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ForumFloyd Mayweather: Legacy or Money?
-Matt Yanofsky-
Following his impressive tenth round stoppage over previously undefeated Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton, Floyd Mayweather once again told the boxing world of his plans to retire. Mayweather claimed he would take at least two years off and would only return should a blockbuster fight be available. Unless Mayweather is once again pulling one over our eyes, like he did with his brief retirement after his victory over Oscar De La Hoya, he is making a big mistake.Boxing lifer and former world title challenger John "Iceman" Scully offered up his opinion on Mayweather's situation. "One thing that needs to be understood is that there is so much money involved with big fights involving a guy like Mayweather. It often isn't as simple as to where he could just say, ‘OK, I want to fight so and so,' and that's it because there are people who have money and time invested as well and they have a say, too," stated Scully."Back when I was an amateur, I trained with Sugar Ray Leonard before he fought Donny Lalonde, and I learned a lot. On my own I learned that at a certain level, when you've reached a certain position and level, it is sometimes a thing where you seriously have to weigh the risk versus the reward factor.""In regards to his fight with Tommy Hearns back in 1981, he said that he knew he could have fought Tommy earlier than he did. They could have fought in 1980 and it would have still been a very viable fight but he knew for a fight with potential like that, he had to wait ‘until grandmothers came to him on the street and asked him when he was going to fight Tommy Hearns.' When that scenario started happening he knew it was time to get the maximum out of the fight in terms of both exposure and money. So basically, at the level of a Floyd Mayweather is at, despite what many say to the contrary, I for one don't believe fear of any man comes into the equation when he makes moves in regard to his career now. Its business all the way," claims the always colorful Scully.This is an interesting view point from a man I have the world of respect for, but it is like comparing apples to oranges. Sugar Ray Leonard fought everyone out there and Mayweather has not even come close. Leonard's list of opponents includes legends, Marvin Hagler, Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns, Wilfred Benitez, and Hector Camacho among others. The only "all time legends" Mayweather has faced are Oscar De La Hoya and the late Diego Corrales, whose legend status is questionable.In addition to unifying his titles at welterweight and attempting to at super middleweight (fighting to a draw with Thomas Hearns), Leonard's victory over the then unbeatable Hagler is far and above anything Mayweather has accomplished. Aside from never unifying his titles, Mayweather defeated an old Oscar De La Hoya, a fighter in Corrales who was facing jail time, and a Ricky Hatton who showed he did not belong at welterweight by previously struggling to a controversial decision victory over ‘B' level champion Luis Collazo.Even as the undisputed number one pound for pound fighter and one of the best over the last 25 years, Mayweather has a lot left to prove. The self proclaimed "greatest of all time" is the linear champion of the best division in the sport. There are still many names left to tangle with. Miguel Cotto, the WBA champion is the biggest fight out there and Floyd is avoiding the idea of fighting Cotto in the near future. Mayweather would make a substantial amount of money in that fight and there is a good chance he would beat Cotto similarly to the way he did Hatton. A win, which would make him a unified champion and once again put him victorious over a previously undefeated fighter, would only further enhance his excellent legacy.The problem may be that "Money Mayweather's" head has grown too big for his own good. If he really cared about his legacy, he would realize that he may never again make as much money as he did against De La Hoya and Hatton and accept it. Mayweather will undoubtedly realize that he can earn a substantial amount of money against anyone.Aside from Cotto, Floyd needs to prove to the world that he can defeat "risky" fighters in the welterweight division. An example of this is Joshua Clottey, who is not the most well known to the general fans, but boxing pundits know will give a tough fight to anyone. WBO champion Paul Williams, who has a growing popularity after dethroning a man Floyd Mayweather dodged, Antonio Margarito, would also have a good chance of beating him.Mayweather will claim "nobody knows Paul Williams and he hasn't beaten anyone besides Margarito," but deep down inside this may not be the reason he won't fight him. In reality, Mayweather has never faced a fighter like Williams who aside from being a volume punching southpaw, has a 5 inch height and 10 inch reach advantage. This undoubtedly gives him the best chance among anyone of beating Mayweather.These fights may never happen because opponents such as Williams and Clottey might be deemed as "bringing nothing to the table" but top fighters did not always have the attitude of Mayweather. In the 1980's Marvin Hagler was the best fighter in the universe, having defeated the legends Thomas Hearns, and Roberto Duran as well as world champions Vito Antuofermo and Alan Minter On March 16th 1986, Hagler challenged John Mugabi who at the time was 26-0 with all knockouts.Hagler could have easily side stepped the bout in a similar way Mayweather would with Clottey or Williams. Hagler instead elected to prove his greatness by taking the fight, and overcoming some tough moments en route to an 11th round stoppage of the knockout king known as ‘The Beast'. This is an example of something a fighter who will always remain above Mayweather on an all time scale is willing to do. Hagler was not only great because of his toughness and incredible chin, but also due to his willingness to take risky fights and until Mayweather does so, expect his all time status to be questioned.Greene, Teron, Quillan Victorious At The Roseland Ballroom!
