Floyd Mayweather - why so negative?

Question

This forum is litered with negative comments and opinions about Mayweather, and I really don't understand; he is more like the old-time fighters so many of you rate so high.

1. "All he does is run away" - if running away was all it took to never get beat, I think there would have been a lot more career undefeated records. From a pure techincal stance, I can't think of a handful of fighters who have the book memorized as well as him. And its because he's probably invested more of himself into boxing than any other fighter you can name, he trains everyday and has for 20+ years, you never hear about him overweight or unprepared - his focus is what the old boxing fans always claim is lacking today.

2. "He's arrogant" - well so were most great fighters; I've never seen a bad word written about Ray Robinson here, and he was regarded as one of the most arrogant and difficult fighters ever - threatening to cancel fights the day before if he didn't get more $ - imagine if Floyd tried that

Answer 1

You couldn't be more right in your assertions.  What started it all was Mayweather's trash talk. See, simply being the best fighter in the world wasn't enough.  He had to talk junk to get noticed, and he's done that.  Before all this notoriety he got from his trash talk, he was considered a lesser-known, light hitting lightweight.

There is also something I call the "Larry Holmes purgatory of greatness".  It's when you turn a boxing match into an athletic contest instead of a fight, it's you when beat on a guy without letting him beat on you, it's when you don't let the crowd favorite knock you out.  It's when you do all the subtle things in boxing that makes all the difference.  It's when you pace yourself to go the distance instead of blowing all your energy in the first 6 rounds.  It's when all you do is win.

Answer 2

i personaly dont liek floyd because he talks alot of c**p and dont back it up. he said he was gonna give osca a beating ut what did he do just hit and run. and he aint no old time fighters cause old time fighters actually fought.

1. i dont like hes style of fighting. he pot shots hit s and runs if you like that kindsa action then thats you. i personaly like a good fight a boxer/puncher or a brawler who goes foward example (cotto,margarito,cintron,williams) and does are jsut guys in his division. but the hit and run thing is jsut boring. he needs to train everyday and alwyas be in shape because thats all he does in t he ring duh!!

2. hes more then arrogant. he talks out of his a$$. he puts boxers down his just an a$$ hole. ali talk S**t but he never put anyone down like mayweatehr does. joe louis, arguello and many otehrs werent arrogant adn they were greats.

like i said if you like a boring style boxer who talks too much then floyd is your boy. but maragarito is my favorite right now

Answer 3

Mayweather negative because he thinks he can't be beat in the ring.

