Floyd Mayweather Jr: Dirty “Money”

(Here's my take on the Mayweather-Ortiz fight fiasco.)

http://www.boxingnews24.com/2011/09/floyd-mayweather-jr-dirty-money/

Know your enemy. Sun Tzu’s wise advise which echoed through the ages obviously did not reach Victor Ortiz. It either fell on deaf ears or a fool just won’t heed it.

Moriarty, Hyde, Hannibal Lecter – Mayweather’s way up there with them in the list. Victor Ortiz, evergreen and ever grinning, was oblivious to that. He seems to see only the cheery side to life but in a twisted kind of way. He’s got something akin to the Joker’s Psyche but with the coping prowess of a child. And the fight, dubbed unimaginatively as Star Power but which rightly should be called Ultimate Villains, unfolded the way it was supposed to.

“How is boxing a clean sport?” Floyd Mayweather retorted during the pre-fight when accused by Ortiz trainer of being a dirty fighter. That should have tipped us all of what to expect in the fight, an omen forebode of things to come.

Ortiz was competitive from the first to the third round. And in the fourth, he was finally in the game experiencing some sort of success. And just when it seemed the tide will turn in his favor, he delivered a headbutt from hell which ushered his doom a few moments later.

How low can you go? A question which wisely should not have been asked of Mayweather, specially when inside the ring with him. Ortiz did. His fate sealed with a kiss, he was knocked off his feet when the answer was delivered.

Ortiz should have seen it coming. A fool standing like that in front of a hurt madman - one ready to burn Rome as he sees fit - better be ready for a swift and cruel end. There is nothing in Floyd’s demented façade to suggest he’ll turn the other cheek. With hands down, Ortiz opened a window for abuse. Mayweather naturally use it.

Victor Ortiz definitely rubbed Floyd the wrong way, what with all those headbutts flying about. But Mayweather’s final act was never in retaliation to that as many would have us believe. No, it wasn’t about taking the fight to the streets. A madman is beyond that. It was about Ortiz providing Mayweather the easy way out. Generals look for gaps to win wars. Ortiz was just tattered with holes in the 4^th round – ready to be blown to kingdom come.

It should be common knowledge by now that there’s nothing conventional about the way Floyd fights - attributable perhaps to his love for money and obsession for his perfect record. Everything’s a means to an end. And sportsmanship could be dropped like an “F” word when it became an inconvenience. That said, Ortiz foolishness is a crime to which lethal force is justified.

What force ought to apply to Joe Cortez, on the other hand, I leave others to debate. He already contributed to Mayweather’s two big wins (Hatton and Ortiz). The way he complimented Mayweather, I say not bad for a tag team.

As for the Pacquiao-Mayweather ever taking place, a question Merchant would have posed to Floyd had he been given the chance to do so, it’s not happening. Floyd wanted an even playing field when it comes to Pacquiao. He wanted to clean the sports. It’s all a smokescreen of course. Let the way he clocked Ortiz be a reminder never to believe him.

Floyd finds a way to win. Obviously, he couldn’t find one against Pacquiao – the more reason not to fight the little guy.

Dirty “Money.” Burn baby burn.

Mayweather vs Ortiz: Not Vicious Enough, More like Southpark

(Two things stick out in this article I've written for Boxingnews24 prior to the Mayweather-Ortiz fight: 1. Mayweather handpicked Ortiz knowing full well he could take advantage of the guy - which he did, and 2. Mayweather is an Eric Cartman in and outside of the ring.)

Return of the King…

Many are called but only a few are chosen. In the end, the victim must fit the profile. And so, Mayweather finally broke his long hiatus to face another willing sacrifice, the welterweight title holder Victor Ortiz. In a sleight of hand, the self-proclaimed King is relevant again.

As expected, he recited his mantra once more - the same one which had kept his face from being mangled and reduced to a bloody pulp. It worked so far, why should it not worked now.

“I’m only fighting 100% natural fighters,” Floyd couldn’t help himself from saying.

Yeah, right. In Mayweather’s world, it means fighting only those he’s sure to beat.

What a waste of talent this Mayweather is. He may be an Einstein inside the ring, but he’s truly more of an Eric Cartman outside of it. It’s really difficult to root for the guy.

And don’t think for awhile that Vicious Victor would really give Floyd a run for his money. He may have beaten Berto but Berto hit’s hard only through twitter and is really just one of those boxing paper champs anyway (and they are many). Before that Ortiz failed the test of will against Maidana and Peterson. He’s just not vicious enough.

And boxing is all about will, something Cartman, I mean Mayweather, can be counted on. The guy’s plain arrogant and his self-belief rival those of any other boxing gods. Ortiz’ feel -good story will go down the drain, another light to be consumed by Floyd’s black hole.

Which brings us to Floyd Mayweather’s antithesis, the yin to his yang.

Lord of the Rings…

Pacquiao, the Sun to Mayweather’s universe, will take on his old nemesis Marquez in a pointless welterweight exercise. Marquez may have given Manny fits in their last two fights but those were lifetimes ago, back when Pacquiao was what the Mayweathers’ called a one-handed fighter. Pacquiao’s a different beast now and Marquez is the same old man and older. I hope the trilogy doesn’t turn out a requiem for Marquez. Well, so much for closure.

