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‘Floyd Mayweather Jr’
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By Al Bernstein September 29th, 2009 All Boxing Articles
 Not surprisingly, the aftermath of the Floyd Mayweather-Juan Manuel Marquez match has produced some very simplistic commentaries about the commerce of the fight.
The very good buy rate that topped 1 million has been viewed in a number of different ways. Many of them so absurdly one dimensional that it boggles my mind.
The black and white mentality of commentators in both sports and news is astonishing. There is no more gray. And, I hate to break it to them and the people who buy into their messages, but, most things are in the gray area. Usually there are several factors that make something happen, not just one.
First, the huge buy rate is good news for boxing and it’s good news for Floyd Mayweather, who has long struggled to provide evidence that he can carry a pay per view. In this case, Marquez brought a following, but it was incumbent upon Mayweather to provide the bulk of the interest.
The other specific point that this huge buy rate demonstrates is that, as I suggested in my special commentary (which you can watch below on my boxing channel), when a major match gets the appropriate amount of coverage from the mainstream media, it will flourish and fans will be interested.
That was the case with this fight. Because of Mayweather’s return to the ring, this match got good coverage from newspapers, television and radio. More...
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By Richard Eberline September 20th, 2009 All Boxing Results
© Tom Hogan / Hoganphotos
Despite sitting on the sidelines the last 21 months, Floyd Mayweather Jr returned in top form tonight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to reestablish his authority as the finest boxer of his generation and in the world today.
Following up his 10 round dismantling of Ricky Hatton in December, 2007, Mayweather came back to his former stomping grounds of Vegas to shove aside the aspirations of Juan Manuel Marquez over the twelve rounder at welterweight.
Much had been made of Marquez's two highly contentious contests against arch-rival Manny Pacquiao during the media buildup leading up to tonight's clash but the masterful Mayweather aptly showed that meant nothing when stacked up against his prodigious gifts. More...
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By Richard Eberline September 19th, 2009 All Boxing Previews
© Tom Hogan - Hoganphotos
The moment of Floyd Mayweather's return to a boxing ring has finally arrived tonight as the top boxer on the planet faces Juan Manuel Marquez over twelve rounds at welterweight at Las Vegas' MGM Grand.
There isn't much that hasn't already been said or written about this pairing and it's obvious that Mayweather is the favorite heading into tonight's clash.
But there are variables to the accepted wisdom of Mayweather having the advantage in size and speed, not the least of which is the former multi-weight champ having been away from pro boxing since stopping Ricky Hatton in December, 2007. More...
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By Boxing Press September 17th, 2009 All Press Releases
Floyd Mayweather: "To go down as a legend, you have to face the best in your era and Marquez is one of the best in my era.
"I have been around the sport and I have experienced many different styles, and I will adjust and adapt. Now I am back and September 19 is another big day for me.
"You can expect blood, sweat and tears on Saturday night. I predict one hell of a fight.
"I have a lot of respect for Marquez. He hasn't said anything bad about me, so I have nothing bad to say about him. How can I say something bad about someone who respects my fight game? More...
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By Al Bernstein September 16th, 2009 All Boxing Articles
Floyd Mayweather Jr. is a little like the National Basketball Association. That seems a strange analogy, but it’s really not.
In recent years the off-season of the NBA has been really entertaining. There are blockbuster trades, player feuds, always more than our share of police blotter stories involving players, and at least a half a dozen paternity suits to spice things up.
Then the season begins and all that sizzle becomes a staid 82 game schedule with a style of play that must give all the players of the 70’s and 80’s heartburn.
Fast break opportunities are ignored to instead see guards walk the ball up the court, dump it into the low post and while everyone stands around that low post player goes one on one with not always sensational low post moves.
The product on the court somehow does not live up to our expectations.
And, that describes Mayweather Jr. to a tee. Outside the ring everything about him leading up to a fight is entertaining. His family is boxing’s version of the Osbournes. The break-ups and reconciliation’s come at a dizzying pace.
Most family members are soundbite machines that fuel the media with juicy stuff. And, add to that the inevitable legal entanglements that seem to find Floyd Jr. as often as cameras find Paris Hilton.
