FanNation - The Republic of Sport

According to a recent poll, 29% of Americans trust our media to deliver straight facts and an honest, clever analysis of events. After watching Floyd Mayweather's comeback party on PPV tonight, I was painfully reminded why. Jim Lampley, someone I usually enjoy listening to on these shows, said no fewer than four times that Mayweather was once again proving himself as the number one P4P fighter in the sport. In addition, he made sure to note many more times what a quality opponent Juan Manuel Marquez was and how the outcome of this fight was not guaranteed.

Please. This fight was decided at the weigh-in (if not earlier, like when the contract was signed). Floyd Mayweather had no intention of ever making 144 pounds for this fight. He wanted to continue stacking the deck in his favor, even if it cost him some money now, because he's figuring to make it back ten times over on the back end. Marquez was making $3.2 million, and there was no way he was going to jeopardize that payday, so Floyd used that to come in overweight, get the contract changed, then resort to pettiness like refusing to be unofficially weighed or attend the fighter's pre-fight meeting. This all after he accused all his haters of being racists. What a jerk and what a false champion he is, and I'll throwdown with anyone who cares to on that.

As for the fight itself, it went like it was supposed to. But while Kellerman, Lampley and Steward remained on their knees metaphorically gobbling Mayweather's manhood, I noticed a few things that disturbed me. With all his advantages, both physical and talent-wise, Floyd could not close the show. Remember, Marquez has had two (now three) fights above 130 pounds, and if any of the three would have bothered to look up, they would have seen Marquez adjusting. It was just lack of power. Had it been Miguel Cotto ripping those body shots, Mayweather would have been doubled over gobbling his own Money manhood. And don't get me started on the Compubox. Marquez clearly landed more than 69 punches in the fight. 

Afterward, I was almost praying that Mayweather and Shane Mosley would get the real fight started when Sugar Shane told him, point blank to his face, that it was time to step up. Sadly, Mosley will probably get criticized for calling out Mayweather to his face like he did, but what else was the real welterweight champion to do? Floyd dodges those challenges in the media, and he was clearly unnerved here, and he knows why. Mosley would drop Mayweather in the middle of the ring in dire need of medical attention. He would expose the myth that is Floyd Mayweather with the same surgical ferocity that he used to take apart Antonio Margarito. Think about it. If Floyd couldn't take out Juan Manuel Marquez, what makes you think he could even be competitive with Sugar Shane?

So please, boxing fans, don't be tempted to place Floyd in your all-time Top-25. The men in that rarefied club took risks and didn't run. Besides, do you give Floyd even a snowball's chance against Sugar Ray Robinson, Henry Armstrong, Leonard, Duran or Hearns? Hell, even Aaron "The Hawk" Pryor?

I didn't think so.