How "Money" Mayweather is Bankrupting Boxing

Alllllllllrighty then. So there was apparently this big boxing match on Saturday night. How do I know? Because when I woke up this morning, my Facebook and twitter feeds were going crazy with other people just finding out about this incredible phenomenon. It showcased an undefeated champion, Floyd “Money” Mayweather, Jr., putting his belt on the line against a (from what I hear) hard hitting Victor Ortiz. However, 

what stole the spotlight was how the bout ended and what took place after.

In the fourth round of this title match, Ortiz seemed to be turning the tide a little bit after Mayweather was in complete control. As the two danced into the corner, Ortiz continued with a flurry before landing a headbutt to the chin and face of the champion. This, of course, is illegal, so the referee rightly stops the fight to penalize the challenger. What happened next was appalling. As Ortiz looked for a friendly, and apologetic, embrace and glove touch, Mayweather rocked him with a left hook before finishing the fight with a straight right hand 

moving to 42-0 with 26 knockouts and retaining his title.

What I found most disappointing about this action was that a fighter, who moments later claimed nobody gave him his fair shake, gave everybody a reason not to. There is an unwritten rule in the world of boxing, and even MMA, that if a violation occurs you go hug it out, touch gloves, whatever, and then step back and get ready to get back to fighting. Ortiz did this. And after a half-hearted hug between the two, Mayweather did not give his challenger any chance to compose himself again before delivering a massive cheap shot.

Then, in the post-fight interview, he had the nerve to say it’s “protect yourself at all times” in the ring and that Ortiz didn’t do that. You could clearly see in the replay that, after the left hook, Ortiz had this look of “Are you kidding me, Floyd?” like he couldn’t believe that shot was just delivered. This was all before Mayweather went Mike Gundy on 80 year old interviewer Larry Merchant. Now, give credit to Merchant who said an edited version of what everyone watching that interview wanted to say, but Mayweather has to show some class. He defended his title, and was being asked an honest question that any semi-fan wanted to know. You don’t have to start bitching and moaning about not “getting a fair shake” from anybody. Especially when you haven’t given a fair shake to the one guy that could really challenge you for the title.

Floyd Mayweather has been dancing around facing arguably the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world in Manny Pacquiao. Whether it’s with demanding drug testing, money, or just straight talk, the champ has continuously denied the public the title fight that has the best chance of saving the sport of boxing.

I am admittedly not a huge boxing fan nor anything close of an expert. But I do know this, the sport of Mixed Martial Arts is continuing its meteoric rise to the mainstream in terms of fans and revenue, leaving boxing as an “ancient” form of physical sport. When you talk about boxing, you bring up names like Ali, Frasier, Foreman and Rocky (because, let’s be honest, the first three movies are awesome) and talk about those being the glory days of the sport. Now, you hear about a guy who keeps running his mouth but won’t take on the guy who has the best chance at shutting it, that guy who could shut it, and the guys that the guy who could shut that other guy’s mouth keeps beating.

I have watched one boxing match live, Pacquiao-Hatton, in which Pacman knocked out Hatton in the second round and before that looked like he was toying with the Englishman. Again, I’m not an expert on the sport, but Pacquiao looks like a great fighter. One worthy of a title shot, yet the champ seems too afraid to fight him but constantly taking on guys he dismantles.

There is a reason I love MMA more than boxing, it’s much more fast-paced, includes multiple aspects of hand-to-hand combat, and the commentators are much more fun to listen to. However, the biggest reason is that the amount of respect between the fighters is IMMENSE. Yes, there is trash talk before a fight as there is in any sport. But when something goes wrong, when the fight is over, both fighters embrace and show a sign of respect for the amount of talent each has and the preparation the two have gone through to reach that point.

Of course there are loudmouths (Rampage) and guys who sometimes toy with their opponent (Silva, once) but the majority of these incredible athletes are even better human beings. Boxing is a sport that lives through memories long forgotten by their fans and never had by the current generations. However, there is one fight that could bring the memories back and we would all want to witness. Pacquiao-Mayweather. But we may not get that because I feel the champ is scared. And frankly, after what happened last night, I don’t want to see how he would disgrace himself if and when he loses the belt. So I guess Floyd Money was right when he said protect yourself at all times. But I think he was talking to those who watch the sport, rather than those who participate.