And, with HBO’s new penchant for making reality shows now before Mayweather fights, well, it’s all just too entertaining…much like the NBA. More...
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By Nick Chamberlain July 15th, 2009 All Boxing Articles
There has been plenty of speculation as to where Ricky Hatton can go following his recent destruction at the hands of Manny Pacquiao.
There was a huge amount of press and fans alike that were immediately of the opinion that Hatton should retire, hang up the gloves and bow out as a former two-weight world champion and the case being that he only ever lost to the two top fighters on the planet.
The world was shocked when Hatton was floored twice in the first round by Pacquiao and put to sleep in the second, well everyone except Freddie Roach.
Most experts agreed that whilst Pacquiao would win, it would be a hard, drawn out battle of will against skill, but what we all saw was something completely different.
As Pacquiao now emerges as arguably one of the greatest fighters the Philippines have ever produced, Hatton's career seems to be in disarray.
However, there are options out there for Hatton. If he were to retire, he would be remembered for some very special nights, i.e. Kostya Tszyu, or his thrilling stoppage of Jose Luis Castillo and some incredibly gutsy performances on a domestic level like when he out-boxed Jon Thaxton.
These were the sort of nights that secured Ricky his huge crowds, for he was never a brash, loud and arrogant fighter like Floyd Mayweather Jr, nor was he the go in, get the job done Terminator-esque typle like Miguel Cotto.
Here was a man who fought with his heart on his sleeve and a nation behind him. Moreover, the best part of all is that when the night was through, you could find the bar he was in and actually ask him how he felt the fight went over a beer! More...
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By Daxx Kahn July 9th, 2009 All Boxing Articles
18 months ago, Floyd Mayweather Jr announced his retirement, stating “I don’t have the desire I once did”. Now, from the sound of that statement, one is led to believe that the motivation that once existed is gone, the desire to train and compete is not what it was so there is no desire to continue.
Bravo! After all, Floyd sat upon the pound for pound list, claimed world titles in five weight classes, made a fortune of money and is leaving the sport with all his bearings intact.
Mayweather Jr accomplished what every fighter sets out to achieve perfectly and most rational people could agree with this decision. After all, why continue in a dangerous sport you have no wish to compete in anymore and take the chance of getting hurt?
Retire on top and wait for your day to be inducted into boxing’s Hall of Fame, something very few have managed to do.
But few outside of the Mayweather camp believed this retirement would last.
A vast majority of observers believed Floyd was using his retirement speech as a ploy, after all, he was the top ranked fighter in boxing and opportunity was wide open.
After a big payday like that of his bout with Oscar De La Hoya, perhaps he was waiting for the right moment to make a huge welterweight showdown with who ever was left after Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito, Paul Williams, Shane Mosley and Joshua Clottey had all faced each other and cleared up the chaos. More...
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By Al Bernstein July 3rd, 2009 All Boxing Articles
When an athlete or any celebrity writes a book, an all important element is the title. And over the years, many projects have had titles that did not make the final cut.
I had a book project that had an original title that I thought was inspired--“My Life As Boxing’s Sex Symbol.” For some unfathomable reason, an editor ruled it out. Go figure.
Here are some other book titles that you will never see on the front of a book jacket.
Creative Baby Names
By George Foreman
Father Knows Best
By Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Weight Loss Guaranteed
By James Toney
Defend Yourself At All Times
By Arturo Gatti-- with a foreword by Mickey Ward More...
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By Al Bernstein June 22nd, 2009 All Boxing Articles
While we all wait for the apparently inevitable announcement that Manny Pacquiao will fight Miguel Cotto, I think it’s wise to really sit back and try and put the Pacquiao story in perspective. Our goal here is to come up with some historical perspective that is reasoned.
In doing that you would think that the exploits of Pacquiao would take on less superhuman traits and be viewed through a prism less filled with hyperbole and more geared to hard scrutiny. That’s what you would think.
But, in reality, the process of taking a step back and really dissecting what Pacquiao has done in his career makes me more impressed and more willing to talk in terms of “greatest” and “historically important.”
I said a few weeks ago that if Manny Pacquiao beats Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley or Floyd Mayweather Jr., he will have stamped himself as the greatest EVER at lighter weights, 135 or below. That’s a bold statement, but I believe I can back it up with a strong case.