Answer 4

its because the majority of you teenyboppers are blinded from the truth...and the truth is prettygirl fraud gayweather is the biggest coward 2 ever ware boxing gloves..and gayweather is protected by the refs and judges because she is the network favorite...before you pbf sympathizers get all your panties in a bunch im going to lay out some truth for you naive ppl,carlos baldomir is a over the hill bum with over 10 losses and 37 years old,balomir became champ at 147 after he put an upset on zab judah in january of 2006.and we all know judah is an alleycat that has almost been knocked by everybody,.baldomirs followup destruction of a war torn over the hill gatti six months later further raised his profile among the boxing public.so when mayweather cruised a unanimous decision over the over the hill baldomir later that year in november 2006 mayweather became the wbc welterweight champ,that was a year and a half ago.since than,floyd is yet  to fight a single rated welterweight and instead floyd cherrypicked to fight an over the hill de la homo at 154 and and an over rated bum named ricky fatton whom is a natural 140 pounder and ricky fatton got exposed by luis collazo another bum..mayweather is yet to be assigned a mandatory for his wbc 147 title.let alone face one..has mayweather done enough to secure his status as "the man" at 147?lets take a look at his resume since moving to welterweight;*nov.19th,2005:mayweather beats a completley shot sharmba mitchell via 6th round tko.this was a full year after mitchell was completley ruined by kosta tszyu in just 3 rounds.*apr 8th,2006:mayweather decisions zab judah,who just thee months earlier lost to a carrer journeyman baldomir,in a embarrising fashion.*nov 4th 2006 mayweather decisions baldomir in one of the most boring fights in recent history.the prettyboy was widely critized for the overly hyped bout and didnt deliver.lots of celebrity's and boxing fans left the arena even before the bout was over and prettyboy cried at the postfight and anounced his retiremant after he faces de la homo in may 07.*may 5th 2007:mayweather decisions de la homo for a jr middleweight paper title in a bout that failed again to live up to the hype the media put out on a show called 24/7.*dec 8th 2007:mayweather tko's the 140 pound champ ricky fatton..and real boxing aficionados know ricky fatton lost to a bum named luis collazo but ricky got a gift from the judges..but still ricky fatton was exposed and thats the reason why floyd took that fight..real boxing fans know floyd picks and chossses only fighters he knows he could beat..since than mayweather has been a crossway way star in the mainstream,having been on dances with the stars,wrestlemania,and talkshows.floyd is set to fight de la homo again in september 2008 in a pointless rematch nobody wants to see but its a finacial gain for both gayweather & de la homo..keep in mind by that time,mayweather will have held the 147 wbc strap for two years and he has not faced a single mandatory.its funny how these sancoining bodies work isnt it?every year we see legitamate champions with lesser names than money mayweather get stripped  of there title for not facing bogus mandatory's,while faces of boxing like money mayweather & goldenboy delahoya seem to be exempt.these two can avoid there mandatory's and not get threatened of getting stripped of there belts for not facing the top opponents in ther division.interesting indeed......lets see what miguel cotto has done since he moved to 147 at the end of 2006;cotto beat carlos quintana to win the wba title,cotto defended his title against mandatory oktay urkal(funny how cotto was quickly assigned a mandatory isnt it?)after cotto beat urkal cotto than knocked out judah;cotto than outboxed shane mosley(mosley is the man that beat delahomo twice)and just last weekend cotto koed gomez and cotto has a fight set against margarito in july 2008 antonio margarito is the man mayweather ducked  for a career high 8 million(the biggest purse for floyd at that time)instead floyd chose to pay a fine to get out of top rank and 6 months after that floyd would rather fight an over the hill baldy...compare cottos 6 fights in two years to mayweathers four.cotto has defended his 147 title 5 times compared to mayweathers one,and a madatory defense of said title for cotto,while mayweather is yet to even be assigned a mandatory..the sancioning bobies must be in mayweathers pocket for not assigning him a mandatory of a top welterweight...this july cotto vs margarito will unify alfabet titles,something mayweather has never done....i want to ask all you nutthuggers why hasnt mayweather unified the titles??and another thing mayweather should have 2 losses but because of the help from the corrut judges floyd gets gifts..here is one of the fights mayweather lost,compubox numbers dont lie,lermans card 115 to 111 win for castillo,foreman & merchant also had castillo beating mayweather by a mile http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2sZVx05B...

Answer 5

You make good points about Floyd.  I'm not a fan at all but his ability is unquestioned.  h**l, I didn't care for Leonard either but he is clearly one of the all-time greats.  

What makes me doubt Floyd a bit is that he has not really had that one big rival.  Roy Jones suffered from this as well.  It can be argued that his biggest wins against great fighters were against guys past their prime.  This is not his fault at all, but it's hard to measure his greatness against say, Leonard, who had foils like Benitez, Duran, Hearns and Haggler.  Although, I'll go to my grave believing that the Marvelous One won that fight.  I digress.....if Cotto gets past Margarito and then Floyd dominates Cotto, I'll be more convinced.

Answer 6

First of all I think that Floyd is incredibly talented with great boxing skills and speed and no doubt one of the best fighters to come along in the last few years.  No he does not hold the market in the arrogant department either as many before him and now are also arrogant.  He keeps himself in great condition and prepared without a doubt so I have no argument here so far with what you are saying.  I have seen him fight and I have seen the old time greats fight too back to Sugar Ray Robinson and with no disrespect intended towards Floyd, he could not beat any of them either skill wise or power wise.  If Floyd continues on and beats the very best out there for several more years especially undefeated then yes of course you have to give him respect.  He has beat Hatton and DeLaHoya among others but Hearns, Leonard, Duran, and Robinson are in a different league when he tells everybody he will be considered the very best ever.  Check out who those guys fought and beat in their careers and Floyd at least at this time, pales in comparison.