-Matt Yanofsky-
In front of a sold out crowd at the Roseland Ballroom in Midtown Manhattan, NABA Middleweight king “Mean†Joe Greene improved to 17-0 {12 KO’s} by defeating tough veteran Patrick Thompson 12-12-1 (5 KO’s) over eight rounds. Greene dominated Thompson over the first four rounds by landing many breathtaking power shots but Thompson showed an iron chin and did not move an inch.During the 5th round, Thompson began to hold Greene while putting his glove in his face. This would frustrate the NABA champ over the next two rounds and somewhat take Greene off his game. Thompson elected to box over the final two rounds and landed a few good shots to keep the aggressive Greene on his feet. Scores were 80-71, 78-74, and 79-73
Bronx Lightweight Jorge “The Truth†Teron 19-0-1 (12 KO’s) picked up the New York State Lightweight title with an impressive eighth round stoppage over cagy Mexican challenger Adrian Navarette 16-5-1 (13 KO’s). Teron in arguably his most impressive fight to date showed superior hand speed and boxing ability which enabled him to land the first punch while avoiding many of Navratte’s big blows. Navarette showed great toughness and took all of Teron’s power punches without leaving his feet during the first seven rounds. In the eighth, Teron dropped Navarette who got up but was badly shaken. Seconds later, Teron put together an impressive multi-punch combo which forced the stoppage at 2:26.Brooklyn Middleweight rising star Peter “Kid Chocolate†Quillin improved to 16-0 (13 KO’s) following a second round knockout over Troy Lowry 27-8 (16 KO’s). Quillin dominated the first round and quickly rocked Lowry before putting him down as the stanza ended. Quillin ended Lowry’s night with a monster left hook 32 ticks into the second round. Referee Arthur Mercante Jr stopped the contest as soon as Lowry hit the canvas. Heavyweight Nagy Aguilera of Newburgh, New York scored a second round stoppage of Darryl Holly. Aguilera immediately began tagging Holly with power punches and scored a flash knockdown with a left hook. Aguilera continued to dominate and showcase his talent before Holly’s corner threw in the towel 2:13 into the third round. Under the close watch of former contender Lou Savarese, Aguilera improves to 5-0 (3 KO’s) while Holly drops to 6-6 (1 KO).Former amateur standout Jeremy Bryan improved to 2-0 with an impressive 4 round unanimous decision victory over Broderick Antoine 2-4 (1 KO) in a Junior Welterweight contest. Bryan pleased the crowd with an aggressive body and head attack which hurt Antoine a few times. Antoine went into survival mode during the final round which may have helped him finish on his feet. Scores were 40-36 3x for the Clifton, New Jersey prospect. Bantamweight Noriko Kariya scored a second round TKO over Salina Jordan. Kariya dominated the contest and showed an aggressive style which was not previously part of her game plan. Kariya landed just about everything she threw at Jordan, who frequently smiled at Kariya and attempted to fire back with wild punches. Kariya improves to 8-2-1 (2 KO’s) while Jordan drops to 2-3 (1 KO).Islip Heavyweight prospect Darryl Madison improved to 8-1 (3 KO’s) by earning an easy unanimous decision victory over Sam Comming. Madison showed quick hands and defensive reflexes while barely getting hit cleanly throughout the contest. Scores were 59-55, and 60-54 twice. After the bout the improving Madison jokingly said “the most painful shot I was hit with was a headbuttâ€.
