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Saturday night in Miami Florida, the boxing world witnessed one of its leading men take center stage and put on a crowd pleasing performance; Floyd Mayweather Jr., by far one of the best fighters in the world -if not the best- as he gave an almost flawless performance against a game and stubborn Henry Bruseles. Floyd made it look like a walk in the park. You could actually count the clean punches landed by Bruseles; there were only three that landed and appeared to have bad intentions on them.
In the words commonly used by HBO commentator Jim Lampley Floyd Jr. had a virtuoso performance. I have been watching Floyd Jr. all my life and these type of nights no longer surprise me; these are the things I always knew so long ago that he was capable of. Long before he ever became a professional fighter, long before he even won his first amateur title; to be honest, long before he even threw his first punch in a n actual fight. He was being groomed and taught long before he was even old enough to compete in an actual fight; by the time he was five all these things the boxing world has become so impressed by and watch in awe, I saw these things come to fruition.
To be honest, when Floyd Jr. puts on these type of performances I'm no longer shocked, it's what he is supposed to do in my opinion. I'm shocked when I see him in a real fight, where he has to dig down and grind for a win. Seeing Floyd struggle in a fight is like watching old footage of Muhammad Ali when he was Cassius Clay not talking or watching Joe Louis not be humble or gracious no matter the outcome of the fight.
Floyd is one of those special fighters that come along every 10 years or so. He's a little troubled outside of the ring but his talent is undeniable. We, as fight fans, should appreciate him now because one day his name will be spoken alongside of great fighters, long after his career is over, and we will have been able to witness his performances either on television or in person. Because one day -as is the case with all great fighters- that day will come when Floyd Jr. stays too long. One day he will look across the ring and coming out of the opposite corner will be a guy that will have those same special talents that he once possessed and won him the world title, made him one of the best in his era and possibly in the history of boxing. He will do to Floyd Jr. what Floyd Jr. has done to so many others he has faced throughout his career. It will be like a time capsule, when you hear two guys disputing about fighters from their era fighting a guy from the present. Those arguments are merely conversation because there is no real answer to the question, since a guy from 1930 could never fight a guy from 2005 unless you're playing Play Station.
I guess I speak on this because I witnessed so many changes with in my nephew. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. I watched him go from being a nice, sweet, innocent kid who would love to come to Vegas and hang out with his uncles. I remember how my brother Roger and myself would graciously tell anyone willing to listen that Floyd Jr. would be one of the best fighters in the history of the sport one day, and not just the best of the Mayweathers.
I saw the sudden change in him when he felt he had become his own man and started to surround himself with a group of guys that laughed at everything he said and said yes to everything he did. I saw him go from where he could have been the next Sugar Ray Leonard, when the boxing world loved him, and when he flashed that smile it really meant something. I saw the drastic changes in his behavior and go from the guy who was a potential superstar to a guy that can hardly sell tickets in any arena at all. I saw a young man confused and misled about his value as a fighter, a young man who kept putting his foot in his mouth. So many things have happened yet, through it all, his ability to fight has always been his best asset. In the ring he appears at peace, the ring is his sanctuary. He's still young enough to hopefully turn things around and reclaim all the accolades he rightfully deserves. Maybe he will, maybe he won't, but one thing is for sure, you have to be honest with yourself and say, "Damn that kid can fight!"
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© Copyright / All Rights reserved: Doghouse Boxing 1998-2005
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By Jeff Mayweather (January 24, 2005) 
