Hey Floyd Mayweather...
I watch boxing. It’s not the norm for women to like a blood sport, but I do.
I got hooked when Oscar De La Hoya, the Golden Boy, was fighting. He was long, lean and good looking and never got a gory cut on his face, so it was easy to watch. Then I began watching more and more fights with my husband and got hooked.
Now, I’m no expert commentator on boxing, but I’m going to weigh in on Floyd Mayweather Jr., who dismantled Shane Mosley in a fight at the MGM Grand on Saturday that broke my heart. I really wanted Mosley to sock “Money” Mayweather Jr. in the nose a few times, knock the wind out of the guy’s huge sail and quiet the “cash-cow.”
I don’t know what happened to Mosley out there, but it was not pretty. It was downright frustrating. Mosley looked feeble, nervous and nowhere near the boxer he normally is. He is the Welter Weight Champion of the World! And Saturday night he got hammered.
Despite two big punches thrown in the second round, he couldn’t measure up to his belt. I guess those 16 months off took their toll. Yes, I know, he must be crying all the way to the bank with his $7 million dollars and share in the TV revenues.
I just wanted him to give Mayweather Jr. a good fight and slip into retirement with a bang. He didn’t exactly have to win, but if he could’ve just landed a few good power punches, I would have been happy.
Don’t get me wrong. I know Mayweather Jr. is an incredible fighter. I appreciate his talent, I do. I just want to humble him a little bit. I’m sick and tired of watching him swagger and sing his own praises. It’s so distracting.
His father and his uncle taught him his orthodox defensive stance where he utilizes the shoulder roll, but they didn’t teach him any humility. There has to come a time when you display a little respect for other opponents and shut your mouth about how great you are.
I was taught to be humble, so all of his braggart irks me. It’s unattractive. We know how great you are “Money” Mayweather. You don’t have to remind us every single second.
And by the way, in today’s economy, calling yourself “Money” and playing the “For the Money” theme song with fake bill confetti fluttering to the ground when you walk into the ring is in poor taste. Good for you! You just earned $22.5 million dollars for this fight. You have lots of money Mayweather. You have “private jets.” But a lot of us don’t. A lot of us fly coach.
Manny Pacquiao, left, packs a wallop. (AP file photo)
Unfortunately, this chatter isn’t likely to stop until someone beats him in the ring. And the only person qualified is Manny Pacquiao. There are a lot of complications to getting this matchup scheduled. Mayweather Jr. wants a blood test from Pacquiao before the bout to rule out any performance enhancers and Pacquiao won’t do it within 24 days of the fight for fear of it weakening him (though he appears to be softening his stance). I get it. Pacquiao is smaller and claims that losing blood before a fight puts him at a disadvantage. But I bet those millions of dollars they will both earn will help them smooth everything out.
Eventually, this fight is going to happen. And after careful analysis of last Saturday’s fight, as a layperson, I want to give some pointers to Pacquiao before he goes out there so he stands a chance.
First, do some calisthenics on your left ear. Lift some weights with that lobe! Get some muscle on there because Mayweather is going to rub his thick head all over it. It’s got to be able to defend itself. Second, practice avoiding his right forearm that will be lodged in your neck right before he slams you with a punch. That forearm will be at your neck for a majority of the fight so find a combination that will get you out of it. Third, practice holding your breath. The forearm-elbow choke that Mayweather applies is hard to recover from, but if you work up your no air tolerance, you will be sharp under attack.
Pacquiao, “Eye of the tiger!”
And Mayweather, take heed of this lesson from Greek mythology, the story of Icarus and his father Daedalus.
Daedalus built Icarus and himself wings made of wax and feathers in order to escape the Labyrinth to freedom. Daedalus taught Icarus everything he knew about flying and before alighting, Daedalus told Icarus not to fly too high, to fly with prudence otherwise the sun would melt the wax on his wings.
Icarus, however, didn’t listen. He thought he was invincible, close to Godliness. Once those wings were fastened he became so full of himself, nothing could stop him. He was so arrogant; he was going to fly wherever he wanted. So he climbed and climbed and climbed closer to the sun and just as his father warned, the wax within his wings was rendered into a useless liquid. The wings fell to pieces and Icarus descended from the sky…
Mayweather, don’t be like Icarus. Otherwise, Pacquiao just might be the one to melt your wings.