As the prophets before me have spoken, Mayweather-Pacquiao is the only fight that matters (at least to each other). For crying out loud, they’re the lord of the rings. Never let your hopes up but it really should happen. How else can we find out which is really better: Pacquiao’s all destructive whirlwind offense or Mayweather’s omnipresent defense.

Freddie Roach thinks Mayweather is preparing for that as Floyd takes the Ortiz fight. But I still say don’t count Eric Cartman out.

http://www.boxingnews24.com/2011/06/mayweather-vs-ortiz-not-vicious-enough-more-like-southpark/

World Without Mayweather

(After his win against Ortiz, I'm betting Money May will go into hiding once again - eluding a fight with Manny Pacquiao. The article below first published @boxingnews24 on January 2011 which provided a glimpse into Floyd's mind is still apt.)


World Without Mayweather

He who hesitates is lost.

In the heat of the moment, we sometimes call genius mad because the rest of us are incapable of understanding the reason behind. Denied of such a spark, we are often blinded by the light when its brilliance is shining upon us. But we always know special when we see it though we may not acknowledge it at times. And with hindsight, we knew when we had witnessed greatness because greatness is compelling and always makes its presence felt.

Sometimes though, there is only madness. Like when genius fails to live to its full potential. And a downward spiral follows when light fails proclaiming the coming darkness. Such an appalling state is upon us now.



Considered by many as the most talented boxer of his generation, Floyd Mayweather Jr. is teethering on the brink of irrelevance with each passing day. Or perhaps, he’s already there.
“I’ll fight Pacquiao, like whenever…” Those were more like the words of a Paris Hilton than a supposedly feared fighter who kept proclaiming that “the fight will happen when it happens.”
Yeah right. I’m scared. And so must be the little “Yellow man” on hearing such vicious words. The man-child lost touch with the real world that he doesn’t have a solid ground, much more a square ring, to stand on.

Welcome to a world without Mayweather.

Pacquiao, the zeitgeist, rules the world of boxing. And the vacuum and void left by Mayweather has to be filled by the likes of Clottey, Margarito and now Mosley – yes, the same old Mosley Mayweather last had for dinner is still better than no one or nothing (which as established earlier is what Floyd is or is fast becoming).

With no yin to test, hold or balance the yang, Pacquiao is the blinding light at the center of boxing’s universe. And as Mosley, just another replacement expected to inefficiently test the Pacmonster’s blietzkrieg of lightning, marches on away from HBO’s glaring spotlight but towards a harsher light where 115 million homes would hopefully watch his inevitable demise – life’s contest goes on and Mayweather keeps losing by default.

Floyd’s words proved to be prophetic as he fades in the shadow of the one who took from him his coveted spot. And sadly he gave in without a fight.

“I’m not interested in rushing to do anything right now. I’m not really thinking about boxing right now…” Those lines might as well be his epitaph.

As Mayweather turns away from Boxing to face the real world, Pacquiao remains unchallenged, unfazed atop his pedestal.

No one ducks better than Floyd. Of course, in a world without Mayweather there is now David Haye.

But that’s another story.

http://www.boxingnews24.com/2011/01/world-without-mayweather/

Floyd going gaga: Key to Mayweather – Pacquiao Fight Happening

(First published @boxingnews24 before the Mayweather-Ortiz fight. Floyd is back to his old ways, evading the call to fight Pacquiao.)

Floyd going gaga: Key to Mayweather – Pacquiao Fight Happening

By Rasheed Catapang

There’s no denying the talents Mayweather have that makes him such a massive force to be reckoned with in boxing. In fact, I’d go on to say that at the moment there’s no one at or near his weight that could defeat him. He’s just that good.

Sergio Martinez might be the Middleweight King. I’m sure he’ll lose his crown if he steps into the ring with Floyd. I’d love to see the fight get made though and see the whole process unfold just as I had imagined. Floyd is just that good.

He could be better.

Floyd has that Rubicon he dared not cross. He’ll easily beat anyone at or near his division but the one man who sits atop his own. Perhaps by recognizing the gift of preternatural skills he had in himself, he was alerted the moment the same gifts manifest in others. And for one as risk-averse as Floyd, it must be one scary thought. Pacquiao, by Mayweather’s past and current stance, appears to be just about the man - the sum of all his fears.

We always hear Floyd declaring “Pacquiao’s on power pellets, on this, on that…” but not once did we hear him, or perhaps ever will, saying “the die is cast.”

He had perfected the art of dodging that it might be really wishful thinking at this stage to see him fight Pacquiao. Floyd is just that good.

He’s not great though and will never get there unless an all out war with Pacquiao takes place. Floyd owes it not only to himself but to all boxing fans to cross that rubicon. We’ve travelled this far with him. It’s just one step now to get to that special place. Otherwise, the empire crumbles and we’ll be reminded once more that the emperor really has no clothes.

Mayweather, at the end of it all, will be stripped naked and weighed. Judge against the backdrop of a harsher light, the scale won’t tip in his favor. He’ll certainly be found wanting lacking the scalp of the fighter who matters the most during his time. Mediocre Fighters, Average and Above Average Boxers – he fought them all. But never did he fight an All-Time-Great. The undefeated record won’t stand the scrutiny of time either because we all know by now that Floyd defeated Castillo in their first fight the same way Paul Williams did Erislandy Lara recently – which is he didn’t.

