Mailbag: All about Floyd
You can follow Kevin Iole on Twitter at @KevinI
Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s victory over Shane Mosley on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena silenced many, but not nearly all of his critics. In this week's edition of the boxing mailbag, I'll address a slew of issues surrounding the big fight, as well as assess a reader's drug-testing plan that will hopefully get Mayweather into the ring with Manny Pacquiao soon. It's pretty much all Mayweather all the time these days as we delve into the mailbag to see what the readers were thinking.
I am getting tired of getting my boxing news from Yahoo! Sports. There is a constant tirade against boxing and a lot of hoopla for mixed martial arts (the UFC in particular). That starts to make me think there is a hidden agenda here. Martin Rogers writing that the Mayweather-Mosley fight was lackluster when, in my opinion, it was one of the most technically proficient fights in history, is ridiculous. I am one of those that do not consider that a contact sport must necessarily have a testosterone atmosphere of big belly guys shouting, insulting and craving for raw violence for it to be successful. Then there is the constant tirade that MMA gets the fights done that boxing cannot, but the UFC won't allow its fighters to compete against those from other promotions. But Yahoo! Sports keeps perpetuating this myth, like you writing that if Mayweather-Pacquiao does not take place the sport is dead (and I haven't heard you say the same about a Fedor Emelianenko-Brock Lesnar fight). You have to agree that at least seems strange.
Alonso
Washington
Alonso, I would disagree that there's a tirade against boxing. And while I'll address Martin's column from Saturday and the last line of mine, let me make a point: I love boxing passionately. But I also want to see the sport run professionally. And one of my major crusades is to point out the hypocrisy of the sanctioning bodies. In MMA, a fighter doesn't have to pay a percentage of his purse just for the right to fight for the title. That is true in boxing. Take Mayweather on Saturday. He chose not to fight for Mosley's World Boxing Association welterweight belt. You want to know why? It would have cost him $675,000 to do so. The WBA charges a 3 percent sanction fee and Mayweather's purse was a guaranteed $22.5 million. I think that is horrendous and the fighter gets very little in exchange. And when they do win belts, they're frequently stripped for odd political reasons.
I agree with you, Alonso, about Martin's column. I told him I disagreed with his premise and I explained why, but he felt strongly. I'd rather a columnist write what he/she believes than to write something to please. And the point of a column is, in part, to spark conversation and debate.
Finally, regarding my last line, I'll say that with the public overwhelmingly in favor of the fight, if it can't be reached because of a dispute over drug testing, it's a joke. And please note I said joke in my column, not dead. I do not believe that boxing is dead by a long shot.
And please check out the next letter for a different perspective. Thanks for reading and taking the time to write.
A waste of dough
The Mayweather-Mosley fight felt like it was a waste of money! The first two rounds seemed like Mosley actually had a shot against Mayweather. But then the fight changed dramatically and became a one-sided Mayweather jogging marathon. I was disappointed Mayweather didn't even knock him out when he clearly could have. Where was the Mosley from the Antonio Margarito fight? I say they should rematch.
Andre Cordova
Albuquerque, N.M.
It's up to each person to decide if they liked the fight or if it was a waste of money. But I vehemently disagree with you that Mayweather was running. He was moving forward and pushing Mosley back. Mosley wasn't the same fighter because he was fighting a far superior opponent to Margarito. Mayweather wasn't a slow, plodding fighter. He was quick and athletic and wasn't asking to be hit. But if you hated the fight as much as you suggest, why in the world would you want to see a rematch?
Floyd made a statement
Floyd says he doesn't care about the critics, but by being the aggressor against Mosley was he saying "Take that" to his critics? As a true boxing and Mayweather fan, I hate when people say he runs. I have watched every one of Mayweather fights – every one – and I can't find one where he runs. He sticks and moves, but he has never run like Oscar De La Hoya did in the final three rounds against Felix Trinidad. This perception exists because he doesn't get hit and he doesn't have one-punch knockout power.
Lamont Coleman
Newark, N.J.