Junior Lightweight pro debutants Raphael Luna and Joe Arroyo put on an excellent four round contest with plenty of back and fourth action while proving that you don’t have to be a big name to make a good fight. The most entertaining bout of the night ended in a split draw with one judge scoring it 39-37 for Arroyo and the other two scoring it 38-38 even.The Best Undefeated Fighters In Boxing
-Matt Yanofsky-
Boxing has its fair share of undefeated fighters. However, most have not been tested. Even with the southern circuit helping build up records of plenty young fighters (see JD Chapman and David Rodriguez), there are some world class fighters who have yet to taste defeat. Here are the 15 best fighters in the world pound for pound without a loss along with 10 more who are worth an honorable mention.1. Floyd Mayweather Jr. (39-0) Universally recognized as the best fighter in the world, Mayweather is easily the best undefeated fighter around. He has defeated Jose Luis Castillo twice (once clearly and once controversially), Oscar De La Hoya, Zab Judah, Carlos Hernandez, and Diego Corrales among others. Mayweather took Ricky Hatton's "0" away from him and dropped him from the ranks of the unbeaten.2. Joe Calzaghe (44-0) Calzaghe opened the eyes and earned respect from just about all of his critics following his dominant victory over previously undefeated and unified champion Mikkel Kessler. Calzaghe is one of the few fighters who has performed his best during his biggest fights (see his fights against Jeff Lacy and longtime champion Chris Eubank). If Calzaghe ends up facing Bernard Hopkins next and clearly defeats him, he may arguably be the best undefeated fighter in the world.3. Kelly Pavlik (32-0) "The Ghost" burst onto the world boxing scene following his impressive knockout victories over contender Edison Miranda and former undefeated unified middleweight champion Jermain Taylor. Pavlik also stopped former world champion Bronco McKart, as well as tough guys Fulgencio Zuniga and Jose Luis Zertuche. The new "American Boy" Pavlik is scheduled for a rematch with Jermain Taylor at a catch weight of 166 pounds.4. Miguel Cotto (31-0) After defeating boxing legend "Sugar" Shane Mosley, Cotto showed us his versatility and a powerful jab that we had not previously seen. The best body puncher in pro boxing has defeated world champions Zab Judah, Paulie Malignaggi, DeMarcus Corley, Randall Bailey, Ricardo Torres, and Lovemore N'dou among others. Cotto is waiting for either Oscar De La Hoya or the Floyd Mayweather-Ricky Hatton winner. Beating any of those three would skyrocket him up the list!5. Juan Diaz (33-0) Diaz is another quickly rising American star. Diaz was very impressive in dominating IBF champion Julio Diaz. Juan also made a name for himself by forcing Acelino Freitas to quit on his stool while seizing his WBO belt last April. Diaz has the WBA, WBO, and IBF belts and is clearly the number one fighter at 135 pounds. He is set for what should be an exciting fight against all action and fellow undefeated fighter Michael Katsidis.6. Ivan Calderon (30-0) This world class boxing machine made 11 defenses of his strawweight title before moving up to 108 pounds and handing WBO and linear junior flyweight champion Hugo Cazares his first loss since 1999. This defensive expert has made just about all of his opponents look bad over 12 rounds (scoring only 6 knockouts along the way). Calderon recently defeated WBC and WBO Latino junior flyweight champion Juan Esquer by unanimous decision.7. Joan Guzman (28-0) Guzman just scored an impressive victory on HBO over Humberto Soto, who was arguably the most rejuvenated fighter in the world. Guzman has a world of talent and incredibly fast hands. Guzman also dominated world champion Jorge Barrios, Javier Jauregui, and the late Agapito Sanchez. I would love to see Guzman fight Manny Pacquiao because I think Guzman can push him, but the politics of boxing will probably