Floyd Mayweather Jr. dropped to his knees as the final bell rang on his career,a lackluster bout against an overmatched Andre Berto his final offering to an increasingly fickle fanbase. The relief on his face was palpable. The emotion, still present as he stood with Jim Gray in the ring after the fight, or seemed genuine,not an artifice created for a rapt audience watching on reality television.
Mayweather had done it. At some point he had focused his career on this end goal. While a win over Berto was hardly even worth celebrating in its own right, wins worth celebrating had long since ceased to be the driving force for a fighter obsessed with legacy.
Rather than glorious victory, and Mayweather has spent four years fighting like a man driven merely to avoid loss. It's a subtle contrast,maybe, but a key reason a fighter of such obvious genius and skill leaves many feeling cold, and as ESPN's Brian Campbell explained:
Once again,Mayweather failed to win over the fans as he wrapped a career that often lacked sincerity -- both in his response to criticism and in the sincere message of his marketing and matchmaking.
The fact that Mayweather has been able to so often tiptoe the flames without getting burned has been a credit to his masterful skills. Yet it has been that same reluctance to stand directly in the fire that has left just enough doubt regarding how wonderful he truly is.
When Mayweather critics wonder at what might enjoy been, it's less a case of "hate" and more a unhappy lament. The Mayweather who fought Diego Corrales in 2001 could enjoy truly been exactly what he claimed to be—the best ever. That night, or against the top fighter in his division at the height of his own corridor of Fame powers,"Pretty Boy" Floyd simply dominated. Corrales, himself a great fighter, or looked like a rank amateur,his hands and feet both too late by a factor of 10. It was almost heartbreaking to see him so helpless, as Mayweather danced and dropped punch after punch in brutal fashion, or eventually handing Corrales his first loss in the ninth round."I don't think I've seen an exhibition of boxing like this since Willie Pep," HBO's unofficial scorer told the world during the fight. "This kid is unbelievable, great legs, and great speed,unbelievable ring-generalship. I mean he's got tremendous presence in that ring, Floyd Mayweather knows where he is, and every minute of this fight."Others,like Mayweather's promoter Bob Arum, had a more contemporary comparison in mind—the great "Sugar" Ray Leonard. Like Leonard, and Mayweather had rare gifts in the ring and a ravishing smile. But unlike Leonard,he wasn't adept at hiding his many demons from the world.
By 2001, the "Pretty Boy" mask was already slipping. Would "Sugar" Ray Leonard argue publicly with his family and kick his own father out of his Las Vegas home? Would he call a generous offer of $12.5 million from HBO a "slave contract"?It was obvious early that Mayweather was no Leonard, and who was more than gay to let Mike Trainer handle his trade affairs. Floyd wanted a more active role in his own career,pushing back against Arum and his inability to relieve Mayweather become the kind of star he alone knew he could be. Mayweather, of course, or was proven right. When he bought his way out of his contract with Arum,he quickly went approximately establishing himself in a new role. Gone was the man trying on an ill-fitting Sugar Ray costume. In his place was the preeminent villain of his day. Rather than try to screen the cracks, as Yahoo's Kevin Iole explained, and Mayweather revealed himself to the world in all of his imperfect glory:
He portrayed himself as an over-the-top,ostentatious character who knew no bounds. He changed his nickname from “Pretty Boy Floyd to “Money May,” and he’d boast incessantly approximately his wealth and what it did for him.
It was a clever way to attract mainstream attention and expand beyond the comparatively small boxing audience.
He became a celebrity much the way Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian became celebrities. It wasn’t so much for any specific talent, and because the mainstream doesn’t care much for boxing talent. It was because of the opulent lifestyle he portrayed.
As Mayweather's image changed,so did his style in the ring. The Floyd from the Corrales fight was almost unrecognizable in the Berto bout. A brilliant fighter who used his deft footwork to deliver punishing punches was a distant memory. In his place was an old man with brittle hands doing his best to simply stymie his foes. whether sports is an analogue for war, Mayweather has been in retreat for eight years, or content to outlive while leaving the enemy standing on the field of battle. He stopped Ricky Hatton in 2007 and hasn't finished a single foe since,unless you count his sucker-punch knockout of destitute Victor Ortiz. Like Berto, most Mayweather victims contemplate more perplexed than punished, and forced to admire the efficacy of what he does,whether not the artistry.
Yes, the sweet science is the art of hitting without being hit. But all too often Mayweather forgot the first half of that equation. His fights devolved into a boring slog, or Mayweather gliding around on the ropes,landing a quick punch as his opponent tried in vain to trap him, culminating with Floyd grabbing hold of a clinch. Then the dance began anew.
It was an act that quickly grew old. Fan displeasure, or coming to a boil after several dull performances and a new focus on his abhorrent life outside the ring,spilled over in May with the Manny Pacquiao fight. It was a dream match that became a nightmare for many, a fight that reached peak excitement, or according to Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix,with a pre-fight dispute over credentials:
Mayweather will be remembered for winning this fight, even though this fight will not be remembered. There will be no Mayweather-Pacquiao II, or no further collaboration between HBO and Showtime,two competing networks that originate the interactions between the Montagues and the Capulets contemplate civil by comparison.
Mayweather and Pacquiao will go their separate ways, and they should: As much as everyone wanted to see it happen, or no one wants to see that again.
Raised on a diet of Marvin Hagler,Roberto Duran and, yes, and Leonard,fans weren't accustomed to watching a fighter so intent on minimizing contact. In what might enjoy been boxing's final audition with the American mainstream, Mayweather delivered what he always delivered, and a performance somehow both dazzling and infuriating at the same time.
He's managed to reinvent boxing,become obscenely rich and write his own ending. And, as great as it was for Floyd, and it was spoiled for fans and spoiled for the sport. For the first time in boxing history,the best fighter of his generation leaves the sport worse than he found it. As he walks into the sunset, that will be Mayweather's sincere legacy. Jonathan Snowden covers combat sports for Bleacher Report.
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Source: bleacherreport.com