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Forget Bernard Hopkins, he fought several no name opponents’ en-route to his twenty title defenses. Also, he never took the initiative to move up in weight to challenge himself; he opted to stay in a division that was very weak. Floyd Mayweather, the best young fighter in the game has taken the top spot on my pound-for-pound list. Although his last four opponents (Victoriano Sosa, Philip N’dou, Demarcus Corley, and Henry Bruseles) have not been of top shelf quality, his resume is extremely impressive. Here is an interesting fact I feel many of you supposed boxing fans are overlooking: Floyd has victories over Diego Corrales, Carlos Hernandez, Jesus Chavez, and Jose Luis Castillo twice. Do you see a pattern here? These are all former and current world champions.
Floyd relinquished his lightweight title after his third and final defense against Philip N’dou. He performed well in his first outing at 140-pounds against the tough veteran Demarcus Corley, who a few weeks ago, if you remember had the heir to the throne of the junior welterweights (Miguel Cotto) on “queer street.” And lastly, he is coming off a sensational performance against little known Henry Bruseles. In his last three outings, Floyd has fought more aggressively and in much more entertaining fashion, as opposed to his prior bouts. The outcome of this brief synopsis resulted in him not dropping more than a round on the judge’s scorecards.
Floyd is the truth. He has the speed, boxing skills, defense, and confidence to tangle with anyone his size or a little bit bigger. This is implying anyone at welterweight. But the junior welterweight division is so tightly condensed that he could stay at 140-pounds for the rest of his career and still be the man. “Pretty Boy” Floyd can clean out the division without too much trouble. Guys like Kostya Tszyu, Ricky Hatton, and Miguel Cotto are simply not on his skill level. The only person at this weight that would give Floyd difficulty would be Vivian Harris. Take notice and you will see that no one else is rushing to fight him. Vivian would give Floyd a run for his money for two reasons. One being his size, Harris is a tall and very strong fighter. The second reason is the tremendous punching power he possesses in both hands. This bout would require some serious acclimation on Floyd’s part, b! ut at the end of the night, he would remain undefeated. (Someone fight Vivian Harris, people are ducking him like the bubonic plague)
Next up for Floyd is the warrior we have all come to love, Arturo “Thunder” Gatti. Now I give Arturo his props. He has tons of heart and he has treated us to many thrills. However, this is a boxing mismatch, if I have ever seen one. Gatti is a “B” level fighter who has never really fought anyone of substance. The opponents that he fought and beat either were past their prime (“Jesse” James Leija) or were just too small (Leonard Dorin). Gatti has losses to Ivan Robinson and Angel Manfredy, granted, this is pre-Buddy McGirt, but take it from me; he will not be a factor.
Does anyone remember Floyd’s annihilation of Angel Manfredy? Manfredy was baffled. Floyd convinced Angel that he was head butting his gloves. When I hear people saying how much of a great fight this is going to be, I have to seriously question their boxing knowledge. This will be a clinic. Floyd beats Gatti easily. I wouldn’t be shocked if he won all twelve rounds. If Mayweather is able to tame to ferocious lions in Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo, what is he going to do to Arturo Gatti? I can only imagine. In re-addressing the issue at hand, the Las Vegas native by way of Grand Rapids Michigan has established himself as the “man” in boxing. Here is a message to the Arturo Gatti’s and Kostya Tszyu’s! of the world, it is time to bow down and crown the king.
To all my peoples out there, show some love via e-mails. Let me know what you think. Until next time, peace and love y’all! See you soon.
Edwin Gonzalez can be reached at prpapa427@aol.com