But there’s hope yet. Floyd going gaga in episode 1 of HBO’s Mayweather-Ortiz 24/7 offers hope no matter how slim. He just went ballistic with his dad. All those vitriol, malice and ill will must have come from one deep dark eternal well. Now, if Floyd could just channel those dark thoughts to the proper recipient, he might just go crazy enough to go head on against his real nemesis.

We can only hope because it really is up to Floyd. That Rubicon won’t be there for far too long. It might not be sooner or later than Floyd thinks. It might be too late.

Mayweather’s next opponent is no chopped liver. Ortiz will be more than happy to be the one to cross that line and claim that coveted place. Not farfetched a scene in boxing where stranger things have happened.

http://www.boxingnews24.com/2011/08/floyd-going-gaga-key-to-mayweather-%E2%80%93-pacquiao-fight-happening/

Super Sucker Punch and Floyd Mayweather Jr.

What a joy! The thrill of a fight cut short by a sucker punch. Floyd is proving true to form - a snake recoiling then striking at an instant. I'll have more say on that later.

The ultimate prize and joy really is that I've found a worthy advocate for this blog space - the perfect endorser. Thank you Dirty "Money."

Atta boy, Floyd. Go Super Sucker Punch!

Pacquiao - Marquez 3 and the Ultimate Guide to Mayweather

(Published @boxingnews24 on August 2011. This is old news now, yes. But the picture below sure is hot. Enjoy!)

Pacquiao - Marquez 3 and the Ultimate Guide to Mayweather

“There are 4… 5 ways to beat Pacquiao,” Floyd had said so many times. None of them, it seems, involves him getting in the same ring with the little man. Of course we want Mayweather to show us how. But with such reluctance, he appears every inch afraid to try. And nothing in his current stance suggest otherwise.

It might be a bit unfair to question the courage of one who makes a living fighting. In this instance, the words of Blaise Pascal applies: “The heart has its reasons which reason does not know.” Does that make sense to you, Floyd? How apt.

And while we contemplate on that, Juan Manuel Marquez gets the chance to do the job with his third try.

While Marquez gave Pacquiao hell in their first two fights, the soothsayers had end-of-days written all over Marquez this time around. Either people perceived him now to be diminished goods or Pacquiao to be just too evolved – way, way ahead of him by leaps and bounds. No matter though, give it to Marquez because he still believes he’ll win as he believed he’d won their previous fights.

And maybe he will. After all, battles are first won in the minds.

In which case, Mayweather who might as well be 5 fighting levels above the Mexican Warrior, denied himself 3 times (to which Judas by the way did a far better job). By default, he had already lost his war to Pacquiao.

Tyson had beaten Spinks even before he threw the first punch. Mayweather would be damned to go through the motion against Pacquiao. He’s wiser then than I care to imagine. So much for being undefeated.

In reality, Marquez will pretty much once again suffer the pain and humiliation of losing to Pacquiao. There should be no shame in that – it’s just that real champions demand so much from themselves. It’s a better poison though than the pill Mayweather will constantly swallow – enduring the shame of denying destiny’s call and going thru the rest of his life not knowing.

Just who is the better man?

Well, Victor Ortiz might have a say on that if Mayweather is too far gone. This is boxing after all where anything can happen so long as you keep on punching.

What a Loss to Ortiz would do to Mayweather's Legacy

(Published @ Boxingnews24 on August 2011. Of course, we know now that Ortiz' mental make up is a big factor not to root for him during fights.)

What A Loss to Ortiz will do to Mayweather’s Legacy

Come September 17, Victor Ortiz will take away the one thing Mayweather values the most and will crown himself in glory.

There ought to be no shame in losing to Ortiz. Unless you're Mayweather. In which case, it won't only be a matter of losing face but the end of the world as you know it. Welcome to humanity, Floyd.

Some good things never last and all that jazz.

No matter the betting odds, the possibility of Ortiz winning is just as high as the fight ending with Floyd's hands raised for the umpteenth times. Ortiz has the youth, stamina, southpaw stance and the tools to make Mayweather's nightmare a reality. If Ortiz comes to the fight with the same mental toughness he showed in the fight against Berto, he'll be one complete menacing package perfect to do the job.

Self belief is essential, though, for Ortiz to actually pull it off. In a way, he has to be like Floyd come fight night. Be his mirror, his spitting image - spitting in his face. Floyd will be his usual elusive self so Ortiz has to bang the body, bang the head, bang whatever he could take.

Maidana prevailed over Ortiz because he kept coming back, Mayweather if hit with the same force and frequency will go down and stay down. Old Mosley had it right before he gassed out in the Mayweather fight. Ortiz could learn from that and take it to another level.

So a loss to Ortiz will mean what to Mayweather's legacy?

Well, his best scalp belongs to an old and faded champion. Weighed against the scale of the All-Time-Greats, Floyd is surely found wanting. And that "0" really amounts to nothing. Finally, there's the affirmation that Mayweather is not the best boxer of his generation.

So much for the bragging rights.

As for Ortiz, the world is his oyster - the very reason he'll do everything to win. And he will.