Answer 7

In boxing...you can back pedal, make good use of the space within the ring, BUT YOU NEVER RUN AWAY. Mayweather runs away. He should have been a triathlon athlete, it's ok then to brag how fast he is.

I don't hate him either. Maybe he goes to church, live a good christian life, i respect him  as a person. I just hate his boxing style. On fight nights, people come to see fights, and not a hunting expedition with the elusive prey emerging as winner should he manage to stay "alive".

By the way, old timers box toe to toe.

Answer 8

u have a good point. I like Floyd's boxing skillz. He can be arrogant sometimes, but I would be too If I was as good as him!

Answer 9

"The Larry Holmes Purgatory of Greatness", ElmerFuddstein you are one of the top three contributors to this site, and that is a classic, thumbs up to a great euphemism.  That said, here is my take:

Anywhere from 140lbs and below Floyd Mayweather Jr. was the best boxing could offer, truly P4P the top of the upper elite.  When Floyd moved up to 147, he lost the ability to dominate like he did at that lower weights.  I ignore the trash talk, what matters to me is what happens after the bell rings.

To this day, Sugar Ray Leonard's one redeeming, career defining moment was the manner in which he responded to Angelo Dundee's claim that he was loosing to Thomas Hearns.  Ray reacted like a champion, and instead of allowing Hearns to out box him, he KOed Tommy in their first fight.  I respect Ray's skill, heart and quality in this fight.

The fights with Duran and Hagler were not in my opinion victories for Leonard, they were disgraces, track meets that laid the pattern for future runners to carry on a disgraceful farce instead of a manly art.  So be it, styles are not always liked, opinions differ, and scoring is sometimes controversial.  

The similarities between Leonard and Mayweather's style of boxing are there, and the negative criticism of such "style of boxing" is clear.  There is a difference between a "boxer" and a "slugger", but equally important is the difference between a "boxer" and a "runner".  Ultimately it is the manner in which you win, not the record that historically separates you from your peers.

Ray cowered in obvious fear of Pryor and ducked Camacho for years before fighting Hector late in his career and losing badly, so Leonard was inferior to Floyd below 147, Ray Leonard simply didn't dominate the lower divisions like Floyd did.  Above 147 clearly Ray was superior to Floyd, as his multi title career shows, so far.  Mayweather's career isn't over, but realistically,  Floyd doesn't have the body type to succeed with the same dominance at the higher weights as he did lighter.  Mayweather's career isn't over yet so the jury is still out, but is unlikely Floyd will go much higher.  

If you defend, you must stand your ground.  If you are blocking, or slipping a punch, parrying or even smothering your opponent, you are being a "defensive" fighter. Winky Wright does this, and he is nothing like Floyd or Ray.  I respect Wink a hundred times more than I do Ray Leonard or Floyd's "style".  Even simply circling away from your opponents power shot is

Running and pot shotting a slower, older fighter who lacks the stamina to chase you is nothing to be respected, no matter how effective it may be.  It is exploitation not skill.  Whether you wish to label this a "style" of fighting or not is up to you, it is in my opinion inferior and less "honorable" than actually engaging your opponent in a physical confrontation.

This argument will never end, and either point is valid, there are no negative or positive points of view, only differing opinions, that is why sites like this one work.

Answer 10

FLOYD MAYWEATHER SUCKS!

B-HOP > Funny Mayweather

Answer 11

that's the most intellectually rich points i have ever read on here and i also would like to say i completely agree with you i don't care for a best answer  but i do care to say

kudos's

starred

Answer 12

People don't like Floyd for the precise reason he has been such a successful businessman:  He markets himself as a heel and the public eats it up.  He's the guy we love to hate and don't you believe for one minute his image isn't carefully crafted by Floyd and his handlers at HBO.  I'd liken his public persona to a wrestling bad guy.  

In actuality he is the best boxer in the world today and anyone who says anything to the contrary is simply hating on Floyd for reasons known only to them.  If you are the best at what you do, you are typically labeled proud or "arrogant" by those who are mediocre.

