Fans Should Boycott Floyd Mayweather & Manny Pacquiao
By: Andrew Harrison
Category: evander holyfield, floyd mayweather, joshua clottey, lennox lewis, manny pacquiao, matthew hatton, mike tyson, paulie malignaggi, riddick bowe, yuri foreman
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I’ve attempted to stay out of the whole Pacquiao-Mayweather shambles as far as I was able, however after boxing’s first legitimate super fight since 1999 bit the dust, I felt compelled to put finger to keyboard.
I’ve been around the sport a while now and it’s not the first crushing disappointment I’ve experienced, although in hindsight, it may very well be one of the worst. If Mayweather and Pacquiao have categorically passed up the opportunity to face each other in the vicinity of their best years, it will be the sport’s biggest missed opportunity since its failure to make a contest between Lennox Lewis and Riddick Bowe in 1993.
I’ve read various snippets of commentary suggesting the death of the sport and whilst I understand the sentiments behind this, the sport will continue to rumble on, in the same way it did without Lewis-Bowe and before it Tyson-Holyfield (this duo would of course eventually meet, however Tyson in particular was a different vintage to what he once was, circa 1990).
So then, just how damaging were these missed opportunities?
Let’s start with Tyson and Holyfield. Tyson’s electrifying rise and the title reign which followed brought clarity to the sport and raised its profile considerably. One champ. No pretenders. Baddest man on the planet.
‘Iron’ Mike was one of history’s most dominant champions and as 1990 approached, folk had begun to yearn for someone to provide him with a modicum of opposition. Most observers had wisely singled out Tyson’s number one contender, the former undisputed cruiserweight king Evander Holyfield as the likely chap and the titanic tussle was pencilled in for late 1990, once Tyson had taken care of James Douglas.
Missed opportunity number one.
Douglas shocked the world by whipping Tyson, with Holyfield subsequently torpedoed ‘Buster’ before earning well with a voluntary defence against the popular veteran George Foreman.
In the meantime, Tyson had regrouped by steamrollering Henry Tillman and Alex Stewart and controversially halting the feared puncher Donovan Ruddock, with performances that had fractured opinion over who truly was top dog at heavyweight. The stage was then set for the pair to settle the score in November ’91 (Tyson again defeated Ruddock in July of that year). The contest was postponed however after Tyson declared a rib injury, although many were dubious as to whether this was in fact a ruse to delay the start of his impending rape trial.
Tyson ended up behind bars and the most significant heavyweight fight since Ali-Frazier was lost.
So what were the repercussions? Evander’s first tenure as champion went largely unappreciated, something which may have been avoided had he fought and beaten Tyson to solidify his position as champion. Alternatively, had Tyson emerged victorious and managed to escape incarceration (something which may not have been avoidable anyway), his greatness would have been assured and he’d have been rewarded with a slew of competitive defences against the likes of Ray Mercer, Lennox Lewis, Riddick Bowe and George Foreman.
As Tyson languished behind bars, a four way shoot out took place, one which had been designed firstly, to settle heavyweight supremacy and secondly, to afford the winner a chance to step out from Tyson’s lingering shadow. Britain’s Lennox Lewis annihilated Donovan Ruddock on Halloween night in the first semi-final in London and a fortnight later (with Lewis ringside) Riddick Bowe wrenched away Holyfield’s title belts in Vegas.
Once again boxing found itself with an obvious mega fight sitting in its lap, complete with an intriguing storyline (Lewis had stopped Bowe in the 1988 Olympic gold medal match at super heavyweight). The pair were both undefeated punchers, both huge physical specimens and both held a seething animosity for the other.
Enter Rock Newman.
Bowe’s maverick manager decided on a different course of action entirely and steered his charge towards a worldwide publicity tour (including meet and greets with Nelson Mandela and Pope John Paul II) and easy title defences against the likes of Jesse Ferguson and Mike Dokes (Bowe was stripped of his WBC title which was then awarded to Lewis).
Bowe, distracted and unmotivated, would lose a rematch to Holyfield the following year and the huge Lewis confrontation was lost, despite brief flirtations between the pair in 1994 and 1995.
This loss was more serious than the one which preceded it and contributed to a farcical decade of heavyweight prize fighting. First Bowe (against Holyfield) and then Lewis (against Oliver McCall) would succumb to a lack of motivation which surely would never have overcome them had they faced each other, rather than opponents they felt sure they had the beating of. One alphabet belt after another would fall into the hands of lesser men, with the pair largely frozen out of proceedings until Lewis could regroup and stamp his authority on the division in 1999.
Despite Bowe’s brief flirtation with greatness throughout that first meeting with Holyfield and Lewis’ belated ascension from ’99 onwards, their legacies will forever suffer due to the fact they never settled supremacy against one other.