Pacquiao and the Lemmings Off a Cliff

(Published @Boxingnews24 on December 2010)

Pacquiao and the Lemmings Off a Cliff

Andre Berto, Juan Manuel Marquez and Shane Mosley are the names thrown in by Bob Arum as Pacquiao’s next possible dance partner. Truth be told, they are actually Lemmings jumping off a cliff. And Pacquiao, always with a lending hand, would certainly take any one of them to a far darker place than a dance hall or a grimmer deep spot they could possibly imagine.

Mayweather - his personal reasons aside - doesn’t belong in that suicide list. Not anymore. He had long realized it’s Pacquiao’s world he’s living in and would not be coaxed to mix in. Knowing too well that it’s the Pacmonster’s way or the highway, Floyd wisely did a road runner and won’t ever be a road-kill. Good for him.

Among the three then, we probe on Berto’s chances first just as cancer initially strikes the weakest cell. Andre Berto had long feasted on mediocre fighters and fringe contenders. If “we are what we eat” holds true, then Berto is certainly a no hoper. The one time he had a step up in competition, he had lost the fight and got the gift decision. We’re talking of a Collazo here who pales in comparison to a ferocious beast that is Manny Pacquiao. What’s the appeal of a green Berto going against boxing’s finest and deadliest practioner? The answer is nil and so is Berto’s chances of winning. Similarly, Berto attracts nil fans to his fights.

Juan Manuel Marquez, however, is a different boxer altogether. A true warrior and an incredible technician, he went to war with Pacquiao twice and obtained in the process a draw, a competitive loss and a shirt to show for them which he later wore in the Katsidis fight.

 JMM is a proud fighter and is of the belief that he indeed twice defeated Pacquiao though the record shows otherwise. He craved the third time more than the urine he drinks to prepare for his fights. But though there is unfinished business between them JMM doesn’t need a third fight with Pacquiao and he should leave it at that. JMM’s stocks soars with Pacquiao’s continuous rise, a direct encounter now would prove his undoing. Some things are better left untouched, like Marquez never having to ask Chris John for a rematch.

They may have been on even terms in the lower weights of the past but Pacquiao is a true welterweight now and a real beast at that. Marquez would be slaughtered if he ever shared a ring again with the current Pacmonster. He never won a round going up in weight against the defensive-minded Mayweather, how can he expect to last against the finest offensive arsenal boxing has to offer. A third time would be a slaughter.

This brings us to Mosley and the Lemmings throwing themselves off a cliff. Mosley almost certainly will get the Pacquiao fight inspite of his recent poor performances and steady decline (or precisely because of that). He had pleased Arum by disassociating with Golden Boy promotions and would later please Pacquiao who would disassociate him to his senses with a barrage of punches the old man would never see coming.

It’s still a mystery to date why Lemmings do that, hurling themselves to a world of hurt and inevitable end. In the near future, Mosley would provide the answer.

Paul “The Punished” Williams: Ready for Pacquiao or Mayweather

(First published @Boxingnews24 on November 2010)

Paul “The Punished” Williams: Ready for Pacquiao or Mayweather

Be careful what you wished for…

Paul Williams dreamt of mixing it up with Pacquiao or Mayweather for a career high payday and had a plan of how to carry it through. He’d asserted himself to the pound for pound throne and made his case, leaving it in the end to the people to call upon such a fight being made. Boxing’s top two would not have heed the call anyway on their own accord even with their talents due to William’s freakish built, a welterweight with the height and reach of a heavyweight.

In his mind it will happen. He just had to wait, bide his time and in the interim get rid of Sergio Martinez.

Sergio Martinez, of course, as we know by now had other plans. He’d gone before where angels fear to tread. And he doesn’t mind if it’s long tall Paul standing at the road’s end - he won’t be standing there long enough.

Paul Williams may have had the wingspan of a pterodactyl, but just like Icarus much earlier before him painfully learned, they’re not that good when they’re made of wax. The Middleweight Champion of the World never let up - pressuring Williams, and putting enough heat to make sure those wax melted. And melt they did as Paul Williams wilted in just about 4 minutes.

It was deluge the first time they fought and fire this time around. Paul Williams was utterly destroyed by a superior force.

 In so doing, Sergio Martinez may have inherited the cursed of the leper from his fallen foe. Pacquiao and Mayweather, no slight to them,  would not touch him. Who in their right mind would when you’re the Middleweight Champion of the World?

The opposite, however, is true for Paul “The Punished” Williams. The Punisher had been thoroughly punished and the Most Feared introduced to Fear itself. The utmost irony, though, is that Paul Williams’ dreams may just happen yet.

Pacquiao, with his successive grueling fights and recent battle with Margarito, might as well be deserving of a soft touch in his next fight. After Sergio’s thudding left, Paul Williams must now be soft enough. Soft and still he’ll be the biggest opponent Pacquiao would have faced. It’s a win-win situation and nobody can deny it’s a compelling match.

Mayweather, on the other hand, more of a carrion bird of late than a predator, had been known to feed on carcasses of fallen or faded champions. It’s actually a strict diet with a dodging regimen equal to or superior to those of heavyweight ducker David Haye. Paul Williams now may just be the right type of willing victim he was looking for – tall, still looks fearsome but totally vulnerable. The vulture would be thankful for a feast.

Paul Williams accomplished in losing what he could not do while winning. He might have his dream granted after all.

