"He hugged the whole fight!"
"He ran all night!"
"The fight ruined boxing."
Quotes like this have been rampant throughout internet, newspapers, social media, etc. Just to give you a little background on who exactly Floyd Mayweather fought on Saturday night, here you go...
Manny Pacquiao is regarded one of the pound for pound best fighters in this generation. He has record of 57 wins, 6 losses, 2 draws, with 38 wins by knockout. The man has demolished World Champion after World Champion during his career with a dynamite left cross that has caved his various world class opponents. Just to throw out a few names: Miguel Cotto, Oscar De La Hoya, Antonio Margarito, Ricky Hatton, Joshua Clottey, and Sugar Shane Mosley. And those are World Champions that he has fought in the upper weight classes of his career.
Floyd Mayweather has 47 wins, no losses, with 26 wins coming by way of knockout. This is a man who has also fought World Champion after World Champion and has beat them. Some decisively, some by a narrow margin. As you can see, he is not regarded as a knockout artist.
Saturday night was not Iron Mike Tyson fighting Michael Spinks. Nor was it Gatti versus Ward. To the layman, expectations for this fight were not reasonable. Floyd Mayweather is a masterful boxer who has perfected the "Philly" shoulder defense, counter punches like anyone you have ever seen, and moves his feet in hyper drive. You try to punch him, he's gone or the punch will graze off his body. That's him, that's his style, THAT'S WHAT HE DOES.
Nothing different occurred on Saturday night. He made Pacquiao look foolish when Manny would lead with his head, relying on his natural speed to innundate Floyd with a barrage of punches coming from all angles. Pac Man had his moments, but it did not effect Mayweather at all. Floyd would use his signature counter right hand that would stun Manny and prevent him from getting inside the masterful boxer. Whenever Pacquaio saw opportunity to start punching, Floyd would be long gone or hug Manny, preventing him from punching. Yes I agree, it's not the best for entertainment purposes, but it prevented Floyd from hitting the deck. When you're in the ring against one of the best fighters in the world, worrying about anything else but your health and safety is pretty much secondary.
If anyone wants to blame a fighter, it's Manny that should be blamed. Manny did not throw anywhere near as many punches as he has done in his previous fights. He did not press the fight like previous Mayweather opponents did, such as Maidana, De La Hoya, or Castillo. These men took it to Floyd and were close to walking away with a victory. Mayweather is just that good.
I do not blame the general public for being disappointed. Especially after shelling out one hundred dollars. But it takes two to tango. And obviously, Floyd and Kenny Bayless were not the only ones in the ring that night.
Do not get me wrong, I am NOT a Mayweather fan. The multiple domestic violence charges along with the flaunting of his lavish lifestyle do not sit well with me. But you have to give credit where credit is due. Is Floyd Mayweather Jr. "The Best Ever?" Even after beating Manny Pacquiao, that is still a question up for debate. Although I would have to put him in my top 5 pound for pound.
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