions, beating each one of them is not a piece of cake. I like to see one of them fight anyone for twelve rounds, just ones. Call others haters is so easy but what are they? Great post rudee, you continue to amaze me.

[aquariusone]

Sergio Martinez won today by way of an 11th round KO. However, Barker exposed some flaws in Martinez' style - he can be hit by a right straight and he can be a bit uncomfortable against a taller boxer.

Now Mayweather has a problem. He could see himself having a chance to beat Martinez BUT Sergio does not command great PPV prospect because, as Larry Merchant says, "He is a man with no country!" In terms of $$$, Amir Khan represents a more desirable opponent. Well, it depends. If Khan destroys Lamont Peterson in December, he may get PBF thinking - a big payday at the risk of losing the "0".

Rudee, this forum is far from being biased. Mayweather has both proponents and detractors here and they express freely their opinion, no matter how twisted they are. If everyone here agreed, there would not be much of a discussion and interest.

What would help keep discussions civil and healthy is for everyone to present their position based on facts not fiction or hearsay, or pronouncements that are far off left field. I also think that the reason we are here exchanging comments is because we all love the sport of boxing. What is wonderful about this forum is that it is a meeting place for all boxing fans from different walks of life...each person deserving great respect regardless of their favorite.

The whole point of my comment before this is to reflect the difference between greatness and notoriety. More to the point - Mayweather is a great boxer but he is far from having achieve "greatness" in its purest form. It was also to respond to Fib's inference, that "someone stole what [rightfully] belonged to him (Mayweather)".

[rokko]

well we dont need to play the race card in this forum--also i am not a hater of floyd-ever since he retired he has not fought any quality opponents-- before he retired i was a fan-when he wouldnt fight cotto or margarito or manny i kicked him to the curb.