Boxing's Superman: Pacquiao

(Published @ Boxingnews24 on November 2010)

Pacquiao is Boxing’s Superman

Once the mild mannered Clark Kent takes off his coat, we know the kid gloves are off. Saturday night in Dallas, we learned what feats of destruction such fists are capable of.

No, Pacquiao is not Superman. But on the night he handed Margarito his comeuppance, he was closed enough. Was he faster than a speeding bullet? Maybe not. But against Margarito’s movement, he surely was bullet-like. The lumbering giant was being peppered with 6 to 7 hits combo before he could even contemplate mounting an attack – couple that with the fact that he could not hit what he could not see, Pacquiao being in perpetual motion and all. And when Margarito found the luck to actually launch one, he was met with a barrage of missiles whichever way he turns.

Respect is earned. And if Margarito was disrespectful of Pacquiao’s power before the fight, like the others before him he surely respects that now. He’s tasted it and got a bloody mess of a face to show for it.

Margarito found out how it was to be an all time great. And it wasn’t great at all for him to be at the opposite end with such a man. There is not a shadow of doubt now that Pacquiao stands tall along the All-Time- Greats, the only question is whether he is now “The Greatest”.

Overcoming an opponent’s advantages amounting to 17 pounds of weight, 5 inches of reach and 5 inches in height are the stuff of legend. And Pacquiao is just that - a living legend - because he didn’t merely overcome the odds, didn’t merely win, but did it in such a comprehensive way like no other boxer can.

This is Pacquiao’s time. And he rules boxing with an iron fist masked with a boyish grin. He is the real face of boxing, and at the moment its one and only.

Mayweather could dispute that though, perceived to be at or near the same level as Pacquiao. And he’s more than welcome to try. Though after his witnessing of the thorough beatings handed over to Margarito and the past challengers to the throne, I wouldn’t really blame Mayweather if he foregoes such plans. Twice he’d thrown a wrench to that fight being made, and he’s got the most valid reason now not to – Margarito’s bludgeoned face for the entire world to see.

But let’s hope Mayweather is really up to the task this time, and that he clears all his personal problems to make way for a spring fight. After all, a Lex Luthor is needed to test boxing’s Superman.

Pacquiao Vs. Margarito: To Hell and “Pac”

Pacquiao Vs. Margarito: To Hell and “Pac”

(First published in Boxingnews24)

If you can’t be good, be careful. Antonio Margarito was neither on the night Old Shane Mosley handed him a beating.  In that fight, he got caught and fought like he never knew how. He was never the feared fighter advertised or thought of before that fight. But then maybe he was just missing those awesome loaded gloves. Without which it begs to be asked, was he really ever good? There was hell to pay and then Time will tell.

With the Pacquiao – Margarito fight looming, that time is almost upon us. Margarito was already through hell, or so we have been made to believe. Come November 13, Redemption awaits him like the persistent bride at the gate.

Judging from recent history, Margarito was still nowhere near good against the journeyman Roberto Garcia. The fact, however, doesn’t make him less of a monster. Bear in mind he lobbied for a Pacquiao fight. Considering that he’s towering over Pacquiao and is having as much as a 7-inch advantage in reach, a pathetic showing might have been his way of getting the Pacquiao lottery ticket. (Or so we wish, if the fight is to be competitive.)

In a different way, that is the very reason why Floyd Mayweather is not fighting Pacquiao for Boxing’s Superbowl. The Filipino sensation shines like a halogen lamp in his previous bouts which is a bad omen for Floyd who thinks he’ll be in a bout he could not win. But I digress.

In the absence of Floyd Mayweather, Pacquiao was offered a viable alternative – a beatable Goliath in Margarito with the promise of a record 8^th belt, with many even viewing him a sacrifice to the little devil’s altar. Now, after getting the fight it doesn’t mean Margarito needs to follow the script. Scripts are for lesser mortals like Clottey who in the end always finds a way to lose. Margarito needs to be the Tijuana Tornado once more, the superior force that brought Cotto down to his knees (loaded gloves or not).

Still, the Pacman can’t be stopped by either man or beast these days.  In order to win, Margarito has to be something else.

Come fight night, boxing won’t ask Margarito whether he had lost his moral compass. He’d only be demanded to stop a freak of nature at all cause or go down trying.

No, Margarito doesn’t have to be good this time. To beat Pacquiao, it’s time for him to step up and unleash whatever demons he has within and become a real Monster.

 It’s all in his hands now.

(Margarito obviously wasn't good or bad enough to derail the Pac express as the after fight photo above would show.)

With Pacquiao, Mayweather Loses his Swagger

With Pacquiao, Mayweather Loses his Swagger

(First published in Boxingnews24 on July 2010. Yep, true up to now. And look at the picture, how cool is that?)

Team Mayweather is speaking now, going as far as denying that a negotiation to fight Pacquiao ever took place. However, they’re still not answering the only question that really matters: When will Mayweather fight Pacquiao? Will he ever?

The words of Floyd Mayweather Jr. himself after a lengthy silence require deciphering. “I’m not interested in rushing to do anything right now. I’m not really thinking about boxing right now… Just relaxing.”

Sweet.

The words are coy and utterly unfit for a king. Mayweather, if he still fancies himself one, has to demand respect.  Pacquiao, wanting to fill his coffer and all, declared war to Floyd. A king is not supposed to just move aside to avoid the onslaught.

