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| Floyd Mayweather (R) dominates Canelo Alvarez at the MGM Grand on Saturday, September 14th, 2013. |
Floyd Mayweather showed his brilliance. Jab, jab jab right
down the pipe of the guard(?) of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, who clearly still has
potential, but is simply no where near the same planet that “Money” Mayweather
is currently on. Domination, round after round. Every time there was slight
pressure from the 23 year old Mexican who has been straggled along by Golden
Boy, Mayweather evaded, confidently escaping any potential harm. He claims to
have dislocated his left shoulder. This is the second consecutive fight where
he fought with injury (i.e. Robert Guerrero and a broken hand). Yet for some
reason, as I watched with friends and family, I knew one thing: if it was not
for me encouraging tonight’s fight down their throats, none of them would watch
it. None of them would even know of Canelo, who my mother hilariously called
“Connor” because she thought he was Irish. This is the story of what is to
come. Will those who are just being exposed to pay-per-view Boxing for the
first time want to return? Will they dig into their pockets in the year 2013,
where the unemployment rate in the United States this past month was 7.3%?
For those of us who love the Mayweathers and the
Rigondeaux’s, we question what could be next for Mayweather. Here’s one avenue
of thought, go to ESPN.com’s boxing rankings. Search from junior welterweight
(140 pounds) to junior middleweight (154). Here are the bouts the moderate
Boxing fan may want to see…
Jr Welterweight
- Lucas
Matthysse
o Just
lost to Danny “Swift” Garcia on Floyd’s undercard. Floyd proved against Canelo
that power punchers cannot find him and if you try to outbox him he’ll send you
home frustrated. Not going to happen.
- Danny
Garcia
o Just
solidified the best win of his career. Showed as much defensively as
offensively. Could win more rounds than Canelo. My take (Larry David voice),
“Sure why not!”
- Mike
Alvarado
o No.
- Brandon
Rios:
o If
he beats Pacquiao, maybe, just maybe. Until then: no.
- Lamont
Peterson
o No.
- Amir
Khan
o No.
Welterweight
- Juan
Manuel Marquez
o Marquz
is hot after sending Manny Pacquiao into a coma. If he beats Bradley, well good
for him. Fact is, we have already seen his true colors vs Floyd in 2009. In
short: no.
- Timothy
Bradley
o The
only reason you would want to see Mayweather fight Bradley is if you despise
“Desert Storm.”
o Quick
note: Floyd’s nickname is “Money.” When one of the two fighters on pay-per-view
do not represent that term, it’s uninteresting. Enough said, not happening.
- Adrien
Broner
o Will
absolutely never happen
- Devon
Alexander
o Uninterested
after his lackadaisical performance against Randall Bailey. Sure he knocked out
some guy named Purdy, who came in overweight, and who also has the same last
name as my high school gym teacher. Quick answer: Nah, I’m good.
Jr Middlewieght
- Austin
Trout
o Trout
was a tough customer for Canelo Alvarez, who if your name is not CJ Ross, you
had Mayweather pitching a shutout. While Trout is a very nice opponent,
headlining him against Mayweather is not a fan-friendly affair.
- Miguel
Cotto
o See
Cinco de Mayo, ’12.
- Erislandy
Lara
o Good
boxer, showed myself and “The Cool Out’s” Britton Hardin a lot when he rallied
to beat Alfredo Angulo in Carson, California. Still it would be a snooze fest.
Manny Pacquiao
Yes the man deserves his own special little section with his
name in bold. Pacquiao faces Brandon
Rios since he was knocked unconscious against Juan Manuel Marquez in their 4th
affair. Can the mega-fight between Floyd and Manny happen? Absolutely. If he
beats Rios by decision, of course I’ll watch. If he wins by knockout, that will
only sweeten the deal for Mayweather.
Recently on TYTSports you saw myself, Britton Hardin
(youtube.com/TheCoolOut) and R.A. the Rugged Man, legendary hip-hop artist from
New York and big Boxing fan. We talked many subjects, including Floyd-Manny.
R.A. made the strongest point of all; the fight should have happened years ago.
My viewing pleasure will be blinded during those 36 minutes of action, but
afterward, it being a one-sided match, I will still have the thought in the
back of my mind: why couldn’t Top Rank and Mayweather Promotions put down their
swords, FOR THE FANS? The fight will be good, I will certainly watch, but after
the final bell rings and the majority decision goes to Mayweather, we as Boxing
fans will all have a sour taste in our mouths, knowing that the biggest bout in
the sport’s history should have already occurred.
So Who Should Floyd
Fight Next?
My short list is below in no particular order.
- Manny
Pacquiao
- Danny
Garcia
- Sergio
Martinez
- Gennady
Golovkin (Robert Ecksel’s pick)
Before you say (Stephen A. Smith voice) “BLASPHEMY!
BLASPHEMY!” let’s just have fun but also be true to the argument at hand. Floyd
Mayweather has made the best competition for the last 17 years look at times amateur.
He is a great champion, but now is the time to prove he belongs in the argument
with Sugar Ray Robinson as the greatest boxer of all-time. Step up to fights
that are unimaginable to the most loyal fans of the sport. Fight Sergio
Martinez, albeit he has suffered injury after injury. A win at a catch-weight
will silence the Mayweather naysayers saying he has not fought the best. Fight
GGG and dispel the myths of the Kazakh fighter being elite. If he fights these
two AND wins, there is no doubt that counter-arguments to Mayweather doubters
will be on-point and precise. Go for the big wins. Push the envelope with your
competition. Prove you are the best.