I said in numerous interviews and in my column last week that I felt Floyd wanted the Mosley fight badly to shut up his critics. I agree with most of your points. He's had some less than scintillating fights, but if he's so good that no one can hit him cleanly, that's not his fault.
Mosley was gassed
What fight were you watching? It was clear that Mosley was completely gassed after the second round. Mayweather won this fight more on Mosley's lack of energy than his skills. I believe Mosley's next fight should be either against Andre Berto or Paul Williams. His next performance would be a good indicator of whether it was his age, time off from the ring (466 days), overtraining or making weight that were factors in his poor performance in the Mayweather fight. If he gives a strong performance against Berto or Williams, then he should invoke his rematch clause.
Dave S.
Miami
First off, Mosley does not have a rematch clause. Mayweather had one if he'd lost, but Mosley did not. The factors that made Mosley look bad weren't his age, or his layoff, or making weight. It was the man who was fighting him who was far better and who made him look bad. No one was saying before the fight that the layoff was an issue, though Mosley and trainer Naazim Richardson were asked repeatedly about its impact. And they didn't bring it up after the fight. Mosley was simply beaten by a better man.
Hey Kevin, what kind of statement did Floyd make, that he fought an old man? He didn't even knock Mosley out. Come on! I used to love your column, but with this statement that you made in your interview with Larry Beil, come on. Floyd doesn't want to fight Pacquiao because if he loses, his price will drop. It's all about the money and he is scared. He's just a boastful dude.
Robert
South Carolina
Floyd is boastful and he does love his money. I disagree with you, though. He wants Pacquiao because that's the fight that gives him the best chance to define his legacy.
Did blood draws hinder Mosley?
The biggest obstacle for a potential Mayweather-Pacquiao fight is the drug-testing issue. I noticed on "24/7" that Mosley was tested right before going to Vegas but they didn't show Floyd being tested on that day. I know Mosley would not admit it being the classy guy that he is, but do you think the random blood testing played a factor in Mosley's disappearance after three rounds? He was clearly winded and didn't seem to have anything left after three rounds. Compare that to his fight with Margarito, who was more physical and who forced Mosley to throw more punches. Doctors say it should not affect performance, but most people are not like boxers and don't have to endure what a boxer does during a fight.
Joe
Little Ferry, N.J.
If it had a negative impact upon Mosley, wouldn't it make sense to say that it would have impacted Mayweather the same way? The testing was no issue. Both men were tested 12 times. The difference is that Mayweather is just the better fighter.
The numbers game
Hey, look at the numbers: Mayweather-Mosley had an attendance of 15,117 on Saturday, but Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto drew 15,470 in the same venue in November. And in March, Pacquiao and Clottey drew 50,994 to Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Can you analyze the impact of these numbers?
Ron
Laguna Niguel, Calif.
The final statistics won't be known for a few days on the Mayweather-Mosley fight, but the paid gate will be around $11 million. So even though the announced attendance was a few hundred lower than it was for the Pacquiao-Cotto fight, the paid gate will be several million higher. The Pacquiao-Cotto gate was $8.8 million. The Pacquiao-Clottey gate was not released, but was around $8 million. As Floyd would tell you, it's the money that matters.
Drug-testing plan
Here's a proposal for the Mayweather-Pacquiao drug testing protocol: Mayweather seems willing to accept a window that closes within 7-14 days of the fight, Pacquiao a window of 21-24 days. How about a compromise, say somewhere around 17 days where up until that point there can be random blood and urine testing. Then, within the 17-day window up until the point of the fight, since Manny won't blood test, there could still be random urine testing AND there could be in place at both camps a 24-hour a day supervisor, someone, perhaps a USADA agent, with PED expertise who can monitor the fighters and their camps, and perhaps subject the fighters, their camps, their training and living quarters to random searches for PED paraphernalia. Immediately after the fight, both men could then take one final blood test. This scenario would solve the issue of Manny not wanting to blood test within two weeks of the fight, and should provide Floyd with enough assurance that Manny is not doping.
Robert
Cambridge, Mass.
They tried a similar compromise when they went to mediation in January, but it failed. I like your idea of a monitor. Let's see if the powers that be take notice.
