MAY 4th - What Were You Expecting?



On this day in 2013, Floyd Mayweather defeated Robert Guerrero by unanimous decision. I didn’t see the fight, but I would put money on the fact that it was boring. Not Money Mayweather money, because I don’t have that much money (not many people do), but money nonetheless. All of Mayweather’s fights are boring. But after beating Pacquiao on the 2nd, he is now 48-0. And he was best paid athlete in 2014, so why would he change? Because people don’t like him? I don't think he cares. $180 million for 36 minutes of work will do that. People were severely disappointed about the fight last weekend, but I wonder how many of them had ever seen Mayweather fight. The fight went exactly the way he wanted it to go. Floyd doesn’t knock anybody out. At least not often. He doesn’t string together beautiful combinations or show relentless reckless resolve. He’s not Sugar Ray or Marvelous Marvin or Tommy Hearns. He evades and jabs. And it’s really boring to watch. Couple that with the fact that he dictates the terms of all his fights and has been arrested seven times for domestic violence, and that makes him one of the most hated fighters ever. Deservedly so. He probably should be in jail. And he picked on Larry Merchant. But the real reason people hate him is because he is boring. Perhaps if he were insanely likable out of the ring he would have more fans. But boxing fans, the few that are left, don’t enjoy watching a fight where very little happens over the course of twelve rounds. And when Mayweather fights, not much happens. He's a boring, smart, conservative tactician in the ring. So fast he makes everybody miss. This is not a new development. So I don't know what people expected. He's fought 47 times before this and won the majority of them in the same way. Yes, it was boring as hell. But so was his last fight of the century when he was ten years younger and outboxed an aging De La Hoya. He won’t change. Win 49 will be the same damn thing. All you can hope for is that someone with some power catches a sliver of an opening and puts him on his ass. And for the sake of boxing, I hope it happens. But I’m not holding my breath. Unless somebody can make Larry Merchant 50 years younger.

This day has been Marked.

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