prevent the fight from happening.8. Chris John (40-0-1) Although John has fought mostly in obscure Indonesia, he is easily the best featherweight in the world. John has a unanimous decision victory over top 5 pound for pound Juan Manuel Marquez. John has also defeated former champ Derrick "Smoke" Gainer. John is a very good boxer, but will have a hard time moving up the list unless he gets up to 130 pounds where there is a world of talent.9. Edwin Valero (22-0) Valero is currently adding to his cult following in America. Undefeated with all knockouts, Valero impressively stopped his first 18 opponents IN THE FIRST ROUND! The current WBA super featherweight king won his title after trading knock downs with Vicente Mosquera before stopping him in the tenth. Valero's biggest problem, aside from weak competition, so far is his United States Medical suspension. Valero was hurt in a motorcycle accident and failed a brain scan that is preventing him from fighting in America.10. Ruslan Chagaev (23-0-1) "The White Tyson," as he is improperly nicknamed, is coming off a shocking victory over 7 foot Russian giant Nikolay Valuev (who was 46-0 and had the WBA belt). Chagaev also defeated former world champion John Ruiz and handed highly ranked Vladimir Virchis his only loss. Chagaev may be stuck waiting for fights to fall into place as he blew a unification bout with Sultan Ibragimov due to an illness. Chagaev is scheduled to defend his title against Matt Skelton in January.11. Chad Dawson (25-0) This supremely talented southpaw opened a lot of eyes with his dominant victory over then undefeated WBC light heavyweight champion Tomasz Adamek. Dawson also defeated former world champion Carl Daniels, and long time contender Eric Harding. Dawson was denied a unification fight against Antonio Tarver, but does have a title defense scheduled in April against former champion Glen Johnson.12. Paul Williams (33-0) Williams was the only man willing to face Antonio Margarito and he made the most of his opportunity. Williams used his classic volume punching to hand the long time WBO welterweight champion only his second loss since 1996. Williams, who also dominated former champion Sharmba Mitchell, is scheduled to face Kermit Cintron on February 2, but that fight may fall apart due to Cintron's hand injury against Jesse Feliciano.13. Arthur Abraham (25-0) IBF middleweight champion Arthur Abraham is coming off a knockout of the year quality stoppage of top ranked contender Khoren Gevor in August. Abraham generated some talk with his controversial victory over Edison Miranda. Miranda broke Abraham's jaw in the fifth round, but battled back for a decision victory and then spent over a week in the hospital from his injuries. In addition, Abraham defeated long time contenders Howard Eastman, Shannon Taylor, and Kofi Jantuah. Abraham recently knocked out British champ Wayne Elcock. Abraham hopes to come to America and face Kelly Pavlik.14. Lucian Bute (21-0) Canada's top fighter is coming off an impressive stoppage of power punching monster Alejandro Berrio where he picked up the IBF super middleweight belt. Bute also handily defeated Contender season 3 champion/world title challenger Sakio Bika this summer on ESPN. With Calzaghe likely moving up to light heavyweight, look for Bute to pick up another belt15. Sultan Ibragimov (22-0-1) Ibragimov obtained the quickest knockout in a main event at Madison Square Garden when he stopped Javier Mora in 46 seconds of the first round. After winning the WBO heavyweight title by defeating Shannon Briggs, Ibragimov won his first title defense on his home turf in Russia against former champion Evander Holyfield. Ibragimov is scheduled to face IBF and IBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko in a unification bout in February.Honorable Mention: Jorge Linares, Zsolt Erdei, Alexander Povetkin, Marco Huck, John Duddy, Joachim Alcine, Steve Molitor, Wladimir Sidorenko, and Sergiy Dzinziruk