Floyd just did.

What had happened to Floyd and where’s his swagger?

Say a kid took a bully’s lunch, demanded his pocket money and everything he had. Will the bully ask first what the kid is on before administering a beating?

Or the world’s giving you truckloads of money and a chance for you to prove what you’ve been saying all along. Won’t it be right to just take the money and do your thing?

Actions contrary to the norm would only mean something else. Floyd’s words in response to a direct challenge have no meaning.

Mayweather appears content to just grab the p4p crown through the poll, to battle it out in the court of public opinion – knowing full well that a fantasy fight concocted in man’s mind is winnable, considering he’s perceived to have the more superior skill set. However, once enclosed in the four corners of the ring, reality is sure to take an awful turn. Not having a loss because of a carefully managed boxing career, he sure will not welcome a world of hurt.

And a world of hurt is really what Pacquiao is all about.

The Golden Boy was still golden and shining before he came across the Pacmonster. But Oscar Dela Hoya had learned through 8 painful rounds what the little devil is able to give and what he, in the receiving end, is not able to take. In the face of perpetual onslaught, Dela Hoya hoped for the KO that never came. The experience, which for him is best left unremembered, was enough to make him retire.

The Hitman still had a perfect record at 10 stones (140lbs), never losing his mark at that weight, before being offered the hit on Pacquiao. It was over in 2 rounds and Ricky Hatton got what Dela Hoya had wished for himself. Hatton never really knew what hit him. Ricky was flattened and his career as a boxer is yet to recover, one step to retirement in each passing day – if he’s not there already.

Nevertheless, Mayweather had beaten those men too. But the end results of his fights with them were not as brutal, as decisive, as immediate nor as final. It was never more so in Hatton’s case, where the world was reminded of a primal force that is Pacquiao  and the devastating effect of such power when unleashed.

Still, Mayweather had beaten those men too. And he has the same – if not more - of the preternatural skill that Pacquiao has.

The world demanded a clash inside the ring to prove who the better man is. But Mayweather’s not wavering in his conviction, whatever that is.

Perhaps Floyd’s real concern is that the world would stop and watch, and celebrate the fall of the mighty. If Paquiao is able to do to him what was done to Hatton, with the whole world watching, will he be able to live with the memory forever?

Hatton barely could when his pride is but a fraction of that of Mayweather. Pacquiao is all about pain and Mayweather is not ready for that.

Mayweather has retired, unretired, and has been dangling with retirement. Pacquiao could make that permanent for him.

“I’m not interested in rushing to do anything right now. I’m not really thinking about boxing right now… Just relaxing.”

Floyd has lost the edge, the swagger and has given up the claim to Boxing’s Greatest Ever.

And while the King was looking down, the Jester stole his thorny crown. The courtroom was adjourned…

Mayweather: The Derision

(Published on July 2010 at Boxingnews24, Floyd remains adamant on not fighting Pacquiao. If it isn't fear, then what is it really?)

Floyd Mayweather Jr: The Derision

By:   Rasheed Catapang

The FIGHT was off again. Blame not Mayweather, as pure a monk as anyone could be, whose bow of silence could not be broken even by an offer of something in the vicinity of 50 MILLION USD.

Of course he had spoken now, he’s just not thinking of boxing at the moment. Who would have thought of that? And how eloquent? Shouldn’t he have stated it earlier, say, before the mock negotiation began?

For someone whose mouth is known to be as loud and as vicious as his fists, the silence that inhabited Mayweather’s camp during the second negotiation was truly deafening. Nevertheless, it was also telling. When Bob Arum’s impose timeline for Mayweather to accept a fight with Pacquiao expired with nary a word from the mouth that roared (or used to), Mayweather’s silence actually spoke volumes. And the truth was screaming all along.

Screaming like these:

LeBron James made the decision. Floyd, not stepping up to the plate, only invited derision. True, Lebron is now being criticized for his judgement call but at least he made a choice. He’ll be a villain for going for the jugular, everything for his much coveted NBA ring. Floyd, on the other hand, for reasons we could only imagine runs silently to the nearest exit.

Floyd talk the talk but failed to walk the walk. So forget what Floyd said about Pacquiao being easy and how he’ll whooped his ass. In reality, Pacquiao is one insurmountable Grendel. A southpaw with ultra fast hands, the Pacmonster is Floyd’s ultimate kryptonite. Father knows best and Floyd’s dad, in many different ways, had voiced such concern many times over.

Floyd is really all about the zero and he’ll not risk losing it to Pacquiao – not when every possibility points to that. He’ll sacrifice everything in the altar of that perfect record

Roger Mayweather, Floyd’s uncle and coach, will go to trial and might not be available for a fight in November this year. Tough luck. It might be a valid reason to call off the fight but surely Floyd’s father is just as qualified. And valid also is this argument: if by chance Roger is found guilty after the trial, would Floyd never ever fight? Floyd’s statement last Sunday invalidated both.

Floyd’s just not thinking about boxing right now. Not with Pacquiao in it.

Haye is at present boxing’s biggest ducker. Should Floyd carry on with his charade, Haye might as well share or concede to him that spot. And Haye could always say the Klitchsko’s are bigger than him. Not so in Floyd’s case.