The quartet of Pacquiao, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez produced the greatest series of fights seen at any time in boxing. They occurred during a decade’s span in a few weight divisions. This series of fights exceeded even the Hagler, Leonard, Hearns and Duran combinations of matches. More...
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By David Shipman May 13th, 2009 All Boxing Articles
This article is meant to be contrasted as only opinion, but there is more to it. This writer will explore the tale-of-the-tape, the circumstances and how it went down, who deserved to win, and most importantly, why.
This will only cover modern-era fights, mainly between 1980's until now, because one can simply not find enough material to sift through and cover. Now, for the moment you have been waiting for...
Number 5:
Jose Luis Castillo vs Floyd Mayweather, Jr. I, 2002. Result: Mayweather, Jr. 116-111, 115-111 and115-111. What should have happened: Mayweather picked up the first three rounds easy on all scorecards, but hurt his hand. Castillo used amazing tactics and bullied Mayweather to the ropes, he began to score at will with his left hook. He even muscled Mayweather, hit him with a barrage of good body shots and began to close the gap.
I had Mayweather losing rounds 4-7 and rounds 8 through 11. This equals out to 115-111 for Castillo. Castillo should be applauded for not giving up his title through selling his "soul" to promoters. This is arguably Mayweather's first loss. Mayweather would eventually "school" Castillo in the rematch. Although the judges had it 115-113, 116-113 and 116-113, many pundits scored the rematch 117-111 for Mayweather. More...
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By Daxx Kahn November 4th, 2008 All Boxing Articles
Are we putting our fighters on the chopping block?
I am all for rivalry. If you ask me, a good rivalry will push you to your limits in the quest to come out on top. The sport of boxing as a whole is in the biggest rivalry it has encountered since its creation. That rival comes in the form of Mixed Martial Art's.
Let's face it, MMA and the UFC in particular have been not only giving the sport of boxing a run for it's money in the viewer department, but it has often been coming out ahead. It's not really hard to see why in all honesty, MMA puts out more shows with top level names headlining, it is fast paced, gives more then enough violence to satisfy even the most blood thirsty viewer and most importantly, their roster of talent is constantly fresh.
Yet for all the plus factors, MMA still has not withstood the test of time. Kickboxing at one point gained popularity in mainstream media but after the same old routine, faded out into obscurity, Muai Thai garnered the same attraction at one point in time, it has even started to make a comeback recently by having a version of "The Contender" geared around its style but for all its fanfare, Muai Thai remains only a mainstream sport in Thailand and surrounding countries.
While none of the two reached the peak of popularity MMA has, they also did not rely on two promoters to keep the sport alive either. If the UFC or WEC go under, the sport will more than likely go with it. Yet for some reason, MMA has put boxing into a panic!
Lately boxing has created it's own internal rumor mill surrounding fighters. Every time a fighter on the rise or an established veteran has a big win, the same questions seem to hit our media circuit almost immediately. The articles start being printed and fans start to wonder if they witnessed "Boxing's Savior".
It has come to the point of almost seeming desperate, as if the need for a mega star must be found sooner than later. The departure of Floyd Mayweather Jr and fact that Oscar De La Hoya is soon on his way out have onlookers running around like chickens without heads. Marketing strategies are being abandoned, fighters are being over hyped. We are setting ourselves up for disaster!
Throughout history, elite fighters were created over time; it took more than one or two big wins to become a superstar. You had to win convincingly again and again to gain respect, one or two wins over top rated opposition meant only one thing, that the fighter had potential for greatness if they could continue with longevity. More...
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By Jane Warburton June 9th, 2008 All Boxing Articles
© Jane Warburton / Saddo Boxing
So, Floyd Mayweather has retired, again!.
I’m sure I’m not the only one thinking that what he probably means is…”I’ve retired (unless something interesting crops up!)” It seems the five-weight champion is no longer ‘happy’ to fight and retires at the height of his game with a perfect 39-0 record.
It’s a shame that we won’t be seeing the re-match of De La Hoya vs. Mayweather, supposedly scheduled for 20 September 2008, and the hunt is now on to find another suitable opponent for the Golden Boy. More...
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