Answer 13

dude I am so happy to see that are people who still appreciate good boxing and can see beyond all the marketing BS,Mayweather is one of the best boxers i have ever seen,he understands the game and he trains hard to be good at it, people just want to see him loose but do not appreciate his superior skills, I think he is just doing what's best for him from a business stand point and can you blame him? look at all the legends, Duran,Robison,Louis they did so much but still ended up broke, he is simply trying to avoid becoming another sad boxing story.

Answer 14

juan o your obviously dumb and are also blinded from the truth..i called pbf a coward because he avoids the top fighters in his division and only fights cherrypicked opponents.just look...and that other dummy that said mayweather will mash cotto..lol well why doesnt floyd get in the ring and prove it?action speaks louder than words!

Answer 15

I have written questions recently saying that I don't think that Mayweather should be #1 in the weight class ratings anymore........kinda strange but somehow since the p4p rankings are more of speculation then the actual rankings in the weight classes I don't mind as much if he's ranked at the top of that list because obviously he's the most talented guy out there.............but in the weight classes you can actually prove that you are the best by fighting the people in your division..... there is absolutely no need for speculation in boxing between Mayweather and either Margarito or Cotto because he can prove it in the ring........this is not fantasy boxing..........this is not ESPN matching up the greatest teams in the history of the NFL to see who would win.......... these are boxers, in the current time, in the same weight class and I think that even Mayweather supporters would have to agree when I say that he is just not choosing to accept the challenges at Welterweight and they are better challenges than the ones that he's chosen since he's moved up to the Welterweight weight class......... I can see a guy like Calzaghe fighting guys who are not in his weight class because there is nobody at Super Middleweight that stands out besides him........but Floyd has the best competition in his division and he's just plain and simple choosing to not fight them.    If people judge Floyd for any other reason they are wrong........I just want the Mayweather supporters to read this again before giving me the big thumbs down becuase i've only spoken the truth, none of it is opinion in anyway..........and I think opinions are coming into the debate with Floyd and the welterweight division way too much...........

Answer 16

There are a lot of parallels between Ray Leonard and Floyd Mayweather to make, too.  Ray threatened for fights to be cancelled if his purse wasn't big enough.  He'd constantly harrass fighters into thinking they were going to fight, then pull the plug.  Remember how badly he embarrassed Hagler during what was supposed to be the announcement of their fight?  He talked about how great it would be when they fought, but ended with "but it'll never happen!". . . .just a ploy to get more money.  

Actually, I've never seen Floyd make too much fuss over who makes how much for a fight.  He never ducked anyone, and he always WAS the guy that others wanted to fight.  I think only in the Oscar fight did he not make as much as his opponent (except for early in his career, that is).  

My point is, people are so hard on Floyd, who beats EVERYONE. . . . .but Leonard was SO MUCH WORSE and he's still revered and loved all over the world.  Have we changed that much in just twenty years?  Because the game. . . . it hasn't changed very much at all.

***By the way, KOKING. . . you're so far off it's nearly funny.  Ali talked smack but not as bad as Floyd?  Are you serious???  Watch ANY Ali documentary you like. . . .he's absolutely SAINTED by the media, and he talked more c**p than any street thug on the streets today.  He called Frazier a GORILLA. . .that he couldn't fight a l**k, that he was ugly, uncoordinated, dumb as a rock. . . etc!!!  Ali was the KING of self-promotion (hurtful or otherwise), and I hope that point is not lost on you, my friend!

Answer 17

I can only answer for myself.

Many of my comments posted here are likely interpreted as negative towards PBF.

My beef isn't really with PBF as much as it is with the commercialization of boxing.  The trend towards engineered careers with a focus on income is very disturbing to me and yes I get irritated.

I classify high profile guys like De La Hoya and PBF as commercial fighters.......an honest accessment of their records makes it difficult to gage their status as an all time great.  I do not rank them high on any list because they match-make based on income and not the talent of their opposition.

To me, this eats at the integrity of the sport.  Does this hack me off?  Of course.  I get even more irritated with comments like "why should I fight a guy if the money isn't right?" or people that post comments that link popularity with legendary status.  It almost seems like we are to the point where if a guy breaks a pay-per-view record, he automatically deserves to be either the P4P best or be on the top 10 all-time list.