So then to Pacquiao-Mayweather, another dream tryst which looks to have imploded. Fans will no doubt have followed proceedings closely and listened agog to claims and counter claims, accusations and retort. As fans argue aimlessly on internet forums and as the protagonists issue one official statement after another, my natural reaction is to fight back.
I suggest a boycott of both fighters, whoever they now choose to face, be it Yuri Foreman or Joshua Clottey in the case of Pacquiao or whether it’s Paulie Malignaggi or Matthew Hatton next up for Floyd.
This will not be easy, yet it can be effective. Let me remind you that as the sport’s fans suffer and boxing takes a hit, the pair will continue to make millions by taking fights they have very little chance of losing. I’m asking you to turn away.
If you really feel the need to watch a special fighter take on a naturally far larger but less gifted opponent, then check out Pernell Whitaker versus Julio Cesar Vasquez. If meanwhile you enjoy watching a super talent toying with guys who are totally outclassed, then take a peek at the second half of Roy Jones Jr’s career box set.
Fight fans can still make a difference by not purchasing any future Mayweather or Pacquiao pay per views and by not turning up to arenas to watch them work. If we can make a dent in gate receipts and television buys then perhaps they will pay heed and understand our disgust.
I implore you to take a stand. If you care for the sport and are as aggrieved as I am today, then show your support for a boycott. We still hold the power to affect their earnings (hence the endless promotional tours and HBO documentaries which are pumped out with the aim of parting us from our wages) yet it has to be a united effort, paying lip service without taking action isn’t enough.
Spread the word, get people on board and make your feelings known.
Enough is enough.
Hey Haz. Have you heard the latest story about the e-mails that Pacquiao’s people sent to the Mayweather camp? I’m starting to think something seriously smells about this whole thing mate and I hope to God I’m wrong.
I just watched this Dave:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV7-yUSVGho
Let’s be honest here, in my opinion if there was nothing at all to hide, Pacquiao would have agreed to Mayweather’s demands. A negative result after Floyd’s stringent testing pleas would have gained Pac the upper hand in the psychological stakes.
As much as I want to believe Pacquiao is as clean as a whistle, I now have a doubt where once I didn’t. Boxing eh? It’ll do it to you every time. One of the main reasons I love the sport is due to the idea that the guy with the most character will prevail, yet if what you’re smelling really is rotten, where does that leave us?
Mayweather though, what to make of him? He’s now managed to avoid Pacquiao, Cotto, Clottey, Margarito, Tszyu, Williams and Mosley……….and he’s one of the greatest fighters of all time?……..please………
If I was as talented as him I’d fight Pacquiao anyway, even if I suspected he was on PED’s, but the guy has no heart. As to who he’ll fight next, I’m surprised nobody’s mentioned Spadafora……….like Floyd he’s unbeaten (which seems to mean so much to Money)……..there’s history……….and it’s now an easy fight…..right up Mayweather’s street. Whoever it is, fans should not watch. All he cares about is money and how many PPV buys he does. Imagine if nobody tunes in, he’ll be crushed.
As for these emails, if they were legit I’m pretty sure Mayweather would have leaked them already.
As I said in my article Haz, I don’t think anyone comes out of this mess with no mud sticking to them. BOTH guys need to sort it out or just do one and allow us to focus on fights that are actually going to happen.
In fairness to Floyd mate, I think its worth noting Mosley TWICE turned down a chance to fight Mayweather. Once in 99 when Shane was a lightweight and again circa 2006 I believe. Tszyu was never really an option due to the Aussie/Russian’s injury layoff and obligation to fight Mitchell and Hatton. And Floyd begged for a meeting with Hatton at 140 after the Briton dethroned Tszyu but Hatton’s camp wanted none of it.
But I will concede that Floyd needs a couple of more super-fights to seal his legacy. Wins over a blown-up Marquez and a harmless pea-shooter in Malignaggi certainly don’t fit that “super-fight” tagline. I am a fan of Mayweather but I understand how others aren’t. He’s not always the easiest to warm to, in or out of the ring.
According to Dougie Fischer, Mosley never turned down the chance to face Floyd, more baloney from Mayweather it would appear:
http://www.ringtv.com/blog/695/dougies_massive_mosleymayweather_mailbag/
Floyd has a hell of a lot of excuses however it’s pretty damning that he never managed to fight one of those guys above. Think about it, Mosley fought Cotto and Margarito as well as Collazo and now Berto. Cotto fought Clottey, Margarito, Mosley and Pacquiao. Margarito fought Cintron (twice), Mosley, Cotto and Clottey. The only genuine welterweight Floyd has fought in his life is the rather poor Baldomir and he’s been fighting there since 2005.
