Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Pacquiao vs. Mayweather—Last Chance for a Classi


By Mike Silver on September 25, 2013
Pacquiao vs. Mayweather—Last Chance for a Classic
Like an aging Ali, 36-year-old Floyd Mayweather knows what he must do to steal rounds.

Other than a bout against Pacquiao, no other fight on the horizon involving Floyd “Money” Mayweather is worth our pay-per-view dollars…
Okay, let’s cut to the chase; another overhyped pay-per-view boxing match failed to live up to all the pre-fight blather. If Floyd Mayweather Jr. proved anything during his most recent glorified sparring match it is that he is still very adept at choosing the right opponent as he enters the downside of his commendable boxing career. The Moneyman’s keen boxing eye recognized in Saul “Canelo” Alvarez a strong but limited fighter who lacked the ring savvy and speed to match his own. Canelo said after the fight, “I just couldn’t catch him.” But superior speed does not automatically guarantee a victory. The reason he could not catch Floyd is because he lacked the tools and experience to do so. Mayweather’s prediction before the fight was a foregone conclusion. As he told the press—“easy money…easy fight.”
Many people are praising Floyd’s “masterful” performance against Alvarez. But what is so “masterful” about an old pro handing a boxing lesson to a crude mechanical club fighter who 50 years ago would have been lucky to secure an eight-round semi-final at the old Madison Square Garden? Most of today’s fans have not been exposed to the type of sophisticated boxing technique that was common to great fighters back then. A fighter like Canelo Alvarez, at this stage of his development, would not have even been considered a suitable opponent for a prime Emile Griffith, Jose Napoles or Luis Rodriguez—all great welterweights of the 1960s, any one of whom would have handled Alvarez with greater ease and dominance than Floyd. (Best not to even think what a prime Sugar Ray Robinson or Henry Armstrong would have done to the young Mexican—or to Mayweather for that matter).
I knew right away the type of fight Floyd was going to conduct when I saw him mouth the words “did I win the round?” to his father and trainer, Floyd Sr., upon returning to his corner after the first round. Like an aging Ali, 36-year-old Floyd Jr. knows what he must do to steal rounds and impress the judges (providing they are competent, unlike that fool who voted a draw Saturday night). He will do just enough to win—no more, no less.  That was the game plan.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. is a brilliant and colorful showman and a tremendous asset to the sport, but what is most important to him is getting out of this brutal business with his intellect intact and millions of dollars in the bank. He already has his millions. Floyd’s elusive safety-first boxing style and Showtime contract that allows him to choose his opponent (and even his opponent’s weight) will most likely guarantee he will not become one of boxing’s walking wounded. But Floyd’s self-proclaimed assertion that he is the greatest fighter of all time is not bolstered by the fact that during his prime—for whatever reason—he avoided a career defining fight against Manny Pacquiao, the one fighter out of a very limited field of pretenders who stood a good chance to defeat him.
But now, with both of these superb athletes slightly past their primes, and Manny coming off a shocking KO loss to Marquez, is this still a viable fight? Of course we will get a better handle on Pacquiao’s mental and physical condition when he fights Rios in November. But unless Pacquiao has completely fallen apart—which I doubt—he will either outpoint or stop Rios with about as much difficulty as Mayweather had with Canelo. That result would set up interest once again in the fight that should have been made four years ago and, in my opinion, is still worth staging provided it happens before the summer of 2014. I think the Rios fight will show that a somewhat diminished Manny Pacquiao is still quite capable of subjecting a somewhat diminished Floyd Mayweather Jr. to the type of incessant pressure and aggressiveness he has never had to deal with.
Floyd dominated Alvarez in spurts because at 36 years old he can no longer fight at full throttle. Against Pacquiao, Floyd would not be given the chance to rest. Manny is twice the fighter Canelo is and would give Floyd twice the trouble. Would it guarantee a win for Manny? We don’t know. And that’s the point—there are no guarantees in a Floyd vs. Pacman fight—unlike Floyd’s fight with whomever he decides to cherry pick as his next opponent. The short list includes a defense against another limited fighter in Danny Garcia (Philadelphia’s version of Canelo Alvarez) or perhaps a slower over-the-hill Sergio Martinez (who is even older than Floyd). Other than a bout against Pacquiao, no other fight on the horizon involving Floyd “Money” Mayweather is worth our pay-per-view dollars. In fact, I refuse to pay for any future Mayweather fight unless the next opponent staring at him across the ring is Manny Pacquiao. Are you listening Mr. Bob “Top Rank” Arum and Mr. Richard “Golden Boy” Schaefer? Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me. In case you forgot, we the paying public do have a say in this matter.

Note: Boxing historian Mike Silver is the author of “The Arc of Boxing: The Rise and Decline of the Sweet Science” (McFarland Publishing 2008).
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