History repeats itself occurring first as tragedy, the second time as farce. And that sums up the story of Mayweather Vs. Pacquiao: The fight that wasn’t, isn’t and, judging from Floyd’s stance, will never be. Anyhow, it doesn’t matter now since we already know who’ll win that fight. The past pervading silence allowed us to figure that.

Floyd Mayweather Jr & The Sound of Silence

(This is the first draft of the article which would later be called "Floyd Mayweather Jr: The Derision." And yes, Lebron James, you are not alone.)

Floyd Mayweather Jr and The Sound of Silence

By:  Rasheed Catapang

The FIGHT is off again. Blame not Mayweather, as pure a monk as anyone could be, whose bow of silence could not be broken even by an offer of something in the vicinity of 50 MILLION USD.

But of more concern to me is Floyd’s current version. I never thought I’d see the day he’ll be so lost for words. I mean gag order or not, the man’s really taking it to heart. In light of what’s happening, will the real Mayweather please stand up?

For someone whose mouth is known to be as loud and as vicious as his fists, the silence now inhabiting Mayweather’s camp is truly deafening. Nevertheless, it is also telling. When Bob Arum’s impose timeline for Mayweather to accept a fight with Pacquiao expired with nary a word from the mouth that roared (or used to), Mayweather’s silence actually speaks volumes. And the truth is screaming all along.

Screaming like these:

LeBron James made the decision. Floyd, not stepping up to the plate, only invited derision. True, Lebron is now being criticized for his judgement call but at least he made a choice. He’ll be a villain for going for the jugular, everything for his much coveted NBA ring. Floyd, on the other hand, for reasons we could only imagine runs silently to the nearest exit.

Floyd talk the talk but failed to walk the walk. So forget what Floyd said about Pacquiao being easy and how he’ll whooped his ass. In reality, Pacquiao is one insurmountable Grendel. A southpaw with ultra fast hands, the Pacmonster is Floyd’s ultimate kryptonite. Father knows best and Floyd’s dad, in many different ways, had voiced such concern many times over.

Floyd is really all about the zero and he’ll not risk losing it to Pacquiao – not when every possibility points to that. He’ll sacrifice everything in the altar of that perfect record

Roger Mayweather, Floyd’s uncle and coach, will go to trial and might not be available for a fight in November this year. Tough luck. It might be a valid reason to call off the fight but surely Floyd’s father is just as qualified. And valid also is this argument: if by chance Roger is found guilty after the trial, would Floyd never ever fight?

Haye is at present boxing’s biggest ducker. Should Floyd carry on with his charade, Haye might as well share or concede to him that spot. And Haye could always say the Klitchsko’s are bigger than him. Not so in Floyd’s case.

There might not be so many excuses left to try.

I hate to see Mayweather’s past deeds as mere illusions, and the colorful boxer a shadow of the man he used to be. Covering himself wouldn’t save him now from the oncoming onslaught of mockery that is sure to come. Silence, having its own vice, invites just that.

Floyd, however, is invited to respond.

The most elusive boxer of this generation has indeed been cornered this time.

History repeats itself occurring first as tragedy, the second time as farce. And that sums up the story of Mayweather Vs. Pacquiao: The fight that wasn’t, isn’t and, judging from Floyd’s stance, will never be. Anyhow, it doesn’t matter now since we already know who’ll win that fight. Floyd’s silence says it all.

Mayweather Vs. Walkaway Mosley

(Wrote this one for Boxingnews24 prior to the Mayweather - Mosley fight. Can't say I told you so.)

Floyd Mayweather Jr: Shining Trough Mosley

On May 1, will we see the Mosley of old or an old Mosley? The question needs to be asked though the answer won’t really matter. Little Floyd, like the countless times he had done before, will walk away with the win.

There may not be anyone now as supremely gifted a boxer as Little Floyd. And there may not be anyone now as confident with those gifts. We could deny his place in boxing’s Valhalla but we could never deny his talents. His detractors could cry foul and scream to deaf heaven all they want but they could not disclaim that his skill set rivals those of the All Time Greats.

In his claim to greatness, we could despise him – and his demeanor invites just that. But could we prove him otherwise? I doubt that.

Mosley, however, is qualified to try. He’s long in queue and earned the slot. Bear him no malice then when he inevitably fails and falls at the proverbial road side because at best Mosley is a test. He’s very good but is not great, and is now certainly very old.

Some people saw Mosley as a phoenix rising in the Margarito fight. They failed to consider Margarito’s state of mind in that fight or Mosley’s mediocre performance against Mayorga before that. Mosley could hope for another miracle but would that work against the very devil that is Mayweather.

If there’s anything Mosley could really do, it will be that which Pacquiao could not. That is to make Little Floyd shine.

 “Shane done some things in this sport,’’ Mayweather (40-0, 25 KO) said, “but this fight is about enhancing my legacy, about proving I’m the best.’’

And that’s exactly what will come to pass. Floyd Mayweather Jr. for all his faults is a realist. He will never lose because he’ll never be on a fight he could not win. I believe there is the uncertainty in Floyd’s mind if he’ll be the winner against Pacquiao, with Mosley there is not a shred of doubt.

Mosley has yet to come to terms with that. Or else, he’s in denial. Failing to know the enemy eventually will cost him the war. After May 1, he’ll join the 40 before him who bloody tried.

And bloody failed.