His lame explanation as to why they weren’t worthy opposition is because they all fought each other and lost one or two along the way, something Brian Kenny and R.A the Rugged Man spanked him with in comedic interviews.
Floyd stopped fighting to be the best a long, long time ago. I loved him when he fought Corrales, I was a fan and that was one of the most perfect performances I’ve ever seen. After Castillo pushed him close however, it appears that his motives changed, he wanted large rewards from minimal risk.
The results? An old Oscar (who I didn’t rate too highly anyway-I know I’m in the minority with that one) who pushes him close (and Floyd refuses a rematch even though he’d have earned millions) Hatton, Judah (right after he lost to Baldomir), Gatti, Mitchell, Baldomir, JMM (and he makes that poor sucker fight at welter…..AND….comes in heavy).
Sad thing is, I’d have fancied him to have trumped most of the guys in the earlier post and then what a resume he’d have had. What a waste but hey, that’s his problem. This is just another nail in his coffin.
Doug is talking about the potential match-up in ’99. He may be right, I don’t know. Although he is on the payroll of a magazine who’s parent company promotes Shane, so make of it what you will.
With regards to 2006, Shane DEFINITELY turned down a chance to fight Floyd and he’s on record as saying he didn’t want the fight. I remember Larry Merchant asked him about it in a post-fight interview (I think it was after his KO victory over Vargas, though I’m not sure) and Shane danced around the question, but the bottom line was that he didn’t want the fight.
Now, I’m sure Shane had his reasons (the fact that his boss was lined up to face Floyd had to have been a major factor) but at the end of the day, Floyd wanted the fight then and Shane didn’t.
I agree that Floyd’s welterweight record is rather poor. Although I don’t take anything away from his victory over Judah. Zab is a total head case granted, but when he brought his A-game he was one of the most dangerous boxers around and he brought it when he fought Floyd and early on, an upset looked a real possibilty.
While its true that Judah was coming off a loss, it must be noted that Floyd signed to fight him BEFORE he lost to Baldy. Should the fight still have gone ahead? Perhaps not, but as you know, money talks in this sport.
I’ve always said though that you can never truly judge a fighter’s legacy until he retires. There’s still time for Floyd to enhance his stature and prove himself to be the finest boxer of his generation. It’s up to himself at this point though.
I remember the interview Dave (it seems to have vanished from the net) I’m pretty sure Mosley said he’d fight him in the new year after he’d taken a rest (after his boss had fought Mayweather first more like it). Regardless of hearsay, I don’t recall seeing evidence of Mayweather offering these guys a contract, it was more bravado through the media, hey he’s called out Pacquiao plenty and that fight aint happening right?
There’s also an interview with Brian Kenny after Mosley took apart Margarito where Floyd says he won’t fight him as he has five defeats. Bottom line is Floyd didn’t get in there with any of the real quality guys mentioned previosuly and you can probably throw Joel Casamayor, Steve Johnson and Acelino Freitas in there too, back when Floyd was a lightweight/super feather.
Floyd’s fans will argue that he was the man they all avoided of course, yet without concrete evidence it’s pretty academic.
Bottom line is that since the second Castillo fight in 2002 Floyd missed the majority of the tougher challenges he could have taken. The only linear title he’s won since then was at welter against Baldomir, that’s pretty poor.
As Floyd’s proud of telling us, he’s a businessman and he chose himself to tackle flawed fighters with marquee names such as De la Hoya, Hatton and Gatti to generate earnings with minimal risk. That was his choice and you’re correct, when the dust clears on his career we’ll be left with a sense of disappointment when judging him as a fighter.
As for Judah, agreed he was a dangerous guy on his day but he was a guy that Mayweather should have beaten and one which the likes of Tszyu, Cotto and Clottey made arguably easier work of.
Floyd remains one of the best of his generation however he’s a far cry from being mentioned with the men he thinks he belongs with from history. A late flurry of bravery in taking real fights could alter that some, however a lot of the damage has been done already and as you say, with the future of his career being entirely up to him, fights with Mosley, Williams, Pacquiao et al look unlikely.
The choice of his next opponent will speak volumes. I’m cringeing already.
*News just in*
(From Fight News.com)
“The name of Matthew Hatton, younger brother of Ricky, has again surfaced as a possible opponent for Floyd Mayweather, after Mayweather’s proposed fight with Manny Pacquiao imploded on Wednesday. “Mayweather’s camp have been in touch about three times now. With the Pacquiao fight being called off now, it’s good news for me,” Matthew told the Daily Star. “My trainer was told by them I’m top of their list of opponents.” He added, “He’s a level above me in terms of class but, in sport, upsets happen. And it only takes one punch in boxing.” Mayweather is apparently willing to fight in the U.K. against Hatton, who is coming off a draw against Lovemore Ndou. Paulie Malignaggi has also been mentioned as a possible Mayweather foe”………………………
Mayweather vs, Matthew Hatton, with all due respect, is a deplorable mismatch and should NOT be allowed to happen. Reminds me of Tyson coming to the UK to slaughter poor old Julius Francis.
