06.06.08 – By Yero moody: As many of you know, who have read my previous articles, that I have always been and will continue to be an avid supporter of great boxers. In my humble opinion, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is the best boxer of this generation. While I do not agree with or like his out of the ring antics, or his seemingly arrogant behavior.. It remains clear why he is the number one pound for pound fighter in the world. No other fighter brings the complete array of skills that he brings into the ring. If this retirement turns out to be final I wish him the best as well as his many fans and family members.
At first I was a bit baffled and caught off guard when I read that Mayweather announced his retirement earlier today. Then I began to ponder why he would do such a thing at such a pivotal point in his career. He seems to be right at the point where he can transcend from a great fighter to a truly legendary fighter. With possible huge fights ahead such as the rematch with Oscar De La Hoya (that was tentatively scheduled for September of this year), facing the winner of Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito or a rematch with Ricky Hatton, I asked why retire now?
Two possibilities entered my mind:
1.) By retiring now it would force De La Hoya to pick a new opponent for September which would probably be the winner of the Margarito vs. Cotto fight in July. I strongly feel that Mayweather believes, as do I, that De La Hoya can defeat both Cotto and Margarito even at this stage of his career. Mayweather knows that this will make people really want to see the rematch between he and De La Hoya while simultaneously clearing up all doubt about what level Margarito and Cotto truly are at. The question of who is better between Margarito and Cotto will be answered in July and if De La Hoya beats the winner of that fight no one in their right mind would question a rematch between Mayweather and De La Hoya. Remember, De La Hoya says he is fighting three fights in 2008 and retiring for good. He’s already fought one fight against Steve Forbes in May which leaves two more fights. The winner of Cotto vs. Margarito in September and Mayweather in December.
2.) Mayweather truly is retiring at this point in time and is being honest about why. Perhaps he is going through personal matters that are more important to him than boxing is at this time. Can you imagine the true hurt he must feel being estranged from his father? The Mayweather family disputes have been like soap opera dramas being played out for all the world to see. For Mayweather, Jr. to stay as focused as he has on boxing without losing with all the family issues he has is quite impressive. That has got to takes its toll on a family and all of its members. Every human being has more than one dimension and Floyd Mayweather, Jr is no different.
No one really knows the real reason why Mayweather has announced his second retirement. I happen to believe it’s reason #1. Mayweather truly wants to be remembered as the best. In order to do that he is going to have to leave no questions unanswered. If my theory is correct and plays out like I think it will, the rematch between De La Hoya and Mayweather would be a megafight like no other. No one will be calling for him to face Cotto or Margarito before facing De La Hoya in this scenario because De La Hoya would’ve already beaten the better of the two and with one fight left who better to fight than Mayweather?
Of course for those die hard Mayweather haters, and believe me there are plenty, expect them to still claim that Mayweather “needs” to fight Cotto or Margarito and some would say both. Don’t get me wrong, as a fan I would love to see him fight one or both of them before retiring. I’m just not foolish enough to state that he would “need” to fight one or both of them before retiring if the scenario I just proposed plays out. It has to end somewhere. Let’s say Cotto beats Margarito in July and goes on to face De La Hoya in September. If De La Hoya proves to be the better fighter by beating Cotto, which I truly believe he is, and loses to Mayweather again what does that make Mayweather? I’ll leave you to ponder that question and I welcome all your responses.
Thank you for reading.