Mayweather
must gain a pound to be the best
Mario
Burciaga
He’s fast. He’s strong.
He’s quick to the punch. The
action packed Floyd Mayweather Jr.
is certainly entertaining to watch.
But boxing analysts are also too fast in labeling Mayweather as the best pound-for-pound
boxer in the world.
Mayweather is recognized as the best boxer in the world only because there
aren’t other prominent standouts in the 140-pound and 147-pound divisions
therefore he’s recognized as the best by default.
The lack of competition is not a reason for Mayweather to be declared the best.
The lack of competition is a reason for Mayweather to go out, fight the best
and prove himself. In his weight division right now, being recognized as the
best says nothing.
Who has he beaten? Except for Don King’s frontrunner Zab Judah — Diego
Corrales, Luis Castillo and Arturo Gatti are known boxers but they’re
not a serious threat.
Sure Mayweather has lots of potential, but being labeled the best pound-for-pound
boxer makes me want to go in the ring with him. The lack of talent and the
obvious mismatch wouldn’t make a difference between me and the mediocre
challengers Mayweather has been fighting.
To this day, Mayweather has not been in the ring with any first-rate boxers
simply because the weak division he is in does not attract any contenders.
It’s not that Mayweather stands out because he beat everyone in his division,
but because he’s the only one around.
After dominating the industry for years, a controversially scored fight against
Felix Trinidad and two against Shane Mosley, Oscar De La Hoya decided to make
extreme jump to 154 lbs. and get in the ring with Bernard Hopkins, but he lost.
Of course the 154 pounds division was not anywhere near his natural weight
class but he accepted the challenge and for that he is respected throughout
the world.
Roy Jones Jr. has done the same throughout his professional boxing career.
Once a middleweight, Jones is now a light-heavyweight and has been a champion.
Mayweather needs to conquer this feat in order to really start opening eyes
because what he has done does not impress me.
Realistically, I would take Winky Wright, Jermaine Taylor over the “Pretty
Boy.”
Not to take anything away from Mayweather, but he must gain a few pounds in
order to be the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world. Once Mayweather bouts
with a few big names and wins, then I can certainly agree to him being the
best. Until then I declare Wright the top-rank boxer.
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