Defending the Floyd Mayweather Jr "Chip"

Defending the Floyd Mayweather Jr "Chip"

By Jason Petock, DoghouseBoxing (July 28, 2009)

It’s no secret that Floyd Mayweather Jr. is both the most beloved and hated character in professional boxing today. If you were to ask Floyd whether this distinction was acceptable or even relevant in his life, I would imagine that he would relish in his detractors hatred and bask in their ignorance. The reason I say ignorance is because no matter what side of the fence you tend to stand on in reference to Mayweather Jr. and his career, one thing is clear and that is that the man in a phenomenon. He can box your ears off, and he can back up everything he says. When a fighter has that much clout they tend to become a target. Fans cry foul because anyone you put in front of the man basically gets demolished. Love him or hate him, Floyd Mayweather Jr. is undefeated and he’s willing to make sure you remember that fact. Sometimes when a boxer is truly the best out there everyone resents him. Floyd Mayweather Jr. falls into this category unfortunately.

I’ll be honest with you here; I didn’t used to like Floyd for that very same reason. Fighters that I was a fan of and liked would get crushed under his leather in the ring. At first I couldn’t help but dislike him, but he represented everything that is actually great about professional boxing, and I came to realize that the only reason I didn’t like him as a fighter is because he beat all the fighters I liked. I disliked Oscar De La Hoya for the same reason, but with time and insight, and a true love for the sport of boxing, I realized that Floyd, much like De La Hoya, were just men doing their job and doing it proficiently, amazingly, and most importantly far better than the boxers who I admired. You have to swallow your pride and call it like you see it. Floyd Mayweather Jr. is one of the best fighters if not the best fighter of our generation. There is no question that he is the number one Pound-For-Pound fighter out there.

I agree with Mayweather and his having a “chip” on his shoulder and I’m going to tell you why. He has every right to have one. He’s stated that he no longer fights for bragging rights and he has a point. There is basically nothing left for Floyd to prove in the ring. He could drift off into the sunset still very young and very rich without a care in the world and a bank account that is overflowing. But that wouldn’t be fair to Floyd the boxer and it wouldn’t be fair to the fans who need to witness his brilliance in the ring once more. I admire and respect Floyd Mayweather Jr. for his boxing prowess and his defense of not only his career but the legend that he has built in its wake. I have read on message boards from fans that his fights are boring, which is a ridiculous assumption. It’s just that his skill level is so incredible and that the critics watching his bouts are so ill-versed and unknowledgeable about boxing that when any type of skill or mastery is displayed in the ring they find it boring.

You can’t help but tune into a Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight. His numbers and earnings over the year prove it. Even when someone who doesn’t like the fighter knows he has a fight coming up they’ll be sure to watch it. Deny him as you must, but Mayweather Jr. has to be one of the most accomplished and intelligent boxers of our generation that’s still in action today. He speaks his mind and gives fans a performance in the ring and we criticize him for it, which to me is a little selfish and discourteous. And I agree with him also about his comments about the UFC. I’ve actually been saying that for years about the UFC. Truth be told, they are unskilled and look ridiculous dry humping one another for 20 minutes. Boxing takes true discipline and true talent, not clown colored hair and a few lucky shots placed here and there. And you can quote me on that, I’ll always defend boxing and its fighters. Just remember that without boxing there would be no UFC. That’s enough on that circus; don’t want to give them any more press as it is.

Back to Mayweather. He has every right to have an enormous “chip” on his shoulder, and I’ve been watching his verbal sparring online with Brian Kenny which I find not only hilarious but entirely true from the angle of Floyd. He’s honest in what he says and he’s right, there are always excuses made by the press and media in regard to certain fights and who fights who. One guy fights another guy and they call the victor brilliant. But another fighter fights that very same guy and beats him and maybe they call the loser old, or past his prime. Judgments are passed down so frequently and persistently by writers who don’t really know boxing. Floyd Mayweather made an excellent point when he told Kenny that he doesn’t know anything about boxing, in a way he’s right. I have nothing against sports commentators but who are they, or we for that matter, any of us, to tell a fighter who he must fight or how well he did in our eyes? What right do we have? Isn’t that almost like trying to be somewhat elitist and talking out of your ass about something you haven’t experienced yourself? I think it is.

So if Floyd or any of his people are reading this, I support you man and everything you do in the ring. You made me a believer a long time ago, but I have to be honest here and tell you that I will be rooting for Marquez in your fight with him. I’ve been a fan of Marquez for awhile, and I wrote an article a few years back saying that I thought Marquez beat Pacquiao as well; it’s just that with time most people don’t acknowledge the truth. I knew Hopkins would school Pavlik too, even when no one wanted to listen. This doesn’t make me knowledgeable or better than anyone else, what it makes me is honest and a boxing fan. Nothing more. Best of luck in everything you do, I know I’ll be watching.

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Jason at:
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