"So now I'm telling everyone I know Mayweather is the best of all time. Better than Ali. Better than Frazier. The best that God has ever molded. But if he's the greatest of all time and we knock him on his back, what's that make Shane?" Mosley asked.

A dreamer.

Pacquiao's Perfect Performance

(First published in March 2010 on Boxingnews24. Pacquiao gave Clottey a shellacking. Wish it was Mayweather.)

Pacquiao’s Perfect Performance

By:  Rasheed Catapang

“He had a good defense, but defense isn't enough to win a fight," Roach said. And that basically summed up the whole Pacquiao-Clottey Affair. The Event was - no small thanks to Clottey - uneventful.

His defense was too good for his own good. There was madness in his method. The method to his madness, however, was lost in that air-tight defense. Impenetrable as it was that almost nothing went in, nothing also went out. Clottey honed his defensive mastery to the extreme, almost possum-like, but thoroughly forgot that boxing also required a lot of punching in order to win.

Joshua Clottey was a caricature of a boxer that night – too bad to be real and too real to be believable.

That, however, just proved a point that The Event was never about the punching bag that was Clottey. It was, after all, about the whirlwind of a man in his opposite corner.

Perhaps that was also the reason Clottey appeared comical – not quite as being held down by the weight of his inneptitude but by the approaching onslaught that appeared to be perpetual. Across him was a man who’s really that good – make it great. At times a blur but almost always an exclamation point of force, Pacquiao was (in Clottey’s mind) one punch away from knocking him down.

Of course Clottey never went down. He was never knocked out. Nobody is expected to knock out a punching bag. Not even Pacquiao. And not even in Dallas.

The Event was a one man show. And we could not blame Pacquiao when it turned out a bore because in boxing, as in dance, it takes two to tango.

In Clottey’s defense - all pun intended - he’s also not entirely at fault. He was simply outclassed. (Big time because it happened in Dallas where, you know, everything’s big.) His failure to perform could be attributed to Pacquiao’s performance. Pacquiao, after all, is such a great fighter known to make even elite fighters look mediocre, if not downright bad. Why should Clottey be the exception?

Clottey was standing when the final bell rung. That must be, in Clottey’s mind, an accomplishment by itself. With Pacquiao’s recent run of havoc, it must indeed be. Congrats to Clottey also but we don’t want more of that.

 “He had a good defense, but defense isn't enough to win a fight," Roach said of Clottey.  He might as well have said it to goad another fighter.

The Event, for all its pomp and glory, was found wanting. It all goes back now to the fight we truly wanted. Everything now depends on Mayweather. If he survives Mosley and answers the call, he could - in spite of himself - really save boxing.

Mayweather Vs Pacquiao for Pound for Pound Supremacy

(First published in Boxingnews24 on May 2010. Will those buggers ever fight? In the ring of course, and not in the court of law where they're currently locked.)

Mayweather Vs. Pacquiao: The Best vs The Beast for P4P Supremacy

By: Rasheed Catapang

“Floyd Mayweather Jr. is boxing’s Greatest Ever, the best of the All Time Greats. He’s better than Ali and Sugar Ray Robinson. He’s the rightful P4P King and the real Face of Boxing.”

For the longest time, Floyd Mayweather Jr. uttered those heresies. And, repeating those lies many times over, he actually believed them.

There’s no sin graver than believing your own lies - and in boxing terms, the outcome could be fatal. There happened to be one now. And that is Mosley never believing a word that came out of Mayweather.

Mosley thought he can match wits and prowess with Mayweather. Come fight night, he found out that what he knew doesn’t equate to what is the truth and that there’s a big difference between thinking and converting those thoughts into action.

Moreover, the body doesn’t always respond to one’s will and old people tend to forget that. “Believe and you’re halfway there” is well and fine but Mosley’s halfway reaches only up to the second round. In essence, he could not give what he no longer has.

It was the oldest rule in the book: Know thyself and know thine enemy. The self is old and the enemy is in his prime. So, Mosley bloody failed when he bloody tried.

That said, the winner deserves all the accolades due him. Shine Mayweather, shine!

For the longest time, Floyd Mayweather Jr. believed the lies he made. On the fateful night of May 1, the truth actually caught up with it.

Well, almost.

There remains another with a similar claim, one whose self belief rivals his. There remains another that needs to be toppled – one, who though haven’t been caught actually saying them, sprouts the same lies. There is another in his mold, an egomaniac bent on ruling the world – a boxing god in a humble façade but just as bad and unforgiving.

There remains Manny Pacquiao.

They are polar opposites but mirror images - the yin and yang, Offense and Defense. One’s a beast and the other the best but equally effective and ruthless.

Fools and Sweet Science Scholars alike need not debate who the greatest boxer is of this generation. Some may claim Floyd deserves the P4P top slot now with the masterful performance over Mosley. But the question begs to be asked, would Mayweather have recovered in the 2^nd round had it been Pacquiao (whose torrential rain of fists is swift and final) delivering the blows?

You and I won’t know better. It is not a matter that should be settled in the court of public opinion but in the ring which is boxing’s hallowed ground.

In the matter of Pacquio or Mayweather being the best, your opinion is just as good as mine. That’s why the FIGHT needs to happen.

Afterwards, Mayweather will be proven true. Or else, he’ll really sound hollow.