In the past, talent and reputation earned in the ring was the rule.......now the ability to sell seats seems to be the standard.  How many other sports are that way?  And wrestling doesn't count.    

When I post a comment about PBF or any fighter I consider commercial, that's my angle.  Some people here may rate the significance of a fighter based on the number of famous people ringside........I do not buy it for one second.

PBF is the best example of this problem.  Fighting DLH and Hatton just punctuates the issue.  How can PBF justify his status as the best if he can't even clean house at welterweight or fight the young guys out there?  

The welterweight division is hot and PBF is a non-participant.  For that I give his managerial methodology little respect.  A "legend" would have no problem rising to the challenge, yet PBF is absent.

I have no problems with his style or his arrogance.  I respect his work ethic, his obvious talent and that he often seems humble after a fight.

The other contributing factor is people that post ludicrous comments that show that they are novice fight fans and have no idea of the history of the sport.  To these people, 1990 was a long time ago.  Their "best of" lists are always full of duds from the last 10-15 years.  

Mix the novice fan with the hardcore fans...and you will get a lot of negative comments back and forth.

My 2 cents......

Answer 18

boxers dont really go full contact like pro wrestlers they block and then they hit plus its the big show his fist is as big as his head id run to

Answer 19

I got to agree with Woody on this one. I enjoy watching Mayweather in the ring. He is a great boxer. Not the greatest though. When he says he is the greatest I sometimes think he doesn't even believe that. He just does it as a marketing ploy. He needs to clean up the division instead of fighting DLH but we just have to wait and see about that.

But for Pistol Pete how can any boxer be called a fraud and a coward? I mean you go in the ring and you risk serious injury everytime you go out there. How does that make you a coward? His boxing style may not please you but it has worked for him so far. You bring up valid points though but at the same time you bring up some pointless ones also.

Answer 20

Floyd May weather is Of the best fighters of this era. The guy is never going to get his credit because people are going to make some wacky excuse why he didn't fight this guy or that guy. PISTOL PETE IS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF SOMEONE FINDING EVERY REASON TO NOT GIVE HIM HIS RESPECT EVEN TAKING UP A HALF OF A PAGE WRITING PETTY GARBAGE HE THINGS IS SIGNIFICANT. YOU DO NT HAVE TO LIKE THE GUY PERSONALLY BUT HE IS THE BEST FIGHTER IN THE GAME AND PEOPLE USE HIS ATTITUDE TO DISCREDIT HIS FIGHT ABILITY

AND HE WOULD MASH COTTO WITH NO PROBLEM

Answer 21

Well, here's my personal deal about Mayweather. First, I want to acknowledge that I don't hate Mayweather. I actually enjoy watching his fights and his style. I also think is a very good boxer..... actually the best in the business today. The only thing I don't like or disagree with is when claims are made that he's the ABSOLUTE greatest of all time.

Being that I enjoy and watch his career closely, I haven't seen nearly enough out of Mayweather for the claim of the greatest to be made. Mayweather is in a heavily load division with talent all around him, but he chooses not to further his claim towards greatness, because those guys are not marketable names in his opinion. Maybe or maybe not it's true about those fighters, but it doesn't change that these fighters are good and possibly threating to Mayweather, himself. Personally, I think Mayweather could do fairly well against all the top opponents available. And if you add the victories he already have to all the potential victims around the division, it would speak wonders in his claim. Unfortunately, he chooses easy money fights to support his financial demands, which would make almost anyone question whether he's sincere about acheiving his own legacy of the absolute best.

I respect his skill and what he has done on his pro resume, which is very good, but to accept him as the absolute best is something I can't do. I can't do it, especially when there are younger, hungry and potentially threatening fighters out there that he's overlooking. At least all the other fighters who are disputed as the greatest fought everyone around.

Answer 22

PBF gets into their skin which make them hate him more

Answer 23

when he was in the ring with the big show he had to use weopons to beat him including the brass knukles that were in his hands when he delivered that right hand punch that knocked the big show out for the count