There is a huge perception that this weekend’s mega-fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao was a methodically timed matchup perpetrated by Mayweather. People believe that Floyd waited for Pacquiao to decline enough so that he could take full advantage of a weaker version of Manny, at least compared the Manny that Floyd could’ve fought years prior.
This theory is part of a bigger philosophy on Floyd. As the “Pound for Pound” best fighter in the sport, Floyd certainly has his detractors that always find an argument to make about Floyd’s legacy. Some people submit that Floyd ducked the most difficult fights throughout his career in an attempt to keep his undefeated record intact.
Others argue that Floyd’s matchmaking choices over the years are a testament to his cunning business skills, and they add to his in-ring savvy.
The truth is Floyd is probably guilty of both notions. There have probably been moments where he saw a fighter and decided that he’d wait before taking the risk, but some of those reasons he chose to wait were probably inspired by his desire to let the fight build and cash in on a more in demand fight.
For these reasons, amongst others, Floyd is playing the bad guy, a role that he has played before and one that he has no qualms with playing. Manny is the “good guy” in the fight, and he plays it well.
I’m sure Floyd doesn’t care what role he plays nor does he bother himself with public perception so long as he gets his check. Still, he may have dug himself into a hole that will directly affect his legacy with just this one fight.
For everyone that argues that he cherry-picked his fights over the years, the argument will gain validation if he loses to Manny. It might be an unfair notion, but people will argue that the “one time he fought the tough fight” and lost will confirm suspicions that he wouldn’t be undefeated if he had fought those tough fights earlier in his career.
It’s a flawed way of thinking, but it will be argued. So, if Floyd were to lose to Manny could it redefine his legacy in a major way? Is it possible for Floyd to be known as “the fighter that lost to Pacquiao?”
Roy Jones Jr. gave an interview to HoopJab, and he said that regardless of how big this fight is it cannot define either fighter at this point in their careers with all they’ve already accomplished. Although, RJJ admits that Floyd’s detractors will resort to their same old argument, suggesting that he should’ve fought Pacquiao when the fight was at its most attractive, competitively speaking.
“No, if Pacquiao beats [Floyd] he won’t be ‘the guy that lost to Pacquiao’ for sure, he’ll be much bigger than that. But if he beats Pacquiao people gonna say ‘well, he did that but he should’ve did it five years ago.’ It don’t matter, [Floyd’s] smart about it, he’s making the most money out of it, but you know how critics are, they’re going to hate,” Jones Jr. told Neal Johnson of HoopJab.
It is an interesting concept to suggest that Floyd has inadvertently placed himself in the most vulnerable position, especially if you consider the public opinion that he intentionally waited to fight Pacquiao when he was at his most vulnerable.
If Floyd wins, then people will refuse to give him credit based on the idea that he once again waited for the most dangerous opponent to decline. However, if he loses, then it will give way to the argument that he was never as good as advertised, and certainly not as good as his undefeated streak would lead us to believe. It might not be accurate, and it certainly isn’t fair, but it is what will happen.
RJJ was suggesting that Floyd is in a lose/lose situation leads him to believe Manny is in a win/win situation, and he’s correct.
“If Pacquiao wins he has everything to gain and nothing to lose because if Pacquiao beats [Floyd] they gonna say ‘we told you Pacquiao [would win]!’ and that’s what they gonna say. So, Pacquiao has everything to win and nothing really to lose.”
RJJ is dead right because Manny can win the fight and become the best fighter of this generation, despite the fact that he trailed Floyd in the pound for pound rankings all these years. However, if Pacquiao loses, then he’ll remain in the same position he’s kept all these years. Furthermore, Manny will get the benefit of the doubt from fans and media that will brush the loss off. They will say that Manny, as the smaller fighter, was already at a disadvantage when Floyd decided to wait to fight him.
One point that RJJ didn’t make was Manny’s recent loss. There is no pressure to remain undefeated for Manny, and a loss doesn’t do nearly as much as it does for the fighter known for the zero on his record. But the way that Manny lost to Marquez is also interesting.
We’ve seen in past prizefights a tendency for fighters to play it conservative. I believe that fighters play it safe in order to keep from looking bad. However, the way that Pacquiao lost to Marquez was as bad as it gets. With that chip off his shoulder, Manny may be less prone to playing it safe and more likely to chase the win by any means necessary.
For all of those that believe Mayweather systematically waited out Pacquiao in order to place himself in a better position, they may be wrong. It might be Floyd that is most vulnerable, after all.