It stinks even more when you consider Pacquiao is being lined up to face teak tough Joshua Clottey. Good to luck on Matthew getting a nice little payday, but this potential match-up kinda makes me ill.
It’s not going away unfortunately, like a turd which won’t flush.
Mayweather has professed a desire to partake in his own little world tour which would take in the UK. Guess the idea is that he can attract huge interest (and bucks) against easy opposition. If he were to fight Matthew, I’d imagine it would sell well in the same way Mike Tyson after dinners sell well.
It’d be hard to stay away admittedly (hey I’d love to see him fight in the flesh) but fans have to for the good of the sport.
I love Tyson but I stayed away from the Francis and Savarese debacles and I would do the same with Mayweather/M-Hatton. It’ll definitely sell though. More to do with the event rather than the “fight”. Floyd attracted a huge crowd for a public work-out in the UK last year, so he does have his following on this side of the pond.
Going off topic for a second, what on earth has happened to Craig Watson? Its only been a couple of years since he completely schooled Matthew Hatton and only last year looked unlucky not to get the decision against the highly touted John O’ Donnell.
He seems to have become British boxing’s forgotten man and he must feel sick seeing one of his former victims getting spots on Vegas shows, shots at “world” titles and possibly a monster payday against Mayweather. Its all about who’s backing you in this business and its no surprise that, up until last year, Watson was being backed by the king of mismanagement Frank Maloney.
I nearly travelled all the way down to London for that public workout myself so I have no fear he’d sell out an arena here.
I’ve heard of Watson Dave but rather than do a David Brent and go google him to pretend I’m up to speed, I’ll hold my hands up and confess he’s not someone I’ve seen much of. I’ll check him out though.
Maloney’s given me headaches all day long. I’m knocking up a preview piece for The Queensberry Rules and I’ve been trying to figure out who’s in his stable. You don’t know of a site which lists such things do you Dave? I’m baffled as to who Ryan Rhodes is with (he’s listed as a Warren fighter yet is still on the Hayemaker site). I’ve figured out that George Groves has a promotional contract with Maloney yet is managed by Hayemaker but Rhodes has driven me nuts!!
Mama mia, on a different topic, Gavin Rees is to challenge Devon Alexander for the WBC title at 140 lbs.
Most promoters have their own website which lists what fighters they have. I’d imagine Maloney has one as well, though I’m not sure.
I thought I read somwhere that Rhodes was trying to break free from Warren’s clutches, but don’t take that as gospel.
From what I understand about Gavin Rees’ title shot, its only on the condition that Juan Urango pulls out of the fight with Alexander. Why they’re expecting Urango to pull out I have no idea.
If you get the chance, check out Watson’s battle with O’Donnell. It was a belter. Here’s a report I did on it http://www.411mania.com/sports/boxing/101762/O%5C%5CDonnell-Wins-Commonwealth-Title-in-Thriller.htm
Looks like Mayweather/M-Hatton is definitely NOT going to happen. That’s something at least.
Ha, I don’t think they dare, mind you the list doesn’t look too exciting apart from Bradley…….which would be an excellent choice, although it would make my boycott that much more difficult!!!
Cintron wouldn’t be too bad either I think. I don’t want to see him fight Malignaggi. Think it would be a horrible style clash and I honestly don’t see what the Brooklyn loudmouth has in his locker to beat Mayweather with.
It’d be interesting to see him in with Cintron, probably the biggest hitter he’ll have faced alongside ODH.
I think he’ll go for Paulie, the trash talk would sell in all probability but it’d be one hell of a shitty fight. Would either of them land a shot?
Just finished a British boxing preview piece, that’s a monkey off my back. Made me start pondering a British P4P top 20 though…………..I’ll get on that tomorrow. I’m now wondering if I have the top ten in my sidebar correct (should Cleverly be above Munroe?). 10 through to 20 is really tricky to put in order.
I checked by 606 today for the first time in donkeys (the server went down at work), man what happened to that forum? Jeff reckons LRR might be over at Boxing Banter (think it’s a new one), I’m tempted to head over and see if he’s still as entertaining as he used to be!!
I’m on boxing banter as well mate. You should come over. Most of the lads are good guys and its nowhere near as restricted as 606. And yes…. LRR is still as wacky as ever!
I’ll see if I can access it from work, although it’s dangerous, I used to do sod all but post all day long!!