Floyd Mayweather is known to turn a phrase and has
described himself as "greatest of all-time," "pound-for-pound
king," and "ultimate entertainer."
A case could be made for the first two self-given
monikers after his dominant win over Robert Guerrero at the MGM Grand Garden
Arena on Saturday, but the third was proven an utter fallacy. Ultimate
entertainment this was not, due to both Mayweather's total dominance and his
defense-oriented gameplan.
Toward the end of the fight boos could be heard from the
crowd, yells of "boring" raining down from different sections of the
arena. By the midway point of the final round, many had voted with their feet,
making their way up to the exits with their backs turned to the ring.
While Mayweather had too much class for a game but
overmatched Guerrero, the lack of drama and absence of a knockout was not enough
to appease some, who'd clearly hoped for more thrills and spills in exchange
for tickets priced in the high hundreds or low thousands.
"All I want to do is give the fans exciting
fights," Mayweather said. "I feel bad I didn't give the fans the
knockout. I was looking for it."
The boos were somewhat harsh, whatever way you look at
it. Yahoo! Sports scored the bout 119-109, giving Guerrero just a single round,
while the judges ruled the contest 117-111. It was a mauling, a blowout and
deconstruction of a four-weight world champion.
It is not Mayweather's fault that he doesn't have the
kind of current opposition who may bring out the best in him; though that has
to be qualified by the reality that he wields executive and supreme power over
his choice of opponents and cherry-picks contenders he feels will pose no
threat.
Similarly, it is hard to fault a man who prioritizes his
personal safety.
With five fights now left in his contract, and likely his
career, his legacy will partly be shaped by his performances in the bouts that
follow. A perception that his fights are boring could certainly harm the
fondness with which he is remembered in the fight game, if not his place on the
all-time rankings.
Boxing needs showmanship and electric performances more
than ever, and the public audience may start to feel that the flamboyance and
flashiness should extend further than the obligatory all-access shows and into
the ring.
Changing his fight style would not only be a shift in
tactics for Mayweather, it would represent a fundamental shift in his boxing
philosophy.
With foot speed that enables him to skip out of the way
of most punches thrown at him, he may be hard-pressed to convince himself to
stand in the pocket and willingly receive punishment merely to please the audience.
"The less you get hit in the sport, the longer you
last," he said. "We've got five more to go. Let's do it."
Another night, another fight, another routine victory for
Floyd Mayweather. But with the commitment of a $200 million Showtime deal, this
contest, and the crowd's reaction to it, will give him some food for thought.
(Source)